Guru S.K.Rajaratnam (Vadyar) was one of the last gurus who belonged to the Nattuvanar parambarai. I am very fortunate to have learnt from him and it is a loss to the Bharatanatyam field that he left this world prematurely. He taught the same pieces differently to each of us in our solo classes highlighting our strengths.
I decided to create a select few videos of his pieces, in his choreography, with his voice, a voice that most people came to listen to when attending his students' performances. These vintage pieces are hardly performed any longer except occasionally by the next generation that his students have taught to. I felt the need to record them for posterity. Here is the first of this series, the Subramanya Kavuttuvam. This is a piece I learnt in the 1980s and have performed a zillion times as a teenager. In this video, I have performed this one with a few of my students Vivek Ramanan, Keerthi Venkat and Medha Narwankar. Thank you for the videography by Sri Thina and thank you for the beautiful space Mythili Sankaran. A sort of passing down of the lineage... Roots
Subramanya Kavuttuvam - 1
Second:
The recording is unfortunately cut and I can't find the original :( but even this little snippet is worth it. Do not miss the AIR style announcement by Vadyar which somehow seems to set the mood for the piece along with the lovely drop of khamboji ragam. With just two ragams khamboji and shanmukhapriya, this composition is another remnant of a dying composition, the shabdam.
https://youtu.be/X68ta6mHdi4
Again thank you for the videography Sri Thina and the beautiful space Mythili Sankaran.
For those who missed the first of this series of recordings to preserve a few pieces from Vadyar's repertoire, here it is (the post pertaining to this video is on my timeline earlier):
The third video in this series of compositions I learnt from Vadyar (Guru S.K.Rajaratnam) - pushpanjali. I have seen this pushpanjali performed by many of Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai's illustrious disciples as well as their students. Each school seems to have their own twists and turns in the music but the choreography has been mostly different. Therefore, I assume this version was choreographed by Vadyar (please correct me if I'm wrong).
This is a pushpanjali I've performed so many times. That's the beauty of these old compositions - we performed them so often that they're etched in our memory. I don't have to try and remember them or record them.
I learnt them when there were no cell phones and cameras weren't allowed. We didn't even write them down. Just muscle memory. I teach the same way as do other conscientious teachers. No recording devices, the human being has enough resources to tap into. More importantly, this is what develops a thinking dancer versus a copying dancer, feeling each movement in the mind and body rather than visually imbibing it which creates a copycat version.
Along with me in this video are Vivek Ramanan, Keerthi Venkat, and Medha Narwankar.
Thank you again for the space Mythili Sankaran and the videography Sri Thina
Pushpanjali:
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Here's the 4th video in the Guru SKR series. Alarulu Kuriyaga is a composition of Annamacharya. I love the way vadyar choreographed this to highlight Alamelumanga's grace and beauty. Simple and direct, and there's something to be said for repeating movements so it registers in the spectator's mind. We don't see this much anymore.
This recording is from a performance in Madurai, part of the Iyal Isai Nataka Manram scholarship triad, the other two being Karur and Tiruchi. Also enjoy the AIR style announcement in the beginning in that resonant voice.
https://youtu.be/wsr6hZnGebw
Alarulu Kuriyaga - 4
PriyaLasya, (C), Do Not Copy, Copyrights Acknowledged
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