The Bharatanatya couple Dhananjayans - Shantha and V.P. Dhananjayan - gave a Bharatanatya recital on Feb. 7 at Vasudeva-charya Bhavan of Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha. The programme had been organised by Raga Vaibhava, which organises four to five top class programmes in a year, under the leadership of art patron K.V. Murthy.

The couple is internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest dancers. Having entered the seventies, Dhananjayan feels he is still young. Shanta is 67. The couple, already awarded the Padmabhushan, has been selected for the prestigious GD Birla International award for 2009-2010.

At a young age, Dhananjayan came under the tutelage of Chandu Panikkar and had the opportunity of learning Kathakali and Bharatanatya. After joining Kalakshetra, his talent was fine-tuned by the great teachers. Dhananjayan reverentially puts into words that whatever they are today, it is because of Chandu Panikkar and Rukmini Devi Arundale. At Kalakshetra, he used to accompany Mysore Vasudevacharya during his evening walks, as a young boy. He fondly remembers him as Pachcha Tata as the Acharya used to wear a green shawl all the time. Three compositions of Pachcha Tata figured in the programme.

The programme began with a good singing of Maha Ganapatim Manasa Smarami (Nata Adi-Muthuswamy Dikshitar) by Arun Gopinath. Sabha Vandane, Pushpanjali etc. were in dance form. A second pair of dancers Gopu Kiran and Vijaya Lakshmi took up Nrutta Swaravali, which is equi-valent to a Varna. This was a pure form Nrutta. The vigor with which this pair danced was noteworthy. One of Pachcha Tata’s compositions Mamavatu Sri Saraswati was the third number, danced by Vijayalakshmi. Some of the postures were eye-catching.

The main item of the evening was Nrutyopaharam, a combination of Nrutta, Nrutya and Natya. This 200-year-old composition Rama Neeve Rakshakadavuni Namminaanu in Kharahara Priya is composed by Tenmadam Narasimhachari, a contemporary of Tyagaraja. There was a great emphasis for abhinaya here, the dancers were Dhananjayan and Gopu Kiran. The abhinaya part was done by the elder and the Nrytta by the youngster. What was striking was the blending of Kathakali with Bharatanatya.

Shantha Dhananjayan did a solo with a devaranama of Purandhara Dasa Innu Daya Barade Daasana Mele. It was interesting to note that just by a millimeter of movements of lips, eyes and other facial features, how Shantha could change into different moods.

The next was a brisk solo by Dhananjayan with Sri Chamundeshwari Palaya Mam (Bilahari-Adi-Mysore Vasudevachar). The musical ensemble consisted of Shantha and Gopu Kiran (Nattuvanga), Arun Gopinath (vocal), Jaya Shankar (mrudanga), Sunil Bhaskar (violin) and Sunil Kumar (flute).