Alarmel Valli Brings Rasanubhava to Life

Intricate steps, profound mudras, overwhelming rasas took over the night as Vidushi Alarmel Valli, a celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, internationally acclaimed for her ability to turn a traditional grammar into subtle, deep internalised personal dance poetry, took on the stage and blessed the Bengal Classical Music Festival audience with one exceptional piece after the other.

She began her performance by explaining to the audience the navarasa – the nine essential primary feelings evoked in the person (fundamental in Indian classical music or dance). Following that, she began her first piece, "Rati Sukha Sare" which is based on 'shringar' (love, attractiveness) rasa. The movements of the dance depicted the finery of spring - the bhramara (bees), the mukula (flower buds), the bherunda (the birds).

While leaving the audience agog, Valli began her next piece – "Unnuni Vikkida". This piece was based on a poem about a girl's early teens and first feelings of romance. Valli narrated the tale with her strong bhavas (expressive emotions), as she played the young girl telling her friends of how that naughty boy who would tease them as children has now grown up to be a man, making her feel things she has never felt before.

"Muttuvaddura", the next piece, was about a woman, angry with her lover, suspecting him of falsely loving her. As the woman expresses her anger with said lover, he in turn tries to convince her of his true feelings. Throughout the conversation of mudras and bhavas between woman and lover, the audience was transfixed as they became a part of their love story, as Valli, with a lifetime of devotion to the art of Bharatanatyam, gave visual breadth to the piece with her rich lyrical expressions.

Shaking off the emotive plane, the next and final piece was that of pure rhythm. Valli brought us back to the physical state with the magic that is Nritya Lahari. The pulsating cadenced composition found its match in natya, where the dancer's strong groundwork in nritya came to the fore.

Valli, as always, left the stage with her audience satisfied yet yearning for more.