Christopher Guruswamy’s dance kept the audience hooked.
| Photo Credit: Srinath M.
The topic of the day was ‘Vayu’ (air), and true to the spirit of that element, Bharatanatyam artiste Christopher Guruswamy breezed onto the stage with gusto, keeping the audience engaged with a riveting performance at Natyarangam’s annual Bharatham festival.The core idea, envisaged by the committee members of Natyarangam to foster a creative exchange between Carnatic vocalists and Bharatanatyam dancers, found perfect expression in a collaboration between Christopher and Vignesh Ishwar. The presentation was a testimony to the fact that a well-conceptualised repertoire can not only sustain interest, but also expand its scope. Carefully curated compositions, from classical to contemporary, alternated between fast-paced songs and soft numbers, keeping the momentum alive. Attired in an aesthetic silver-grey dhothi, Christopher began with a salutation to sun god as a path to self realisation with pranayama. Taking verses Thirumoolar’s Tirumandiram, set to tune in Nattakurinji and Saveri by Vignesh, Christopher conveyed the significance of air for the very existence of life. This was followed by a Navasandhi Kavuthuvam in Harikamboji.
