Laxminarayan Jena tells the story of Kathak through his dance


Laxminarayan Jena performing at the theater festival of the building. Photo courtesy: M. Srinath
Kathak is often seen as a combination of vibrant footwork and affair. The recent demonstration of Laxminarayan Jena for Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Natya Vizha highlighted the development of Kathak from the Kathak tradition to its present avatar. The clear information on each item, shared by his guru Mysore Nagraj, and the honest presentation of the dancer made this performance a rich experience.
Shiva’s praise ‘Damru Hara Kara Baje’ was a dynamic composition installed in Dhrupad style in Raga Girkali. The powerful activities of Shiva were associated with a brief depiction of two episodes – drinking poison of Shiva and the emergence of Panchabhutas. There was clarity in Laxminarayan’s footwork while the trick was energetic.

The performance of Laxminarayan Jena highlighted both the expressions and dance aspects of Kathak. , Photo courtesy: M. Srinath
After this, the sentiment came. The ‘Radha Bhava Anubhav’ describes Radha’s emotional problem as she wait for Krishna’s arrival and when she fails to understand her feelings. She says, “You will understand my feelings only when you become Radha.” Krishna decorates his costumes, understands his feelings and goes out in search of Radha. The dancer easily turned to male to female, and the use of dupatta was beautifully conceived to convey the role change.
Today’s Kathak performance adopts a rhythm and detects many nuances of it. Here, the dancer chose a management for the dance side section – a well woven, structured composition, which had no scope for expansion. Revealed by Maya Rao from Shambhu Maharaj tradition, this management was in the raga Khamaj.
‘Don’t insist today’, the emotional ghazal, immortal by Farida Khanam, was taken to show how the dance style can accommodate diverse poetic expressions. Lakshminarayan chose to portray the feelings of a couple immersed in love, but their scene did not catch the beauty of the song. Slow and acute expression would help.
In the raga Jhinjhoti, Tarana was marked by coordination between footwork and tabla lyrics. And, Guru Mysore Nagraj shared a general knowledge that when Amir Khusro was asked to create something similar to management, Tarana was the result of a music composition that emerged from the compilation of the names of Allah.
Published – 27 January, 2025 05:43 PM IST
(Tagstotranslate) Laxminarayan Jena Mysore Nagraj Kathak Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Natya Festival
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