Madras Music Academy – Dance Festival

Chief Guest Chang-nyun Kim, Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai inaugurated the 18th Dance Festival of The Music Academy Madras on 3 January, 2025.

He described it “a prestigious event showcasing the rich classical traditions of South India”, admiring India’s diverse and long-standing traditions.  “Our nations are bound by shared experiences, he said.” He firmly believes that culture is essential for deepening bilateral relationships. Culture touches the human spirit, fostering mutual understanding and friendship.

He commended the Music Academy Madras for its contributions to classical fine arts through music and dance, as well as its successful hosting of the annual Margazhi festival over the past nine decades.

For twelve years, the Natya Kala Acharya Award—renamed the Nritya Kalanidhi Award in 2017—was exclusively given to Bharatanatyam dancers. This year, it was awarded to Neena Prasad, a top-ranking Mohiniattam exponent. This progressive change is encouraging for other classical dance forms of India.

The Prize Winners

At the 18th Annual Dance Festival 2025, the Bharatanatyam Senior Solo Dancer Prize—endowed by Smt. Seetha Venkateswaran in memory of Smt. Saraswathi and Sri G. V. Ayyar and Sri P. S. Venkateswaran—was awarded to Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. The Outstanding Dancer Award in this category went to G. Narendra.

In the Sub-Senior (First Slot) category, Bhavajan Kumar and Harinie Jeevitha received the Best Dancer Award, while Avijit Das was honoured as Outstanding Dancer.

In the Sub-Senior (Second Slot) category, Parshwanath S. Upadhye was adjudged Best Dancer, with Purvadhanashree receiving the Outstanding Dancer Award.

Among the Juniors, Pritam Das was named Best Dancer, while P. V. Adithya received the Outstanding Dancer Award.

Varnam & Tillana

During the week-long festival there were an uncountable number of varnams performed. It gave the writer an opportunity to give them a serious thought. Had the varnams lost touch with the times because of the yearnings of nayikas for the nayaks or was there more to it than that.  

In a varnam why is the nayika waiting to unite? Waiting is ‘viraha’. One experiences the joy of union only after waiting. This waiting is not gender specific as it is made out to be. Tapa or fire/heat is a part of longing while tapa or meditation is also a means of seeking union with the Almighty.  The idea of waiting is a metaphor -an allegory of the nayika’s spiritual  journey. The longing of the nayika is a visual representation of a person’s yearning for union with a higher being. The nayika evolves her experience to be one with the spiritual being or purusha. Here the mortals are but prakriti. Poetics has explored and realized the elevation of human beings. The nayika represents human beings who wait with intensity or ‘ekagrata’. It prepares one with the object one desires. 

Rama Vaidyanathan opened the festival with a composition of Syama Sastry in raga Ananda Bhairavi in Ata tala. Here the nayika besots Vardaraja Swamy of Kancheepuram. Struck with cupid’s arrow she begs her sakhi to bring him to her.

Bhavajan Kumar performed the varnam Atkola Vendum Ayyane in which the nayika desires to be blessed . she is tortured and wants  Krishna to relieve her mental distress. She is waiting to unite with him. Her tapam is unbearable.

varnam Dhanike Tagujanara by Sriya Srinivasan, saw the nayika as an abstract, universal archetype central to Indian aesthetic theory though they were created for devadāsis, the  nayika is  timeless.

Parshwanath Upadhye performed the varnam Adi Sivane kaname by Dandayudhapani Pillai. Here the nayika asks Siva if she should experience him through her Panchenddreeyas or through the love in her eyes.

Senthil nagar Mevum Deva was a heartfelt plea to Muruga-the son of Siva- seeking solace by Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon. Beautifully performed, the duo went on to win the best dancer prize in the senior category.

Bharatanatyam dancer Praveen Kumar performed a varnam composed by the Tanjore Quartet where the heroine is attracted to Lord Bruhadeswara from her girlhood days and wants to be united with him. Praveen Kumar’s angasuddhi was as remarkable as was the subtlety of his expression.

Divya Hoskere’s varnam was about her love for Tyagesha of Tiruvarur. She pleads to him not to be indifferent to her.       

Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel rendered a Tanjore Quartet varnam. Here the nayika addresses Lord Padmanabha telling him that her trust in him is increasing manifold with his support using metaphors from nature, explaining in detail how Sringara paves the way for bhakti. In every breath lies the potential to touch the infinite.

Priyadarsini Govind plainly  beseeched Krishna and demanded to know if it was just  for Krishna to behave as if he didn’t know her mind? “Is all this acting/drama something you rehearsed before, O Lotus-eyed Lord, coloured like a gem? O beautiful Krishna, will you not alleviate my grievances?” she said.  Her varnam Innum En Manam in Charukeshi raga by Lalgudi Jayaraman was an outstanding piece. There was dignity, elegance and poise in both her nritta and abhinaya.

Dasavatara varnam by G.Narendra is an allegory and embodies the essence of divine intervention through mythological stories on the redemption of mankind for purpose of  preserving dharma and restoring cosmic balance, emphasising the importance of righteousness, humility and a seeker of lofty ideals to uphold  justice, duty, and compassion in their lives.   G. Narendra’s exuberance and vigour; his exaggerated dramatisation and magnificent way of covering the stage were breathtaking.      

A tillana is a rhythmic piece in South Indian Carnatic music that is generally performed at the end of a concert and widely used in classical Indian dance performances. It was popularised by vidwan M Balamuralikrishna, Lalgudi Jayaraman and some other musicians A tillana uses tala-like phrases in the pallavi and anupallavi, and lyrics in the charanam.  Some of the remarkable tillanas presented in the festival were by Bhavya Ramchandran in raga Kannada, Bhavajan Kumar in Revati raga, Jyotsna Jagannathan presented a Kapi tillana, G.Narendra a Senchurutti tillana, Daksha Vaidyanathan in raga Megh, Parshwanth Upadhye in a self composed Behag and Rageshri tillana, and Vaibhav Arekar and troupe in Brindabani Tillana.

Odissi, Kuchipudi/Vilasini Natyam, Mohini Attam & Kathak

At the Madras Music Academy dance festival, where Bharatanatyam dominated, it was refreshing to see Kuchipudi take center stage.  Avijit Das and Vilasini Natyam Dancer Purva Dhanasree took up space in the hearts of the audience and the organisers as well. Right from the start with a traditional invocation Vani Paraku to the last piece Avijit Das kept the audience glued to their seats. The highlight of his recital was the Tarangam from Vishnu Puranam and Krishna Leela Tarangini, captivating the audience.

Purvadhanasree excelled in her abhinaya in the varnam piece -where she compared the nayika’s finger nails with shiny stars, the thin hairline above her navel with a line of ants and her thighs with the quiver of Manmatha’s arrows. She held the audience's attention with ease. In Aqeedat Kathak, a Divya Goswami unfolded the story of her roots of being a Punjabi  through Kathak and Hindustani music,  holding a torch to the nuances of the geographical essence, folk arts and songs that made her production  an experience into the heritage of the land and heart of Punjab.

Mohini Attam exponent Neena Prasad performed a fascinating varnam from Balakavi Rama Shastri, taken from Banayudham Attakath. The story was about the dream of Bana’s daughter Usha who had spent a love filled night with a handsome young man, identified by her sakhi, Chitralekha as Aniruddha the grandson of Krishna. It was a nuanced filled work choreographed by Kalamandalam Sugandhi with ananda nritta in the charanam.

Nrityagram known for showcasing unique and subtle thoughts of Surupa Sen through the Odissi dance form presented a bouquet of dance pieces named ‘Khankhana’ -the sound of dancing feet.  Sankirtanam was about wandering minstrels singing  and dancing in praise of Lord Krishna; protector of the universe and the purest of all beings;  

Srimati was a submission to the inherently lyrical form of Odissi, which told the  story of the journey of a woman from youth to adulthood; Se nato nagara Kanha -a declaration of the heroine telling her friend not to defend Kanha who has broken her heart -performed solo by Pavitra Reddy; Pashyati dishi dishi -where the Sakhi tells Krishna about Radha’s suffering due to her intense love for Krishna. All sense of shame undone she waits for him-performed solo by Surupa Sen; Smritiranga was about memories which are just songs that like feelings, have no definite path coloured and hued they borrow from moments they lived in and people they touched; Shivashtakam was an Ode to Lord Siva describing his magnificence.

Apsaras Arts Dance Company brought to life brought to life the heroines of Raja Ravi Varma conceptualised by Aravinth Kumaraswamy with Rajkumar Bharati’s music composition, choreographed by Mohanapriya Thavarajah.

Urmila Sathyanarayanan presented Thadathagai -The Eternal Queen of Madurai in praise the divine deities Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar of Madurai. The dancers were all excellent performers groomed under Natya Sankalpa, conceptualised by Urmila Sathyanaryanan and Sai Kripa Prasanna; an exceptional piece of work.

The live musical accompanists of the festival were remarkable, elevating every dancer’s performance to its finest. Though space constraints prevent a detailed review, their contributions were undeniable. As silent architects of the music, they left no stone unturned in bringing out the best in the dancers. Each of them deserves heartfelt applause.

With over half of India's population under 30, preserving and sharing our artistic heritage is crucial. The Natya Sastra stands as a lasting legacy, demanding serious thought and action.

Supporting young artists requires both government and private efforts, with institutions like the Madras Music Academy playing a key role. Success in classical dance has no shortcuts—thorough research and bhava are essential for true artistry.

This festival showcased unmatched performances, setting a high standard for aspiring dancers. The Academy ensured seamless time management, making it a well-organized and inspiring event.