![\"Sinam](\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/th-online\/1x1_spacer.png\" "\\"Sinam")
<\/picture><\/div>\nMoving away from the world\u00a0Bharatnatyam to watch a Manipuri dance performance felt like a breath of fresh air. Sinam Singh Basu ,a Bismillah\u00a0Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee and his wife Monica presented short compositions at Kathak Darpan\u2019s Smriti Festival at Kalakshetra in Chennai recently. <\/p>\n
The audience was moved by what Sinam Singh said at the start of the performance. \u201cIt has been more than 25 months of ethnic clash. Houses have been burnt rendering several homeless. People have lost their livelihood. So I urge you all to pray for peace to return to the beautiful state of Manipur.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Sinam\u2019s](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/pgkiri\/article68543237.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Sinam%20Basu%20Singh%20dancea.jpg\" "\\"Sinam\u2019s")
<\/div>\n\nSinam\u2019s graceful moves
\n| Photo Credit:
\nM. SRINATH M\n<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n Sinam Singh began the evening with \u2018Kamadeva Natya\u2019, showing how the god of love heralds the season of spring. The inherent grace and fluidity of the dance form made this piece a delight to watch. The depiction of Kama\u2019s sugarcane bow and the arrow with five different flowers, and the colours of spring were strung together seamlessly. <\/p>\n Radha Rani is angry with Krishna for failing to keep his promise to meet her. Monica\u2019s delineation of the piece \u2014 moving from disappointment and anger to disenchantment, was noteworthy for its sensitive and subtle display of emotions. The couple next performed the popular Ashtapadi \u2018Kuru yadu nandana\u2018, which was full of romantic imageries. <\/p>\n \nThe couple displayed remarkable understanding and rapport on stage. <\/span><\/div>\n Moving beyond the Vaishnavite tradition, which forms the core of Manipuri, Sinam Singh chose a Shiva composition \u2018Nagendra Haraya\u2019 and Panchakshara Stuti, and incorporated in it Thang Tham (Manipuri martial art), beats of Pung Cholam (Manipuri drum) and mudras of Lai Haroba (ritualistic dance and music theatre). The\u00a0posture of Nataraja was different from the way it is depicted in Bharatanatyam. However, the representation of Shiva needed to be more dynamic, to differentiate it from the portrayal of Krishna. <\/p>\n Tejaswini\u2019s winning Kathak moves<\/b><\/p>\n \nThe coordination and choreography stood out <\/span><\/div>\n Earlier in the festival, Tejaswini Sathe and her group presented select compositions from their Kathak repertoire. The chakkars, parans and tihais\u00a0were explored in an interesting manner in the first piece. Next came the bandish \u2018Saajan saathi sahile\u2019, beautiful portrayal of a nayika pining for her lover. The maturity of the artiste came to the fore in her subtle expressions and gestures.<\/p>\n \nThe taraana in Teen taal was the highlight of the performance. <\/span><\/div>\n A Taraana in Teen taal, composed in raga Bhairav by Tejaswani marked the finale of the performance. The variety of movements and formations, powerful footwork, and excellent co-ordination enhanced the visual appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/1kwm6e\/article68543245.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Sinam%20Basu%20Singh%20danceb.jpg\" "\\"The")
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\n| Photo Credit:
\nM. SRINATH\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/vea5g3\/article68543262.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Tejaswini%20Sathe%20KATHAKF.jpg\" "\\"The")
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\n| Photo Credit:
\nSRINATH M\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/i8p4x\/article68543278.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Tejaswini%20Sathe%20KATHAKFGH.jpg\" "\\"The")
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\n| Photo Credit:
\nM. SRINATH\n<\/p>\n