Lasya Kavya: The World of Alarmel Valli

Alarmel Valli in Lasya Kavya

Raaga Desh plays on in the background. In the foreground, the camera fades in and out as a dancer is picturised as she dresses for a performance. Muted light throws long shadows across her silk white saree and elegant jewellery. Her painted red hands fold into a lotus gesture. She turns around and her mega-watt smile lights up the screen. The dancer is none other than the eminent danseuse Alarmel Valli and the film is a homage to the brilliant legacy of her dance.

Lasya Kavya: The World of Alarmel Valli featuring the life of Alarmel Valli, was filled with the sophisticated grace that is synonomous with Valli herself. The 78- minute documentary film featured snippets of repertoire interspersed with interview segments from luminaries such as music conductor Zubin Mehta, film maker Arun Khopkar, agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan and musicians Bombay Jayashree and Chitravina Ravikiran. Conceptualised and directed by award-winning director Sankalp Meshram and cinematographer Vivek Shah, the film was a tribute to Valli’s artistry and heritage.

The lighting, angling and the idyllic way the camera framed each shot of Valli resonate with the life and temperament of the artiste herself. The only child born into a wealthy Mudaliar family, she has been singularly fortunate enough to have studied with great Bharathanatyam masters like Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Subbarayan Pillai as well as musical legends Brindha and Muktha, under whom she studied Carnatic vocal music. The biographical details of her life are brought to light with exquisite visuals of her parents’ sprawling bungalow, the casuarina groves which Valli used to
walk in, playing cricket as a child during the weekends at her grandfather’s house and the undulating spaces of nature that seem to be woven throughout her childhood. One is treated to the childlike grace captured in Valli’s arangetram video clip which has only blossomed and matured over the years making it a hallmark of her dance.

If the visuals were exquisite, the music and repertoire clips which were interwoven in the film only add to the onlooker’s joy. The close ups of abhinaya (facial expressions) which are a treasure trove for hardcore rasikas are nuanced and register shades of feeling effortlessly. Whether she is emoting the lines of a varnam, a padam, verses from the Madhurashtakam or depicting the nine emotions of Bhoja’s Shringarapraksha; the ease with which she conveys a myriad moods alternating between each one with practised ease is breathtaking. Challenging the regular boundaries of a traditional margam (repertoire), Valli has also collaborated with poet Arundhati Subramaniam to work on an English poem set to dance. The fluditiy with which she approaches such an item makes one forget that it is an English poem that is being played out and not Sangam literature in which she has carved a niche for herself. Truly dhrishta kaavyam indeed!

The sensibility and exacting standards which she brings to her dance can be seen in the manner in which she interacts with her musicians and nattuvanar. Practice sessions with her orchestra are held at the porch and are interrupted as she firmly but gently explains how a particular piece should unfold while concoting a complicated jathi on the spot.

Her sessions with her pupils from Dipashika, her long solitary walks, inspiration from Western and Eastern literature which would find their way into a new item for choreography, her mother's role in directing her attention towards the ancient Sangam poetry which has now become a part of her dance repertoire; these along with the immense accolades (Padmashri and Padmabushan from the Indian Government, ‘Chevalier des Arts at des Lettres' from the French Government) that her performances have created outside the country, complete the picture of Alarmel Valli for us.

The film helped to shed light on her style of dancing and the inspiration that has gone into much of her creation. Although one was treated to images of her as a student, teacher, performer and choreographer, one was left wondering about her personality, style, origins or personal beliefs which have moulded her into the dancer that she is today.

Music and lyrics are given utmost attention in Alarmel Valli’s dance. She evokes a style wherein the gamakas, swaras, trills and pauses in the music find its corresponding expression within the movements of the body. As quoted by her, “My ideal of dance is one where you can see the music and hear the dance. When I dance, I feel I sing- with my body.”

This was exactly was experienced by the audience in the second half of Lasya Kaavya which showcased a live performance by Alarmel Valli. She began with a special invocation to “Prakriti” based on verses from the Silapadhikkaram, Atharva Veda and Subramaniya Bharathiyar. This piece explored the dual-faced creative energy of the divine, tranquil at times and cataclysmic at other times. Nature was portrayed in various forms; as falling water, forests, peacocks and clouds set against the tempestuous crashing waves of the sea. This depiction of the spiritual, meditative, romantic and life-sustaining was woven through Valli’s excellent nritta and abhinaya. Music by Rajkumar Bharati helped set the mood for the evening.

Valli’s next item, Krishna: The Intimate and Infinite was a tribute to the multi-faceted Lord Krishna. As a toddler imploring his mother Yashoda to bring down the moon for him, to the cowherd boy who has captured the hearts of the gopis to Radha’s lover and Kaaliya’s destroyer; Krishna is at once infinite yet accessible, intimate yet omnipresent. Selecting verses from the Bhagavad Gita, Madhurashtakam, Narayaneeyam and the Yadavaabhyudaya; Valli captured the emotions, inflections and philosophies of each of the verses from these ancient texts, easily alternating from role to role in quick succession.

The evening ended with a Swaralaya in Abhogi Raagam. This brisk piece saw some interesting adavu combinations characteristic of the Pandanallur bani. After some geometric lines, flawless footwork and impeccable kalapramanam, the audience was left wanting for more as the pint sized dancer exited the stage to thunderous applause.

Alarmel Valli was excellently supported by Deepika Varadarajan (Vocal), Jayashri Ramanathan (Nattuvangam), Ranjini Ramakrishnan (Violin) and Lalgudi Ganesh (Mridangam).

Review by: Sangeetha Elango