I've often complained about how I find the choreography for many bharatanatyam works uninspiring. This may be because it's my forte, so I've watched a lot and thus relatively am more impressed by kuchipudi works I see or odissi works I see than bharatnatyam.
But, there were two works I recently came across and just loved.
This one, the choreography is just...really well executed and so pleasing aesthetically. The movements really push traditional ideas of bharatanatyam adavus in a very traditionally-themed bhakti driven piece like the Dashavatara.
Another one is Dakshina Vaidyanathan's choreography. I love the new movements and the theme - nakshatras - so different and more relatable for the everyday person! It seems many of the movements are given their form by a low, almost kalaripayattu like stance. It's weight shifting from posture to posture reminds me of the feeling and visual elements that kalari offers.
But the more I watch, the more I feel so much of it is inspired by Nrityagram. The way half of the group will do a movement in the opposite direction of the other half, then suddenly flow together, then the body movements remaining the same but the hand movements differing for a different layered texture of movement.
Or maybe it is inspired by what inspired Nrityagram - a collective movement that new choreographers are offering viewers.
Whatever the case may be, I feel it only bodes well for the field of classical dance!
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