Rangoli Festival Features Some Mesmerizing Moments

The Rangoli Festival, held at the James Armstrong Theatre in Torrance on Sunday, featured mainly South Indian dance and music by both local and guest artists. Under the direction of Malathi Iyengar, the afternoon performance unfolded over five hours with only one intermission, perhaps recalling a time when viewers drifted in and out of outdoor venues with far more mobility and refreshment than is available to an auditorium audience.

The rare treat of having a full stage of Indian music was accomplished by Aarohi-Avarohi, an ensemble of instrumentalists and vocalists under the directorship of Santosh Rao. Though the traditional melodies and rhythms were slightly marred by uneven miking, this section concluded with an impressive percussion display. Afterward, Iyengar payed homage to one ensemble member, guest of honor P.V. Ananthakrishnan, a driving force behind Indian cultural continuity in Southern California over the years.

A smaller group of musicians and the remarkable singer Babu Parameshwaran accompanied the next overly long section of traditional Bharata Natyam. Joining Malathi Iyengar were guest artist Sheshadri Ramchandra, who had a pleasant, open style, and 14-year-old Lakshmi Iyengar, whose pretty lines and willowy arms gave her an appeal that almost masked her youthful insecurities. Overall, however, a sense of classical crispness and grounded focus was lacking.

Far more successful was Iyengar’s “Mustard Seeds,” a dance drama in which the Buddha teaches a recently bereaved mother that all things in this world are impermanent. Using a smoothly adapted version of Bharata Natyam-inspired steps and mime, Nzingha Camara (as the mother) and Ron Brown (as a disciple) were effortlessly affecting. Camara brought her West African dance background to a brief but brilliant solo. Dubbed “contemporary” by Iyengar, the piece is better located in the tradition of good old-fashioned storytelling.

Among the best guest performers of the long afternoon were Sudha Rani Narasimhan, whose vivid, mercurial mime and personal charm suffused her Bharata Natyam solo; expressive Nandita Behera in an Odissi solo, and Sophiline Shapiro, an exquisite Cambodian dancer who mesmerized as she floated like a golden swan on a wave.