‘Shyama’ Receives a Radiant Interpretation

One needn’t have traveled to South India last Sunday to thrill at that region’s dance form, Bharata Natyam. Instead, the goods were delivered at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, where locally based dancer-choreographer-teacher Viji Prakash and her Shakti Dance Foundation presented the dance drama “Shyama.”

Adapted from Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s writings, “Shyama,” a love story of sacrifice and death, was staged with eight stellar musicians--including the burnished vocals of guest artist Lakshmi Shankar and music of Babu Parameshwaran--more spectacular Prakash-designed costumes than can be found at MGM and, not least, exceptional dancing.

Prakash’s Shyama oozed emotion from fingertips to toes, her fleet footwork a complement to her filigreed arm movements, while sharp mime gestures accented the narrative. Kiran Subramaniam danced Bajrasen, the object of her love. He displayed speed and poise in their duets; his facial expressions, however, relied too heavily on raised eyebrows.

Nearly stealing the show was the lithe, high-flying Ajit Bhaskaran Das in his American debut. Whether twirling across the stage in a frenzied fury or landing like butter on his knees, his Constable enchanted with every tilt of his head and curve of his arms.

Prakash’s daughter, Mythili, danced the doomed lover hanged in Bajrasen’s stead. Radiant, this teenager acquitted herself nobly. The nine “corps” dancers had occasional balance and spatial problems but mostly performed with tireless conviction.

“Shyama,” an aural and visual feast, proved a jewel in the Prakash crown.