Pritam Das presented a thoughtfully curated program of three pieces at the 19th Dance Festival. While each work reflected his evolving artistry, it was the var\u1e47am<\/strong>\u2014the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance<\/em> of the evening\u2014that revealed the full measure of his imaginative and performative depth. Artists, when curating performances, often take into account the preferences of host institutions and audience expectations. Some, however, follow their artistic instinct, seeing each performance as an opportunity for self-expression. This choice is not born out of disregard, but from an inner calling that values sincerity over conformity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pritam Das belongs to the latter. Of the three pieces he presented that evening, it is the var\u1e47am\u2014the most evocative work of the program\u2014that is reviewed here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His var\u1e47am, a composition of Tanjavur Shivanandam, built on careful research and conceptual clarity, centered on the figure of a courtesan\u2014a \u201csword-wife,\u201d<\/em> a ritualized role in which a king symbolically marries a courtesan through the act of the sword, housing her within the palace. In Pritam\u2019s interpretation, one particular evening becomes the dramatic fulcrum: the courtesan attempts to woo the king, drawing him into an intimate exchange shaped by desire, power, and restraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the moment he entered the stage, Pritam became the courtesan. His sth\u0101yi<\/em> remained unwavering through the jatis<\/em>, each sequence choreographed with deliberate intention toward seduction. The consistency of character, sustained across rhythmic passages, performed with lightness, grace, and speed while executing a range of combinations of p\u0101da bhedas<\/em> such as agratala sancara<\/em>, ku\u00f1cita<\/em>, and a\u00f1cita<\/em>, spoke to a performer deeply invested in internal coherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most compelling moment arrived in the anupallavi, when Pritam crossed the stage diagonally as King Shivaji Maharajendra. The transformation\u2014from courtesan to king\u2014was striking in its clarity. A decisive shift in body language, gait, and gestural authority marked the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such immersion stems from a deep understanding of text and context, grounded in thoughtfully anchored artistic inquiry. The historical research, contextual grounding, and layered interpretation of the var\u1e47am<\/em> were shaped by Sri. Jeetendra Krishna, with scholarly inputs from Sri. Narayanaswamy Sankagiri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The musical accompanists provided outstanding support, comprising Sri. Bijeesh Krishna on vocals, Sri. RLV Hemanth Lakshman on nattuvangam<\/em>, Sri. Kalamandalam Charu Dutt on the mridangam<\/em>, Sri. K. R. Shivaramakrishna on the ma\u00f1jira<\/em>, Sri. Hariprasad Subramanian on the flute, and Sri. Shyam Kalyan on the violin. The lighting design, enhancing mood and spatial definition was by Sri. Venkatesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pritam Das has evolved steadily over the years. If he continues with this level of dedication and artistic honesty\u2014curating works that allow research, imagination, and range to converge\u2014the var\u1e47am may well stand as a defining marker of a dancer very much on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only minor discord in an otherwise compelling performance came during his rendition of the T\u0113v\u0101ram<\/em> following the Till\u0101na<\/em>. Positioned facing the idol on stage, with his back turned to the audience, his movements couldn\u2019t be seen. While the gesture may have been intended as an act of devotion, its theatrical necessity remained unclear. In the larger arc of the evening, however, this moment did not overshadow the commitment, and expressive range that mark Pritam Das as a dancer to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Review of Pritam Das\u2019s Performance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":171391816,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"review-category":[14],"class_list":["post-171391815","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","review-category-south-asian-performance"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
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