Depicting nature through woman

Senior Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer, Alekhya Punjala presented ‘Nayaki’ a dance ballet on Monday at Ravindra Bharathi

Askari Jaffer

In the quest of perfection and to give vent to her artistic ideas and feelings, Kuchipudi dancer Alekhya Punjala took up choreography of several dance ballets and thematic presentations like Jalageetam, Lakuma Swantam, Vasantha — Cupid beckons, Raat phoolon ki, Taramathi — the legend of an artist, meeting with you and me. “I want to give a perfect presentation and want to present artistic ideas and feelings through my dance,” she says.

“Nayaki is all about women. I wanted to pay tribute to women and her feelings and her myriad moods and this I have done by depicting poetry through dance,” shares Alekhya.

Nayaki was her first program where she presented a new dimension in both content and presentation. She danced to the poetry on nature by well-known poets like Vinjamuri Siva Rama Rao, Boyi Bheemanna, Dr C Narayana Reddy and young lyricist Karunakar. She depicted nature from the perspective of a woman.

“Nayaki, was a thematic presentation that explores the poetry of several poets, encompassing nature and the moods thereof. It is a sheer poetry in movement, taking you through whole gamut of emotions,” adds Alekhya. “I performed it with my team of four dancers and other crew and all the dancers are my students.”

An outstanding artiste in both Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam, adorned with the prestigious Central Sangeet Natak Academy award for the dance, Alekhya describes art as ‘transforming, redeeming and intoxicating’. “My life is my tribute to art. I dance because it is in dance that I find the complete expression of my total being with my body, mind and soul. In dance I find my “Samadhi”.