The penultimate day of Bharat Kalachar’s annual festival brought in a rather thin crowd, disheartening for any artist, perhaps more so for someone from out of town. Yet, Pallavi Krishnan the talented Mohiniattam dancer from Thrissur, Kerala, gave off herself generously and her earnest presentation was a laudable effort. She is a graceful and expressive dancer, carrying a confidence born out of skill and artistic maturity. A thorough professional, she exhibited an enviable composure on stage, achieving a near-perfect synchronization between herself and her accomplished orchestra.

Krishnan possesses a natural grace that this dance form demands, and the pure dance item, 'Mukhachalam' in Suruti ragam set in talamalika, showcased in addition, her mastery over quick-changing tala patterns. The percussionists, Vijayakumar on the mridangam and maddalam, and Sreedharan Peringode on the edakka, lead the way followed by Adit Narayan on the nattuvangam.

The recital had a well-balanced mix of the non-representational and the narrative facets of dance, rendered through the compositions of Kavalam Narayana Panicker. 'Maya Mohana Krishna' in ragamalika and talamalika, detailed mythological stories about Krishna in a lucid manner, and stories of Draupadi, Gajendra the elephant, Prahlad and Arjuna from the Mahabharath and the Bhagvatham, came alive with Krishnan’s treatment. T.S.Prathapan’s strong and powerful voice gave the delineations more momentum, but his habit of raising his voice in tandem with the pitch was unpleasant on the ear. However, Trichur Murali’s melody on the flute was noteworthy.

The dancer completed her presentation with Touryatrikam in Bilahari and Revagupthi ragams, Chembada talam, the latter part of which included the mnemonics of a typical Kerala percussion ensemble, Tayambaka. The alternating percussive sequences were imaginatively choreographed, with the dancer’s bells in unison with the edakka and maddalam creating a pulsating effect.