"…Top amongst the NRI dancers coming to India each year to perform like Siberian cranes was Lakshmi Iyengar, who impressed with sincerity of purpose, neatness of "…Maathe Malayadhwaja," an extended solo for Lakshmi Iyengar, the choreographer's daughter, depicted a woman extraordinary in so many ways that she attracted the interest of the great Lord Shiva. Beginning with simple, forceful steps and bold changes of arm position, the solo accelerated and grew more complex alternating between pure percussive footwork and narrative sequences requiring a mastery of expressive gesture. Dressed in green and gold, Iyengar brought technical skill and emotional involvement to the solo, adroitly matching steps to the rhythms of the accompaniment in some moments but elsewhere managing to float free of the music, her concentration taking her deeply into a world of gods, demons and miraculous transcendence. With repetitions set in a circle, the choreography let us see the movement from many angles and always made the dancer's long, long arms look heroic if not downright supernatural…" "...Lakshmi displayed sheer energy, though, in "Pushpanjali", in which precise footwork and intricate arm-weaving were on display. Lakshmi soared, in her 25 minute solo, "Sarasijanabha", in which the dancer offers Krishna love. Punctuated with deep lunges, Lakshmi never lost her bearing while beating out poly-rhythms with her feet…" |
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