New Delhi based Odissi danseuse, Ann Afreen rendered a vivacious
performance recently in the capital city of India, in a programme
presented by Shreshtha L’ Artiste Ballet House. The performance was
noteworthy for its vivacious quality,effortless ease,flawless
technique and expressional intensity.
Ann Afreen is the disciple of Late Guru Pravash Kumar Mohanty and
Pushpanjali Mohanty and follows the traditional style of pioneer
mentor Guru Deba Prasad Das. Afreen made a fine start with the
Mangalacharan incorporating ‘Bhaje Ramam”, concise interpretation of
the Ramayana. It was a pleasure to watch the young dancer revealing
her command over “angika abhinaya” while displaying the restless deer
and the flamboyant Jatayu. Afreen succeeded in creating a magical
spell on the audience with her first presentation,revealing her
intense involvement and passion for dancing.
Both “Stai Nritya” and Shankarata Bharanam Pallavi revealed the
characteristic movements of the Odissi style,pertaining to “chauka”
and varied “tribangis”. While Afree did complete justice to the
intricate rhythmic movements, at times I felt that speed dominated the
performance to quite an extent. If more time was given to slower
lyrical movements, the appeal would be enhanced, creating a better
visual impact. The dancer completed her performance with ‘Champu” –
Sakhi Go Ki that established the interrelationship between Radha,
Sakhi and Lord Krishna and concluded with the grand Moksha that
establishes the relationship between the “jeevatma”(human soul) and
‘”parmatma”.
Some of the distinguished guests who attended the performance were
Padmashri Ranjana Gauhar, Odissi exponent Madhavi Mudgal, Kathak
dancer Alaknanda Das, Odissi mentor Kasturi Pattnaik and national
award winner writer Danish Iqbal. Afreen has already 200 shows to her
credit and has performed with veterans like Sonal Mansingh, Geeta
Mahalik, Kasturi Pattnaik, Kavita Dwibedi etc. If Ann Afreen continues
to dance with the same amount of passion and zeal, soon she will be
among the main ranks of dancers. Ann holds a postgraduate degree in
film making from AJK Mass Communication Centre of Jamia Millia Islamia
University and has been involved in painting,photography,and
contemporary art for over 17 years.
