Bharatanatyam dancer Rajashree Warrier returns to Coimbatore after 15 years

Bharatanatyam dancer Rajashree Warrier returns to Coimbatore after 15 years with a recital and abhinaya workshops at Dhanwantari Temple Auditorium

It must have been 15 or 16 years since Bharatanatyam exponent Rajashree Warrier last performed in Coimbatore, at the Dhanwantari Temple Auditorium in the city. In the years that have passed, she has garnered several accolades, notably the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Academy Award, and is one of the country’s foremost exponents of the dance form. Her comeback performance in the city, to be staged on December 14 at Dhanwantari Temple Auditorium yet again, is sandwiched between two separate workshops on abhinaya, the art of expression.

The workshop, Rajashree mentions, is held for two separate batches - one for beginners and another for seasoned performers. The event is organised by Shree Natya Niketan School of Dance in the city, and Rajashree is excited about the collaboration. “I’m glad that the organiser, a dancer herself, has a vision with regards to conducting an abhinaya workshop because of the realisation that abhinaya is very important and is nothing to do with gimmicks. It has to come naturally, for it communicate properly. There are also several subtle layers to abhinaya as well, so my forte is in bringing out the subtlety in abhinaya and nuances rather than making loud statements with your face or your body. So, I am glad that the organiser values my work.”

In her words, abhinaya is both challenging and transformative. “Teaching abhinaya isn’t about instant results. It’s about helping students internalise emotions and convey them through the entire body, not just the face,” she explains. Her emphasis on sarvangaabhinaya—where every part of the body contributes to the narrative—has inspired a visible shift in how young dancers approach Bharatanatyam today. “I always assert this point that abhinaya is not just mukha abhinaya. You use your entire body in one way or the other, so it is sarvanga abhinaya. It is a difficult task and I am so happy that I had been giving workshops to professionals and upcoming dancers for the past several years through workshops and individual classes and I can see a visible change in their approach,” Rajashree adds.

While Rajashree is also known for her experimental performances, where she has constantly pushed the boundaries of what is possible with the form, her upcoming performance in the city will be a traditional repertoire, with varnam and other traditional pieces. “The last time I performed here was for a more intimate audience, and I do remember it was received wonderfully. My coming performance will be for an audience that includes artistes, dancers and students of dance, and I hope the reception will be the same, if not better than it was last time,” she adds.