When hard work, dedication and commitment are combined with melodious music and blessings from a Guru, you are taken to a celestial world, and immersed in ‘bhakti and devotion!

That is exactly what the audience experienced recently during Manasi Danke’s  Arangetram on August 2nd, 2014. An Arangetram is a debut recital demonstrated after years of training in Bharatanatyam, representing a mastery of skills. It is a fairly structured program consisting of a series of dances, covering the three important elements of Bhava-Expression, Raga-Melodic pattern, and Tala-Rhythm. Manasi is a rising junior at Chelmsford High School and has been learning Bharatanatyam from Guru Ranjani Saigal for the past seven years. In addition, she choreographs for cultural dances and participates in many fundraisers and competitions. Her Arangetram was, by far, the most exquisite. Her dedication and love for dance created a magnificent display, showing each aspect of Bharatanatyam. Manasi’s performance was combined with delightful music, complex steps, and elaborate expressions. These aspects came together to present an incredible show.

The audience was engaged during Manasi’s dances, hoping to catch every moment. The accompanying music made the steps come to life. It was like seeing the forms of God in her as she moved across the stage! Right from the Pushpanjali (opening dance), I was on the edge of my seat. I loved everything to the very end, when her Mangalam was executed with such devotion and joy.

There were many highlights to the event, including the abhang, ‘Majhe Manorath’, the Varnam, the Hanuman Chalisa, and the Tarangam. The Varnam is the most complicated and challenging dance in the Bharatanatyam repertoire. This particular Varnam ‘Maaye Manam Kanindarul Purivaye’, described Devi Meenakshi as the compassionate one who dances beautifully. Manasi’s intense knee spins left the crowd speechless. The Hanuman Chalisa is a forty-verse poem in honor of Lord Hanuman, the Monkey God, with each verse praising him. Guru Ranjani Saigal created a unique piece on this Saint Tulasidasa’s composition, in Talam Chathusra Ekam and Ragam Ragamalika. Manasi was absolutely amazing in this dance and her expressions were heartfelt. The last main item, Tarangam, stole the audiences’ heart. This dance extols the beauty of Lord Krishna; from the Kuchipudi style, it ends with intricate footwork standing on the edges of a brass plate. Manasi executed this flawlessly, the perfection she achieved after many hours of hard work. Overall, each of the ten pieces brought out the best in her and was a pleasure to watch.  The audience was totally supportive and cheerful throughout.

The entire program was a harmony between Manasi, Guru Ranjani Saigal, and the musicians. We were extremely lucky to be blessed with this amazing orchestra. The lead vocalist was Shri Babu Parameshwaran, on the Mrindangam, we had Shri Prabhu Sriram, on the flute, Shri Vinothkumar Soundar Rajan, and violinist, Shri Paavalan Subramaniyan. They also played beautiful musical interlude and interacted with the audience in ‘jugalbadhi’.

We were also fortunate to have Sudha Chandra Sekhar as the Guest of Honor. Symbolizing the peak of purity and performance, Sudha has been classed with "the all-time greats" of classical Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi schools. Sudha's extensive experience dates back to 1943 when she first began her classical dance training in Manipuri and Kathak at the Rupatayan Institute in Bombay, India and later learned Bharatanatyam from the renowned masters of the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir. Now in her 70s, Sudha is STILL performing regularly training students both young and old. Her well-established dance institution Hindu Temple Rhythms is based in Michigan. Manasi was especially lucky to have her blessings.

Manasi also humbly dedicated her program to Ekal Vidyalaya (www.ekal.org), a non profit organization raising money to bring education to rural India. She wishes to thank the audience members for their contributions as she raised over $1300 for this cause.

Bharatanatyam has a very special mark on a dancer. Manasi wrote about her view on dance and a few lines are presented below:

“With the blessing of Mother Earth, all fear has been washed away.
Instead it is replaced by bursts of energy throughout the body.
A smile and a twinkle in the eye, entice the audience,
Inviting them into your soul, while they undergo a spiritual trance.”

Manasi did indeed take the audience on a spiritual journey with her dancing and allowed everyone to share her special moment. Her tireless effort paid off. Everything flowed perfectly. Many congratulations to Manasi and her family on a successful event.

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