June is the typical month when most dance and music schools are bubbling with excitement. That is the time when most of these schools conduct their annual dance shows before the commencement of the summer vacation.

The prestigious Sarasa Natya Academy under the guidance of the Artistic Director Smt Preethi Ramesh conducted its fourth annual day on June 10th, 2017 at the Chinmaya Maruti Auditorium, Andover.

It was indeed a significant day for the students of the SNA dance school as they eagerly anticipated to showcase their talent on stage to their proud parents, Guru and other Rasikas.

The annual day was graced with the presence of two esteemed chief guests.

SNA had had the honor to have the Executive Director of Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA , Smt Ranjani Saigal who is also a social entrepreneur, as one of the chief guests.

The other chief guest was the very beautiful show host, actress,  author, editor  - Smt Gauri Chandna from the Foundations TV.

Both Ranjani ji and Gauri ji were totally engrossed in the event with great enthusiasm. They greatly encouraged and motivated the students of SNA with their speech and inspiring personal experiences which captivated the audience as well.

Apart from them, the parents of the guru specially flew from India to grace this occasion and to witness the performance of their daughters disciples.

I was fortunate to anchor this gala event for the dance school and be a part of this awe-inspiring event. This enabled me to notice all the hard work that went behind this triumphant event. The parents, volunteers, technicians, students and their families worked as a single unit to make this event a grand success.

The theme of that evening was Shiva Shakthi which is a very powerful, captivating theme. The dance presentations were based on either Shiva or Sakthi or an amalgamation of both these manifestations.

Smt Preethi Ramesh opened the event with a warm welcome address seeking the blessings of her Guru Kalaimamani Sarasama.

I was very thankful to kick start the event with an invocation song Vellai Thamarai Poovil Irrupaal composed by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi.

The first presentation was Mallari followed by Shiva Stuti in Ragam Nattai and Hamsadwani set to thalam Tishra Triputa and Roopakam respectively performed by advanced level students. Following that was Pushpanjali in Ragam Aarabhi and Adi Thalam.

Budding young students gave a delightful performance on Slokam based on Lord Ganesha , Saraswathi , Lakshmi and Shiva.The beginners were very energetic and delivered a fascinating performance.

Vinayagar Stuti in Gambeera Nattai a composition of Madurai R Muralidaran was performed very gracefully by senior student who did complete justice to the song.

Mallari followed Shyamala Dandakam in Nattai and Kalyani was very elegantly performed by senior students of SNA. Their performance was well received by the audience. Mayil Allaripu with Thirupugazh in Ragam Kalyani and Thalam Mishrachappu was yet another astounding performance by these girls.

Other eye catching performances were Allaripu , Ganesha Pancharatnam ,Jatiswaram in Vasantha , Mahadeva Kauthuvam, Kanchadalayadakshi in Kamala Manohari  , Shiva shakthi and Ellai Illa Inbam in Amritavarshini. All these dances were enchanting and kept the audience spellbound.

This was followed by a stupendous performance of Kapalini Dayanidhi set in ragam Palini and thalam Adi by another senior student. This was a complex dance piece and was delivered very radiantly. Idhathupadam in Kamas, a popular kriti on Lord Shiva composed by Papanasam Sivam was performed creditably.

Chinanchiru Kiliye in Ragamaalika was an outstanding piece performed by Guru Smt Preethi Ramesh. Her expressions were greatly appreciated and applauded. Her elegant moves and beautiful expressions gave a lot of life to the song and uplifted the song to a different level. She conveyed the song in an admirable way and emoted the love of a mother for her angelic child. Her performance was truly divine and classy!

The event ended with a grand Thillana in praise of Goddess Devi set in ragam Devagandhari and thalam adi. It was very entertaining to watch the lovely girls demonstrating the bharathanatyam adavus in rhythm. 

The grand finale was the Mangalam on stage which staged all the talented students and the Guru striking a picturesque pose. This was in turn followed by Trophies and Certificate distribution to the students.

Overall it was an outstanding annual dance show with brilliant choreography teamed with vibrant costumes and perfect hairdo/makeup.

For the audience, it was a visual treat to see lovely performances from tiny tots to senior students. The effort that Smt Preethi Ramesh put forth in preparing the children to perform for an event like this must be greatly applauded. We will look forward to many more presentations from SNA family in the years to come.

Kudos to the organizers and volunteers!

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