A Dance Extravaganza
Nrityachitra
presented by Chidambharam Nritya Kala Academy
It was indeed a joyful day on September 8, 2018 for the Bharatanatyam students of Chidambharam Nritya Kala Academy as they eagerly anticipated to showcase their talent on stage to their teacher Smt. Neha Parikh Shar-ma, family and friends. The eminent Chidambharam Nritya Kala Academy under the guidance of Artistic Director Smt. Neha Parikh Sharma conducted its Annual Day recital - Nrityachitra, accompanied by live musicians touring the US from India on Sep- tember 8th, 2018 at the Nashua High School North Auditorium in Nashua, NH.
I was fortunate to attend this gala event of the dance school and witness this dance extravaganza All of the hard work by the teacher, students and their families, musicians, volunteers, and technicians that was behind this entertaining event worked as a single unit to make this event a grand success. The inclusion of a LIVE ORCHESTRA elevated the performances for not only the students, but the audience as well.
Smt. Neha Parikh Sharma opened the event with a warm welcome address. The evening’s program was opened by a Ganesha invocatory piece sung by vocalist Shri Gomathi Nayagam Rat- nam, accompanied by Shri Sakthivel Muruganantham on mridangam, Shri Sigamani on violin, and Shri Sankarpillai Sunilkumar on flute. Students continued to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha with performances of Ganes ha Kautvam and Ekadantaya Vakratundaya, from the popular Shankar Mahadevan song. Even the budding young students, learning Bharatanatyam for only a few months, presented their pieces, Mooshika Vahana and Aangikam Bhuvanam, with pride and devotion.
The next few presentations included Mukunda Mukunda with a lovely interlude depicting the adorable childhood antics of Lord Krishna.
Chidambaram Natesha Kautvam was performed elegantly by one of the more senior groups, blending nritta footwork with majestic Shiva poses.
Next, Gajanana Shri Ganaraya a devotional Marathi song was gracefully and expressively presented by adult students, inspiring many members of the audience.
Alarippu and Jatiswaram were presented by well synchronized groups of dance students in vibrant costumes and graceful steps, The varnam, Paar Kadalil in Keervani ragam was performed beautifully by senior students with ease and poise, seamlessly alternating complex jatis and intricate swaras, interspersing elaborate sahityas with storytelling sancharis.
After intermission, - DASHAVATARA was the highlight of the event Nrityachitra, which was presented by 2 groups of senior students. This radiant piece, depicting each of Lord Vishnu’s avatars, showcased Smt. Neha Parikh Sharma’s flair for incredibly inventive choreography. As I was watching each dancer gracefully and elegantly assume role after role, the talent of the dancers as well as the creativity of the teacher was evident in the presentation of this MASTERPIECE.
Yenna Tavam Seidanai was an outstanding piece performed by Smt. Neha Parikh Sharma herself !! Her elegant moves and enchanting expressions uplifted the audience to a different level and inspired many of her students as they watched their dear teacher perform. Her Abhinaya was EXQUISITE. She taught her students by example through her exemplary abhinaya. Her performance was truly enthralling!!!
Kum Preetika Kulkarni presented the Jaya Jaya Shambho with perfection, delivering challenging steps and beautiful poses. her delightful performance kept the audience enraptured throughout.
Shri Ramachandra Kripalu was performed next by a group of senior students. As the students were re-enacting the story of Lord Rama with grace and devotion, all attention was on the stage listening to the melody of the beautiful piece sung by the vocalist Gomathinayagam and watch- ing the students emote this divine story.
The folk-dance piece, Kavadi Chindu, was yet another astounding performance by these students. They danced with such grace carrying the colorful Kavadis to a lively melody. This fast-paced folk dance was charming and kept the audience captivated.
The final dance piece was a grand Thillana, where the senior students demonstrated the Bharatanatyam adavus in rhythm. The intricate choreography combined with sheer joy of dance was a delight for the audience. This was the final dance item and a fitting end to
Nrityachitra: A Dance Extravaganza!
The grand finale was the Mangalam sung by Shri Gomathi Nayagam on stage, ending the program with a blessing for all that attended this showcase of Bharatnatyam. This was followed by certificate distribution to the students by Smt. Neha Parikh Sharma, beaming with pride at the performance of her students. Overall, it was an outstanding annual dance show with brilliant choreography seamlessly blended with a live orchestra and traditional, vibrant costumes.
For the audience, it was a visual treat to see lovely performances of the tiny tots, intermediate level students, senior students and Smt Neha Parikh Sharma’s captivating dance piece. The effort that Smt Neha Parikh Sharma put forth in bringing up an ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCE by ALL the students of her school for this event is just unbelievable!!! We will look forward to many more presentations from the Chidambharam Nritya Kala Academy in the years to come!
Photo Credits - Sri. Saji Mathew
Video Credits – Sri. Suresh Menon
Sound Engineer/AV – Sri. Javed Wahid
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