A feverish excitement enveloped the entire auditorium as the divine music performed by an orchestra of renowned musicians from India and the Boston area reached a crescendo.  On stage was a dramatic scene of an angry elephant chasing a beautiful young maiden.  An old man watching this terrifying scene with a mischievous smile suddenly transforms into a young warrior prince and saves the maiden, much to her astonishment and delight.  The audience were spellbound by a young Bharatanatyam dancer who effortlessly and gracefully portrayed the various stages of the life of Lord Muruga through a Shabdam that showcased a wide spectrum of emotions through expressive abhinayas. 

Shakti Kumaresan, a rising senior at Shrewsbury High School personified power, energy and grace as she successfully performed her Bharatanatyam arangetram on June 29, 2019 at Grafton High School, MA.  It was clearly the result of many years of hard work, and mentorship from a guru par excellence whose creativity and artistic genius was evident throughout the program.

The event started with a beautiful invocation to Lord Ganesha by the vocalist Vidwan Mathur Srinidhi whose brilliant singing formed the canvas on which Shakti painted her wonderful performance.  Shakti made her entrance with an introductory piece that included Pushpanjali – a devotional offering to Lord Nataraja – set to raga Hamsanandi, three shlokas in praise of Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, and an Alarippu performed in tishram, chaturshram & mishram.

In the next piece – Jathiswaram – Shakti brought alive the richness of a composition in raga Purvikalyani with an energetic display replete with intricate footwork that matched the rhythmic pattern of swaras (musical notes) and the jathis (rhythmic syllables).

Shakti began to demonstrate her skills of abhinaya (expressions) through a Shabdam. Dancing to the beautiful composition of Shemanar Koil Shanmugam called ‘Thandai Muzhanga’ in ragamalika, Shakti depicted the various stages in the life of Lord Muruga as described in stanzas of the composition.  Graceful and leisurely in the beginning as she depicted Lord Muruga as a child, Shakti’s abhinaya blossomed as the rendition gradually developed to depict the adult stages of Lord Muruga’s life.  With each of the sancharis between the stanzas Shakti inexorably drew the audience into the story and helped them experience the story she depicted.  In one of them, she portrayed Lord Muruga disguised as an old man scheming with Lord Ganesha to have Valli run to him for safety when an angry elephant chased her. The brilliant expressions that depicted the transformation of Lord Muruga from an old man to a handsome young warrior, and the wondrous amazement and bliss that Valli felt upon knowing it was Lord Muruga had the audience exult with appreciation. 

In the Varnam – the centerpiece of her arangetram – Shakti beautifully illustrated her skill and mastery of nritta (pure dance), nrittya (interpretational dance) and abhinaya. She presented ‘Varana Mukhava’ in raga Nattakurunji.  In this elaborate piece, Shakti illustrated various short stories beginning with the story of how Lord Ganesha became the elephant-headed god.  The story of Lord Ganesha rescuing the atma-linga from the hands of Ravana followed.  In the concluding part of the Varnam, Shakti flawlessly depicted the story of Lord Muruga and Lord Ganesha taking on the challenge from Lord Shiva to circumnavigate the earth. This lengthy piece was as much a visual delight as it was a testament to Shakti’s stamina as a dancer and her imaginative and skillful transitions between pure dance and abhinayas.

The second half of the recital added further highlights to Shakti’s coming of age as an accomplished student of the art form. It began with the popular and fast-paced ‘Ananda Amritakarshini’, a Dikshitar composition in raga Amritavarshini in which Shakti portrayed the Mother Goddess Shakti.   The fast-paced dance interspersed with powerful poses depicting Goddess Shakti made this author reflect on the appropriateness of the dancer’s name.

A devotional piece, the song ‘Sabhapathiku Vere Deivam’ – a Tamil composition by Gopalakrishna Bharati in raga Abogi – followed.  Here, dancing to a rhetorical question posed by the poet asserting the incomparable nature of Lord Siva, Shakti portrayed the story of how Lord Shiva graced His ardent devotee Nandanaar by having Nandi shift his position to make it possible for Nandanaar to catch a glimpse of the Lord.

In a delightfully playful ragamalika by the popular Tamil poet Bharati called ‘Theerada Vilayattu Pillai’ that followed, Shakti displayed her grace and vibrant expressions as she detailed the mischievous ways of Lord Krishna and the troubles He brought to the Gopikas.

The thillana in raga Revati provided a fitting conclusion to the arangetram.  In a composition that depicted the all-pervading power and grace of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, Shakti – through intricate and fast-paced nritta – created a final crescendo of pure dance.  The scintillating thillana also underscored the role the orchestra had played creating the musical atmosphere that allowed Shakti to showcase her talent. With her Nattuvangam, Guru Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai guided the young dancer throughout the performance to be in unison with the talam.  Vidwan Mathur Srinidhi’s brilliant singing provided the musical platform on which Shakti captured the imagination of the audience. Vidwan Narasimhamurthy Ramamishra on the flute, Vidwan Srihari Rangaswamy on the Mridangam and Vidushi Tara Anand on the violin were the vibrant colors in the musical milieu, each one of them showcasing their expertise and virtuosity at various times within each offering. Sri Sudarshan Thirumalai further enhanced the performance on the rhythm pad through his timely playing of temple bells, the conch, and many other musical effects that provided the rich dessert to the musical feast.

As Shakti concluded the arangetram with a mangalam in Kannada celebrating Lord Krishna, she devotedly thanked Lord Nataraja, offered her gratitude to her guru and the orchestra, and expressed her thanks to the audience who at this time were standing in sustained appreciation of an excellent performance. An enchanting event ably guided by Ms. Ramya Ravindrababu as the M.C had come to a conclusion.

The meticulous training imparted by Guru Sridevi was plainly evident in Shakti’s performance. The arangetram was also a testament to Shakti’s hard work, dedication, her desire for perfection and her love for Bharatanatyam. Shakti has been learning Bharatanatyam at the Natyamani School of Dance for the past 11 years. As one watched Shakti’s performance with increasing wonder at her skill, stamina, and immersion in the spirit of the dance, it was evident that a bright future undoubtedly awaits her.

The arangetram marks the beginning of Shakti’s journey as a dancer.  As we congratulate Shakti on a spectacular performance, we hope to see her continue to explore this art form. We wish her the very best.

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