"The smile is the dance of the face - the dance is the smile of the limbs!"

Such is the pleasantness that vibrated during the Bharatantyam performance of 12 year old Nandita Lajeesh as she skillfully performed 11 dances with ease. On September 28, 2019, Nandita, a disciple of Guru Smt. Veena Teli, Tarangini Creations School of Dance, Sharon, MA, performed her Bharatanatyam Arangetram at Bellingham High School, Bellingham, MA. Nandita has been learning Bharatanatyam for the past six years. During this period, she achieved a Diploma in Bharatanatyam from the Samved Conservatory of Indian Classical Music and Dance in North America(SCICMD).

In any Bharatanatyam dancer’s journey, the Arangetram -- which literally translates to ‘ascending the stage’ -- is a major achievement. In order to complete an Arangetram, the dancer must perform a ‘margam,’ the traditional path in which a Bharatanatyam repertoire is performed. In Nandita’s Arangetram, she was accompanied by a very talented and renowned panel of musicians, including her own Guru, Smt. Veena Teli on the nattuvangam, Sri E.P. Sudev Warrier on the vocals, Sri Sudhaman Subramanian on the mridangam, Sri Ramani Thiagarajan on the flute, and  Sri Veeramani Nagarajan on the violin.

Nandita gave a vibrant start of the recital with a Pushpanjali composed by Sri Madurai R. Muralidharan, set in ragam Saraswathi, the dancer showed reverence towards Lord Nataraja (the God of Dance), her Guru, the musicians accompanying her as well as the audience. The pushpanjali was followed by a slokam on Lord Muruga. Following this, Nandita presented Ananda Narthana Ganapathim, a famous composition by Oothukadu Sri Venkata Subbaiyer. The dancer paid homage and offers her respects to Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles.

Nandita then performed Alarippu in Kanda Chapu thalam, followed by a Jathiswaram in Ragam Bilahari. Nandita executed these pieces beautifully with her crisp yet graceful footwork and hand movements. The Jathiswaram comprised of a mixture of various jathis which was sung with a combination of swarams to form intricate footwork and movement with the beautiful melody. During a short break for a costume change, the musicians entranced the audience with an entertaining and melodious jugalbandi that captured the minds of everyone in the auditorium.

The piece de resistance of Nandita’s Arangetram, or the Varnam, was a traditional composition of Sri Papanasam Sivan. Swami Naan Undan Adimai is a varnam that praises Lord Shiva and it described the devotee’s unbridled love and admiration for the Lord. One after the other,  Nandita performed many stories that showed the various times when Lord Shiva protected and saved his devotees in need. It was amazing to see how Nandita demonstrated so many emotions effortlessly along with the extremely neat footwork, all executed with poise and professionalism.

After a short intermission, Nandita presented Kalinga Narthanam, a composition by Sri Madurai R. Muralidharan in ragam Punnagavarali, in which she skillfully showed Krishna defeating the dreaded, multi-hooded snake Kalinga while dancing on his hood in the river Yamuna. Execution of this item was very challenging for both the vocalist, Sri Sudev Warrier, as well as Nandita, but was beautifully executed on stage by both the artists!

This was followed by a slokam and a nottuswaram, Santhatham Pahimam in ragam Shankarabharanam and rupaka talam. Nandita once again exhibited her hardwork and talent through her beautiful footwork and expressions as she described and worshiped Goddess Parvathi through her movements.

Shortly after, Nandita performed a Dasavatharam, Parkadal Alaimele, which was a composition of Udumalaippettai Narayana Kavi in Ragamalika. She portrayed all the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and praised Lord Vishnu, the God of preservation. It was amazing to watch each avatara and the stories behind them were very well presented.

Nandita truly attracted the audience with her very cute and loving expressions as Yashoda, the mother of little Krishna in her next dance, Krishna Nee Begane Baro in ragam yaman kalyani and mishra chapu talam. This padam showcased ‘vatsalya bhava’, and this beautiful composition described the attributes and beauty of Lord Krishna through the eyes of Mother Yashoda. Little Krishna eating mud and mother Yashoda’s overwhelming reaction by seeing the entire universe in his mouth were beautifully portrayed by Nandita.

To conclude the whole recital, Nandita ends with a beautiful yet vibrant Thillana in Ragam Brindavani, composed by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. This piece involved intricate footwork and rhythmic dance sequences and steps, sculpturesque poses along with a small lyrical verse that praised the charming and intoxicating Lord Krishna and his melodious and divine flute playing. Shortly after, it was a pure bliss to watch Nandita perform Harivarasanam as her Mangalam, an eight verse slokam on Lord Ayyappa.The audience joined clapping in rhythm when the mangalam started and ended with a well deserved standing ovation in recognition of the amazing recital.

Nandita was conferred a Special Recognition from the Governor of Rhode Island, Mrs Gina Raimondo on the successful completion of her Arangetram. The President of  India Association of RI Mr. Nikhil Shah presented the citation on behalf of the Governor. Nandita also received a Certificate of Appreciation for the same from the Consul General of India, New York, which was presented to her by the former state representative Mr. Robert. B. Lancia. It was a memorable event with beautifully decorated entrance and hallways, elegant stage decor & a colorful rangoli which reflected Indian cultural heritage and added to the beauty of the divine occasion.

Overall, Nandita’s Arangetram clearly was a great success. It was definitely a culturally enthralling mixture of beautiful choreography along with the colorful and well-coordinated costumes and energetic movements. Nandita performed extremely well, and it was very obvious that she had succeeded in making her Guru, her parents, and the whole audience proud. We definitely hope to see her perform at many more occasions in the future.

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