Arangetram: Sanjana Krishna

As a culmination of her 10 years of dance experience, rising college sophomore Sanjana Krishna presented her Bharatanatyam Arangetram in the auspicious Sri Lakshmi Temple, under the direction of her guru Smt. Jayshree Bala Rajamani. Undeterred by both pandemics and personal injury, Sanjana gave a dazzling performance and displayed her pieces with precise movements and vivid facial expressions.

To begin, Sanjana performed a Pushpanjali, which is a traditional invocation of praise to the gods, and the Alarippu, in which a dancer opens up her body like a flower. Sanjana’s Pushpanjali was an energetic and vibrant piece in which she offered flowers to the Lord Ganesha, and her Alarippu was confidently and cleanly executed. As increasingly complex steps were shown, both Sanjana and the audience warmed up to the performance.

Next came Sanjana’s pure-dance Jathiswaram, in which she further demonstrated her incredible stamina. After warming up physically, Sanjana moved on to her Shadbam, where she warmed up her abilities to emote. Her particular Shabdam was in praise of Lord Muruga, in which she expressed a love for the Lord in three different stages. Sanjana’s storytelling capabilities left the audience spellbound, as they too began to feel the devotion for Lord Muruga that Sanjana was so passionately displaying.

To end the first half, Sanjana performed the most important piece of any Bharatanatyam Arangetram: the Varnam. Her Varnam described the beauty, compassion, and grace of the eternal Goddess, and it was an impressive display of strength, memorization, and grace. Through her Varnam, Sanjana depicted lively stories of the Goddess, leaving the audience speechless.

Sanjana began her second half by displaying her balance and flexibility through a piece called Iddathu Padam, which brought to life Lord Shiva and his cosmic dance. She carried forward with a change in pace from the last piece, with the Vaaranam Ayirum. Donning a garland, Sanjana vividly depicted the marriage between the young poet Andal and Lord Venkateswara.

Thereafter, Sanjana performed the Theerata Vilayatu Pillai; a lighthearted piece in which she animatedly illustrated the countless pranks that Lord Krishna would play on the Gopikas. She then moved on to the energetic penultimate piece of her Arangetram, which was the Thillana. In this pure-dance piece, Sanjana presented intricate footwork and powerful choreography, and also cited the blessings of Lord Muruga.

Finally, Sanjana ended her performance with a Mangalam, or a traditional offering of thanks to the audience and Lord Nataraja. At the end of the whole production, Sanjana bowed proudly with a big smile on her face, as she received a resounding standing ovation from the audience.