Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Sophia John and Anjana Menon

Indian classical dance is sustained by a profound philosophy. Form seeks to merge with the formless, motions seek to become a part of the motionless, and the dancing individual seeks to become one with the eternal dance of the cosmos.

This phenomenon was truly expressed and experienced by the talented students of the Lasya School of Dance - Sophia John and Anjana Menon.

Sophia and Anjana disciples of Guru, Smt. Sapna Krishnan, successfully completed their Arangetram on June 11th, 2022 at the Grafton High School Auditorium, Grafton, MA.The ensemble included Guru Smt. Sapna Krishnan on the Nattuvangam, Sri Sudev Warrier on Vocals, Sri. Nagarajan Shanmugalingam on Mridangam, Sri. V K Sivakumar on Flute and Sri Ananda Nadayogi on the Violin.The Arangetram began with an invocation song by Sri Sudev Warrier on Lord Vinayakar supported by the ensemble.

The evening recital began with a Pushpanjali in Amruthavarshini raagam seeking blessings from the Gods, Guru and the Sabha for a successful program. Following the Pushpanjali was the Dhayana Shlokam on the cosmic dancer Lord Nataraja. The girls danced with much pomp and vigor proving this to be a fitting piece to inaugurate their arangetram.

Suryaa Ramaswamy was the emcee for the evening. She walked us through the evening with great details about each dance performance with interesting details and facts. She kept the audience interested and attentive throughout the program. Her ease of explanation about the various dance pieces kept the audience in rapt attention.

Followed by the Pushpanjali, Anjana gave a splendid performance for Narasimha Kauthuvam in Ragamalika. Anjana depicted Veera Narasimhar with great devotion. The audience were in awe when she depicted the half lion and half man incarnation of Lord Vishnu! The story of bhakta Prahaladan was well received and Anjana performed the kauthuvam flawlessly.

Next it was Sophia on stage who rendered a unique devotional song Ananda Nayakane in ragam Hamsadhwani on Jesus. Sophia beautifully enacted the compassion and empathy depicted by Jesus in the story. Sophia danced to the tunes and perfectly performed the role of a helpless woman who comes to seek refuge and protection from Jesus.

The centerpiece of the arangetram was the Varnam of Lord Krishna! This major item portrayed the Krishna leelaigal with much color and emotions.

The girls enacting each story on Lord Krishna elaborately was a true sight to hold and they kept the audience rapt. This piece truly tested the dancer's stamina and skill. Their hard work and much dedication to the complex varnam received huge appreciation and applause from the audience as they brought to life the different stages and magical incidents of Krishna saving his devotees.

During the interlude between performances, the musicians thoroughly entertained the audience with their jugalbandi. Sri. Sudev ji and the musical crew engaged the audience with much enthusiasm.

After the intermission, it was time for a Kavadi Chindu. A peppy folk melody was performed by Sophia and Anjana in their captivating, vibrant costumes. The Tamil folk dance portraying the devotees going to Palani carrying the kavadis on their shoulders with ultimate devotion was enacted by the girls splendidly.

Devi Stuthi in Ragamalika set to Talamalika was the next item performed by Sophia on the divine goddess. In this powerful Stuthi, she enacted the various manifestations of the divine female power in Mother Devi. Her presentation showed the different forms of Devi as the powerful Durga, the fierce Kali and the Ardhanareeshwara which is the intertwined nature of Shiva and Shakthi as half man and half woman. This piece truly brought out the best in Sophia with her creative abhinaya paired with intricate footwork.

Next it was a playful dance item on Vishamakarakannan in ragam Senchurutti. Anjana performed this vibrant piece about the various mischiefs by Lord Krishna. Anjana amusingly depicted Krishna's pranks and his antics in her own unique style. We could see the audience enjoying this performance with grins and laughter.This was followed by a vibrant thillana in Ragam Paras.

Harivarasanam, the finale lullaby on Lord Ayyappa extolling the virtues of the Lord, was a blissful treat to the audience. The dancers expressed their gratitude to Lord Ayyappa and the audience, prayed for the wellbeing of everyone by paying obeisance to the Lord. This dance paired with its elegant choreography by the Guru moved the audience as we were transported to the Sabrimala temple in our minds, viewing this blissful performance. This was a noteworthy end to the grand arangetram!

It was a well-organized event, with so much care and attention to the stage décor, colorfully coordinated costumes and arrangements at the venue.
There were several friends and family of Sophia and Anjana who were there to support the girls and came up on stage to share their thoughts supporting the girls.

I left the auditorium with a heart filled with joy and satisfaction, a great evening with wonderful dancing by Sophia and Anjana, beautiful choreography by Guru Sapna Krishnan and soulful music by the fantastic orchestra.
This Arangetram was truly soul-stirring and inspirational to all the rasikas, families and friends who were present to witness the function as this was the first one post the covid lockdown and a much awaited one!

Kudos to the Guru Smt.Sapna Krishnan for her brilliant choreography involving grace paired with crisp footwork and the entire Lasya Family who were the pillars of support!!
We look forward to many such Arangetrams in the New England region and we feel truly blessed.

Credits:
MC: Suryaa Ramaswamy
Photography: Jeyakumar Sathyamoorthy Video: Mr. Manoj Panicker- MRK Visuals Audio/Sound: Mr. Manish Kurup
Make up: Anu Metra
Stage Lighting: New England Stage Works

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