Adhiti Venkatesh

Arangetram 30^th July 2022- Review By Sangeetha Prasanna (Graduate from the Institution of Kalakshetra, Chennai, India)

The term Bharatanatyam has many descriptions, with my favorite one being “Baaram Iti Bharatha” – That which relieves distress. In post Covid world, watching a performance in an offline setting is surely a stress buster. No online performance comes close to the excitement of the curtains opening to lilting music and excited dancers taking stage in their debut performances.

Aditi Venkatesh a student Smt. Suman Adisesh of Spanda school of dance, Acton MA presented her arangetram on July 30^th 2022 at Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland. Suman is an intelligent teacher who is well read and sets high standard for her students though her teaching and performing careers. A student of Guru Smt. Padmini Ravi of Bangalore, Suman has stayed true to the oral tradition of teaching Bharatanatyam by imparting to her students what she has absorbed from her Guru.

Adithi Venkatesh is a bundle of energy and talent. With a beautiful stage presence and strong sense of rhythm, Adithi commenced her recital with a Pushpanjali in Ragam Sriranjani followed by Gajavadana, a popular krithi of Papanasam Sivan.  Extolling the virtues of Vigneshwara, the dancer portrayed him as the remover of obstacles and a teacher of Agamas.  Next item was a Jatiswaram in Ragam Bahudahari set to Adi talam that was performed with vigor and energy despite challenging the dancer with its rhythmical calculations, especially the Usi, (off beat) patterns.

Following the pure dance number came, Tharangam by Narayana theertha, “Govardhana Giridhaara” in ragam Hindolam where Adithi’s expressive face came to play in showcasing the antics of Krishna. This brisk number had the audience appreciate the mischief and greatness of the butter stealing wonder child who lifted the mountain “Govardhana” with his little finger.

Central piece of the evening was “Maate” the renowned compostion of Sri. Muthiah Bhagavathar. Set to Ragam Khamas, this popular Daaru is always an aural treat. A colorful interpretation of sahityam combined with intricately woven theermanans, complicated swara passages and apt sancharis made it a a visual treat as well. The interlacing of “Ayagiri Nandini Stotram” to show Devi Chamundeswari added an interesting twist to the anupallavi  line “ Shakodari Shankari”. Episode showing Parvathi as Mother to Ganesh and Subramanya and her ways to appease them was well done by the young dancer.  Lilting music rendered by Sri.Raghuram combined with brisk nattuvangam by Guru Smt.Padmini Ravi further enhanced the beauty of the piece showcasing Devi in her roles as a creator, protector and destroyer.

Adorned in a golden yellow and red costume, Adithi began her second half of the program with “Vandeham” in Ragam Hamsadhwani , a composition of Annamacharya made popular by Late.Smt.M.S.Subbalakshmi. This number was apt considering the venue of the arangetram, namely the Srilakshmi temple in Ashland.  Interesting feature was the use of neraval swarams to show churning of the ocean and appearance of Kurma.  Rama guarding the yagna of Vishwamitra and Vamana avatharam were also taken up for elaboration and done with gusto.

Following this, Aditi went on to present an Abhang “Aghatabham” by an unknown poet on Lord Shiva. Strong footwork along with karana movements to depict Shiva doing Tandava Natyam to Damaru was refreshing to watch. Addition of this rare Abhang  was an excellent choice considering we always associate Abhangs to Lord Vittala. Adithi is blessed with a strong sense of rhythm and angashuddam that came to forte in Dhanashree Thillana by Maharaja Swati Thirunal.  

Final item of the evening was a shlokam by Adi Shankara, that talks of infinite bliss on forgetting everything around you and getting to the point of shunya where you realize the space you are in and enjoy the moment. Natyam being the fifth Veda definitely has the power to transport the dancer and audience to such a space.

All appreciation to Acharya Suman for clearly explaining the items being performed and making sure the momentum of the program never lagged. Guru Smt.Padmini Ravi’s dance compositions are always a  challenge to perform on account of their musicality and complexity of rhythm. Adithi sure rose up to the occasion and made everyone in the audience and her acharya proud.

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