During the auspicious season of Navaratri with the blessings of the Divine Goddess, the Bharatanatyam Arangetram of Sivani Jonnalagadda took place at the Watertown High School in Connecticut on October 1^st, 2022. With grace, maturity, and an effortless ease about her, a new professional Bharatanatyam artist was born.

Sivani has been a gifted student of the Vani Natyalayam School of Dance based in Trumbull, CT under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Vani Nidadavolu for over 10 years. As an artist, Sivani exemplifies the highest dedication to her craft, with her pursuit of perfection and excellence. Well trained in both Carnatic music as well as Bharatanatyam dance since she was young, Sivani was exceptional as she displayed a special depth to all of the pieces within her Arangetram “margam” journey.

Her strong grasp of Laya shined through as she demonstrated her technical precision and strong footwork through the introductory Nritta (pure dance) pieces of Pushpanjali in Raagam Saraswathi, Maha Ganapathim in Raagam Naatai, and Jathiswaram in Raagam Suddha Dhanyasi. Replete with devotion and Bhava, her portrayal of a questioning Nayika and Lord Krishna in Shabdam (Ragamalika) was the first item showcasing her special aptitude as a dancer, her expressive capability in Abhinaya. The highlight of the first half of the performance was the Varnam piece in Revathi Raagam, setting the tone for a powerful and meditative praise to the almighty Goddess, in the forms of Uma Maheshwari and Rajarajeshwari. A selection of 30 minutes, Sivani executed complex choreography and emotive sequences depicting the themes of love, beauty, compassion, and the triumph of good over evil throughout the piece with audience members clapping after each Jathi sequence.

The second half of the Arangetram was full of compelling works of the most prominent Saints and poets of South India, starting with the beautiful Ardhanareeswara Stotram composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya Swami. Sivani’s depiction of the dichotomy of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi was full of Bhakti, and ended with rigorous Jathi sequences followed by striking poses of Lord Siva. Her sharp gazes, elegant long limbs, and compelling stage presence left audience members remarking of being transported to another world during the performance.

Paying homage to her heritage, Sivani continued with items authored by illustrious composers of Andhra Pradesh in the Telugu language. She performed an exciting Tharangam, composed by Narayana Theertha Swami set to Hindolam Raagam praising Lord Krishna as Govardhana Giridhara, where she ended the piece dancing on a brass plate executing rhythmical footwork in conjunction with the Nattuvangam of her Guru.

Sivani further dazzled by demonstrating her versatility in Abhinaya. Her expressions of exaggerated sarcasm, jealousy, and anger were exceptional during her portrayal of a heartbroken Nayika pining for Lord Krishna in the Padam Indendu Vachitivira written by Kshetrayya Swami in Surutti Raagam. This was in sharp contrast to the next piece in Madhyamavati Raagam called Laali Padare, where she lovingly played the role of an affectionate and doting Nayika singing a lullaby to Lord Sri Venkateswara.

Sivani was blessed to be accompanied by an ensemble of expert Vidwans based in Connecticut and Massachusetts, who with their divine music brought the performance to life. The brisk Jathi’s spoken by Guru Smt. Vani Nidadavolu on Nattuvangam, melodious voice of Sri Aditya Venkatesh, and rhythmical mastery of Sri Siva Ponnudurai on mridangam as well as the harmonious playing of violin by Sri Kalyan Gopalakrishnan and tuneful playing of the flute by Sri Murthy Mamidanna, provided the dancer with the highest caliber of musical accompaniment for the evening with their flawless rendering of each item.

Sivani’s program was concluded with an offering to the multiple forms of the Divine through a Thillana composed by Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi in Madhyamavathi Raagam followed by a Mangalam describing the glories of Lord Rama in Sourashtra Raagam. Ending with a thunderous applause and standing ovation from the audience, Sivani delivered a moving speech expressing her gratitude to Lord Nataraja and Goddess Durga for making the dream of performing her Arangetram a dream come true. She paid homage to her parents, elders, and family for blessing her with their endless support and Lord Satyanarayana of the Middletown, Connecticut temple for the blessing of a wonderful community of friends and well-wishers who graced the occasion.

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