Arangetram: Anisha Dantam
by Kavya Kolukula

After years of dedicated practice with Guru Smt. Jayshree Bala Rajamani as her teacher, Anisha Dantam performed her Arangetram, the grand ascension of the stage, at Sri Lakshmi Temple under the banner of Bharathakalai School of Dance. She was ably supported by a wonderful musical ensemble of her Guru on Nattuvangam, Smt. Uma Sankar on Vocal, Smt. Sushmitha Ravikumar on Violin, and Shri Mahalingam Santhanakrishnan on Mridangam. Many gathered to watch Anisha’s once in a lifetime moment, and soon after a pooja in front of Nataraja, the performance began.

Anisha commenced the performance with a Pushpanjali, a traditional invocation where she offered flowers to the divine. This was followed by a shloka in praise of Lord Vishnu, the Creator from whose navel the lotus emerged. Then, Anisha presented a Kauthvam in praise of Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed god who is the remover of obstacles. Anisha gave her humble obeisance to them with her graceful expressions and elegant movements. This transitioned to the Alarippu which is a pure dance piece whose literal translation means blossoming of a flower. Anisha “opened up” her body similar to a blossoming flower which opens up petal by petal. She started with eye and neck movements, then moved on to arm movements, and slowly involved her entire body at various speeds.

In the next dance, the Swarajathi, Anisha asked Krishna, the magical flute player, to come to her without delay for she is his devotee. With her clear eye movements, graceful arm gestures, and steady footwork, Anisha showed that she is capable of fast Jathi sequences and narrating stories. Next, Anisha displayed her Abhinaya, also known as expressions, in the Shabdam on Krishna, the mischievous son of Yashoda. In this dance, Anisha captivated the audience with her phenomenal expressions allowing those around her to feel the emotions of the characters themselves.

Then, Anisha ended the first half of her Arangetram with the Varnam, the most elaborate and longest piece in a Bharatanatyam repertoire. Told from the perspective of Lord Hanuman, this Varnam contained many stories about Lord Rama and had Jathis along with it. Although Anisha had been dancing for so long, her stamina seemed unwavering as she performed all of the Jathis and her expressions enhanced the stories making it feel as if the audience was witnessing the events happen in reality. Through Anisha’s depiction, the audience was able to feel Hanuman’s devotion and loyalty to Lord Rama.

In the second half of her Arangetram, Anisha continued with  three dances, each on a different deity. The first was a devotional piece on Goddess Vara Lakshmi, the second was dedicated to Lord Shiva, and the third dance was focused on Krishna from Yashoda’s perspective. In all of these pieces, Anisha displayed her stunning expressions while playing each role.

Anisha concluded her Arangetram with the Thillana and Mangalam. The Thillana is the penultimate piece where the dancer performs with pure joy which can be noticed with Anisha’s bright smile. In this dance, Anisha takes on the form of a Gopika who asks Krishna to come to her. Directly after, the Mangalam is performed which is a dance of thanks to the divine, the guru, the musicians, and the audience. Although this performance lasted for quite a few hours, Anisha danced with so much energy. It was evident that Anisha danced from the heart deserving the standing ovation.

In her own words, “This journey leading up to my Arangetram has not only been an unforgettable experience and something that will be cherished in my heart for many years to come, but a true blessing. My Arangetram has been a blissful adventure and through the whole process, despite endless hours of toil, I believe that I discovered a part of my identity and unearthed a passion for expressing myself through the beautiful art style of Bharatanatyam. I am forever grateful to my Guru, Smt. Jayshree Bala Rajamani, for bestowing this wonderful gift upon me and I hope that Bharatanatyam will prosper in the young hearts of the generations yet to come.”

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