Meet Priyanka

Chitra Parayath

Her eyes light up and the passion is evident in her eyes when young debutant Priyanka Srinivasan talks about Dance. It’s uncommon to see such dedication in one so young and as was obvious to the hundreds who attended her Arangetram last month, Priyanka has indeed blossomed into an extraordinary exponent of the Indian classical dance forms, Oddissi, Kuchipudi and Bharathanatyam. Her remarkable achievements in dance are due to a combination of unswerving devotion, natural grace and beauty, her faithfulness to the demands of tradition, firm discipline and enquiry.

When asked how important her Arangetram was for her, as a dancer, she says, “ It was the most magical of days, more important than any day so far. To me it meant a culmination of a dream. I worked very hard to achieve what I did that day and for that, credit also goes to my parents, my family and my guru Neenaji”

I ask her about her future, if she sees herself practicing this art form in the years to come. A quick laugh and she declares, “ Dance is an integral part of my personality and will be for years to come. Growth, as a dancer is very important for me. I hope to attend a Dance camp in South India next summer and hone my skills as an artist.”

Vibrant eyes and an expressive face are invaluable assets to any dancer and Priyanka possesses these features and exudes warmth that must surely endow her dance with added dimension.

Priyanka, a sophomore at the Mansfield High School, MA plays the piano and enjoys theater. She is interested in pursuing her passion for the performing arts and shows remarkable promise as an artist.

Her Guru Ms. Neena Gulati has this to say of Priyanka." Priyanka shows incredible potential as a dancer. It is rewarding for me to see this level of maturity in her rendering. At her Arangetram , she danced with such energy and passion, a smile that played on her face throughout,showed how much she enjoyed dancing. She has always had a desire to excel as a performer and she has everything it takes to be an excellent exponent of Indian classical dance. "
Lokvani wishes this young enthusiastic dancer success.

Priyanka’s Arangetram

By Megan Jayaraj

Beautiful facial expressions, graceful movements and sheer joy for dance conveyed by the dancer made the Arangetram presented by Priyanka a treat to watch. In her Arangetram, Priyanka gave us an introduction to Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi (originated from Andhra Pradesh in South India) as well as Odissi (originated from Orissa in Eastern India).

Priyanka began her recital with Mangalacharan and Saraswathi Vandana, in the Odissi style. In Mangalacharan the dancer enters the stage with flowers in her hands as she invokes the god Jagannath. Following this invocation the dancer demonstrates the basic Odissi steps and footwork in a rapid rhythmic pattern and concludes with a “Trikandi Pranam” where she salutes the Lord almighty, her guru or teacher, and the audience.

The next dance in the presentation was Dasavathar. Here the dancer portrayed the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu viz - The fish, the tortoise, the wild boar, the half man half lion, the dwarf, the angry man, the Lord Rama, often said to be the perfect man, Balarama, Buddha, and the Kalki who has yet to appear in our lives to rid the world of evil.

Shiva Navarasa in the Kuchipudi style followed in which the “Nava Rasa” drawn from different episodes in the lives of Shiva were presented. Priyanka executed a few intricate footwork patterns to the accompaniment of the Mridangam. The popular Tarangam followed this piece where the dancer executes rhythmic patterns standing on the edge of a brass plate. Priyanka also presented a Tillana in the Bharatanatyam style.

As a friend, relative and dancer, it was a joy to watch this final outcome of years of practice and hard work. Since we were children her potential has always been evident but in the Arangetram we received much more than we could have expected. I believe she holds a bright future in field of dance and I wish her great success.

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