As part of the Sri Lakshmi Temple's Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, the Youth and Cultural Education Programs (YCEP) committee of the temple organizes the Krishna Nrityanjali every year. On Saturday, August 23, dancers from the various dance schools in the area convened and presented a lovely program of enchanting dances in various styles as their offering of love to Lord Krishna. They presented some of the vintage and signature pieces of eminent composers. Each dancer was given a maximum of ten minutes and most dancers used their time fully and wisely.

The program started with the invocation pooja by the temple priest, Sri Krishna Bhattar. The first item was Sri Balamukundashtakam by Shilpa Narayanan, student of Jeyanthi Ghatraju's Natyanjali School of dance, aptly setting the stage for the many items to follow on Lord Krishna. Bhama kalapam in Kuchipudi style was presented next by Hima Kakaraparthi, disciple of Sumithira Anand. The three dharuvus were well explained by Sumithira and presented by Hima. Thaye Yashoda, a signature piece on the pranks of Lord Krishna as narrated by the Gopis was well executed by Tara Krishnan of Thillai Dance Academy of Sunanda Narayanan.

Sarasijakshulu jalagamade was a popular piece that day presented by Suman Murali of Natyanjali and Abirami Manian, student of Thenu Rajan. One could appreciate the variety of choreography and interpretation in these two presentations of the same item.

Shanmukha kavuthuvam with its lilting poetry was performed by Roma Chandok, student of Natyanjali.

Kavadi chindu brought about a chance of pace to the program next and. Ramya Ramadurai, student of Sunanda Narayanan understood the nuances of this piece and did an excellent job.

Devi varnam was then presented by Urmila Mallick and Kavya Ramachandran, two young students of Neena Gulati's Triveni School of dance. They presented this challenging piece with ease and grace.

Natanam adinar, another popular number was presented by the duo, Shruthi and Shweta Kumar, disciples of Veena Teli, who brought the settings of Kanakasabha and the thandava dance down to us.

Govindan kuzhalosai kettu, a popular dance composition of Dr. Balamuralikrishna was performed by Maitreyi Shankar, disciple of Smt. Ranjani Saigal. How the whole world, including birds, beasts and bees are immersed in the melodious flute of Krishna was portrayed efficiently by Maitreyi.

Thillana in ragam Hamsanandi was presented by Marishakthi Muthuswamy, a senior disciple of Guru Kameshwaran. Years of consistent effort and dedication shone through in Mari'shakthi's presentation.

Vilayattupillai illai amma, a padam in ragamalika was presented by Sreeja Kaimal, who is from the Kalamandalam institute in Kerala. Krishna's various leelas and his misleading looks are were well captured by Sreeja.

Ahe Nilo Saile, came next from Mouli Pal disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, in Odissi style. Mouli's grace and poise highlighted the beauty of this dance style  and the sensational choreography of a senior guru came alive in this piece.

Venkatachala Nilayam, was performed by Indhra Rajashekar, another senior dancer. The inspiring choreography and the underlying bhakthi bhava were well-portrayed.

Another thillana in ragam Mand was performed by Shachi Phene, student of Sunanda Narayanan. The brilliant adavu pattern combinations and the flawless execution were very much applauded by the audience.

Krishna shabdam, a time tested piece was then presented by Shakthi Nochur, student of Neena Gulati. The grace and the vibrance of the item came through quite artistically,

Gopalaka pahimam anisham, a popular dance composition of Sri Swati Thirunal Maharaja was presented by Shweta Atelat, students of Sridevi Thirumalai's Natyamani School of dance. Shweta did a splendid job keeping up with the challenging lyrics and the great choreography of her Guru.

Theerada vilayattu pillai, another popular dance item composed by Sri Gopala Krishna Bharathi, was ably presented by Akshaya Krishnaswamy, student of Sridevi Thirumalai. The last 2 items were the fitting finale of 2 vivid thillanas performed vibrantly by Jahnavi Deshpande and Pooja Sreekumar, students of Sridevi Thirumalai.

The concluding pooja and archana for all the artists of the evening was performed by Sri Narayana Bhattar, senior priest of the temple.

The YCEP Chairman, Sri J.V.Krishna, outlined the upcoming activities such as the grand concert on 9th November as apart of the fundraising efforts to meet the financial goals for the temple expansion project. He requested the audience to spread the word and to mark the date. Furthermore, the temple would award a $1000 scholarship, again this year, to a talented graduating high school student who excels in Indian classical dance. For details about the YCEP please look forward to the announcements on the temple website at www.srilakshmi.org .

As the conductor of the program, it was quite uplifting for me to see the amount of talent our New England area is graced with and the amazing heights some of the young dancers have reached. Many of them have been performing for several years regularly at the temple and to see them achieve newer heights every time they perform is in itself a blessing.

All in all, there was quite the variety in presentations, and styles, and an amazing quality in all of the items. The program lasted almost 3 hours and the enthusiastic and receptive audiences' role has to be appreciated. We are evolving as an art-patronizing community, with many talented performers in several important roles in the organizing committees, who understand the nuances of the making of a program. This year's Krishna Nrityanjali was a perfect example of the earnest efforts of many efficient volunteers, coming together and putting in their energy in bringing out a successful program to the community.

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