“To watch us dance, is to hear our hearts speak”. This old Indian proverb came to mind as I watched debutante Gayatri Menon grace the stage in what can only be described as an honest and heartfelt performance at Sorenson Theater, Babson College in Wellesly.

Performing a Bharatanatyam Arangetram requires the hard work, discipline and dedication that is needed to be able to master this ancient art form. However the dancer must also have an abundance of enthusiasm and passion to bring their performance to life, and Gayatri did this with great aplomb.

Gayatri trained in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Guru Ranjani Saigal (Eastern Rhythms, Burlington, MA) for 11 years and had the opportunity to attend dance camps by Smt. Kausalya Srinivasan from Chennai and Kum Keerthi Ramgopal from Banglore. An Arangetram is a test for not only the Shishya (student) but also for the Guru (teacher) as a culmination of their talent and knowledge which is appraised and appreciated by the audience. In this case, it is safe to say that both Shishya and Guru passed this test with flying colours.

The show began with a few words of warm welcome to the audience, given by Gayatri’s father Dr. Vijaykumar. The rest of the event was skilfully managed by the Master of Ceremonies, Girish Menon, Gayatri’s brother, who guided the audience through the various performances with light hearted yet informative introductions to each item. Gayatri began the show with a traditional Pushpanjali, which had her thanking God, her teacher, the musicians and finally the audience for attending and giving their blessings to this auspicious occasion. This was immediately followed by Gajavadana Karuna Sadhana, a poem set to music composed by Pampanasam Sivan, honouring the Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles.

Gayatri then showed us her exquisite ability to encompass the two important facets of Bharathanatyam, Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressive dance) in her next two pieces Jathiswaram and Ra Ra Rajeeva Lochana. In the former item, we saw her ability to effortlessly perform complex rhythmic phrasings and intricate footwork set to swarams (musical notes), whereas in Ra Ra Rajeeva Lochana composed by Mysore Vasudevachar, the audience saw the dancer depict two episodes from the Hindu epic- Ramayana. The excellent expression and emotion used by Gayatri enabled the audience to envision the stories of Ahalya and Shaberi vividly.

The debutant then dazzled the audience with the piece de resistance of the show, Varnam. This great and complex item composed by Harikeshanallur Mutthiah Bhagavathar combined all the aspects of Bharathanatyam and highlighted Gayatri’s skill as she performed this item dedicated to Devi- the Divine Mother figure of Hindu tradition. The dance depicted her incarnation as Meenakshi, the daughter of King Malayadwaja Pandiyan. We then went on to see the impressive transformation as Gayatri depicted the fierce warrior Chamundi who defeats the evil demon Mahishasura. The final arch extols the virtues of Devi, describing her as beautiful with a face like the moon and blessings upon her devotees. Gayatri told each part of the tale convincingly and her fluid movements combined with compelling expression impressed the audience.

After a brief intermission, the program continued with Ananda Koothadinar composed by Gopala Krishna Bharatiyar, a piece about the joyful dance of the Lord Shiva in his home at Chidambaram. We were then treated to Nadarmudi Mel which amazed all who witnessed Gayatri’s flexibility and composure whilst holding near impossible poses as she  elicited the virtues of ‘NallaPambu’- or the good snake.

Tillana composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman, is a pure dance piece steeped in the complicated rhythms and flourished melody of the music that accompanies it, thus giving Gayatri the opportunity to once again show the audience her fantastic technical ability.

Tarangam was the final piece which was perfomed in the Kuchipudi style, meaning that it involved the challenging task of dancing atop a brass plate which she did effortlessly. While the main song of the Tarangam was composed by Oothukadu Venkatasubbaaiyer, it is preceded by a few verses from Melpathur Narayan Bhattathiri's Narayaneeyam.  Bhattathiri was a Krishna devotee from the state of Kerala, the South Indian state from which Gayatri's parents were born and raised. This was followed by a prayer composed by the father of the Malayalam language, Ezhuthachan who praised the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The evening then came to a close with Mangalam, a prayer of peace.

Gayatri’s captivating performance was in no doubt enhanced by the fantastic vocal talents of Smt Geetha Murali. Sri T.K Ramakrishnan on the Mridangam, Smt Durga Krishnan on the Veena, Kum Rasika Murali on the Violin and Sri Prayuth Naduthota on the Flute all contributed to a fantastic performance. Natuvangam was by Guru Ranajani Saigal who was clearly proud of Gayatri’s recital. It was clear that both student and teacher were very close and had worked hard together to make the evening a success.

The chief guest Smt Aparna Balaji, Gayatri’s Carnatic Music teacher of ten years, had high praise for both teacher and student and went on to say that she was spellbound and impressed by Gayatri’s excellent performance.

A captivating Arangetram by Gayatri will be remembered by friends and family alike, and there is no doubt that there will be more to come from this talented and wonderful young dancer.

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