On a beautiful evening on August 14, 2010, 17 year old Abirami Manian started her Bharathanatyam Arangetram in Medway High School Auditorium in Medway, MA.
 
Abirami is a disciple of Guru Thenu Raajan of Apsaras Academy of Arts in Bellingham, MA. She gets the privilege of being the first student completing Arangetram under her guru Thenu Raajan. Abirami has been learning this Kalakshetra style of Bharathanatyam since she was 10years old prior to which she was trained in Irish step dancing. 
 
The Arangetram started with the curtain raiser  “Sri Ganesha Charanam” in ragam Tilang and talam Adi followed by a  slokam during which the Salangai (Ankle Bells) were presented to Abirami by her guru, starting her Arangetram journey.
 
Abirami commenced her Arangetram with an invocatory item “Rangaanjali” in Ragamalika and talam Adi which describes the beauty and the majestic qualities of the lord of Dance – Nataraja which was followed by “Jathiswaram” set to ragam Saveri and talam Rupakam. In both of these items, Abirami’s dancing pace was accurate and confident and not hurried which made the picture of the item very sweet on stage.
 
This was followed by “Sabdam” on Lord Murugan in Ragamalika set to talam Misra Chappu. This piece of repertoire showcases the various aspects of abhinaya, especially the satvika abhinaya.  Abirami ably displayed how the humble devotee seeks the protection of Lord Murugan who is the son of Lord Nataraja.
 
The next item is Varnam which is the most composite and elaborate item of all Bharathanatyam Margam. The Varnam “Simha Vahini” is a beautiful composition of Madurai R. Muralidaran in ragam Ranjani set to talam Adi. The intricate jatis were rendered by Abirami with captivating footwork and the intertwined korvais earned applause from the audience. Abirami executed each of the sanchari moments with that specific mood with eloquent bhava. The technical and interpretative aspects of the Varnam were wonderfully portrayed by Abirami which revealed her confidence and composure. That showcased the thorough training by her guru Thenu Raajan.
 
The second half of the repertoire started with the Keerthanam “Anandha Nadamaaduvar Thillai” which is a composition of Neelakanda Shivan in ragam Poorvi Kalyani set to talam Rupakam. Throughout this cosmic dance item, Abirami depicted her hastas which was very definitive and connotative.
 
That was followed by the padam “Kaliyuga Varathan”, composition of Periasaami Thooran in ragam Brindhaavana Saaranga set to talam Adi. Abirami executed it with great depth of feeling and gracefulness, depicting joy in each and every movement. The next item presented is a padham by Oothukadu Venkata kavi “Asainthaadum Mayil” in ragam Simmendra Madhyaman set to talam Adi. In this item, Abirami's exuberance was impressive.
 
Final section of the Arangetram was “Thillana” in ragam Kapi set to talam Adi, a pure nritta based item. Abirami Captivated the Audience with her complex footwork. This was followed by “Kavadi Chindhu” Mangalam of Annamalai Reddiyar with special ending verse added by Abirami’s maternal grandfather Thiru. Sevugan chettiar. 
 
The entire evening of Abirami’s Arangetram was driven by Smt. Thenu Raajan who provided sonorous Nattuvangam, while vocalists Raajan Narayanan (Thenu's husband) and Mathur Srinidhi with their mellifluous voice set a marvelous ground for Abirami to express. Sri Hari Rangaswamy was supportive on the Mridangam highlighting the nuances of rhythm and foot movements, while Narasimhamurthy Ramamishra and Rasika Murali on the flute and violin respectively provided outstanding orchestration which added to the grandeur.
 
I must mention about the musical interludes rendered by Abirami’s brother and the orchestra. Abirami’s brother Suresh Manian, student of Smt. Tara Anand, did an excellent job on violin playing a keerthanam – Shara Shara and Thirupugazh – Muthai Thiru. This was followed by a Jugalbandi playing the Niravadhi Sukadha in ragam Ravichandrika that was spell-bounding. The youngest member of the orchestra Rasika on violin handled and responded with great ease to the Flautist Narasimhamurthy’s challenging variations in chittai swaram. The whole interlude was a real treat for the ears.
 
On stage and off stage, there was no detail too small to be overlooked. Abirami's parents Chokku and Deivanai made extensive arrangements, all with meticulous attention to detail.
 
Abirami displayed the dexterity in each item she performed and expressed her individuality in every moment of her presentation which depicted her understanding of the art, a very critical component of learning any art form.  Her guru Thenu mentioned in her speech that Abirami as a student got all the potential qualities in what a teacher could ask for and did a splendid job. She captivated the audience by giving a performance with grace and fluidity throughout the whole gamut which was evident by the thunderous applause and standing ovation.
 
Overall, Abirami’s Bharathanatyam Arangetram was enthralling! I wish Abirami a great success in all her endeavors and looking forward for many more riveting performances.

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