On April 17, 2011, the students of Lasya School of Dance in Shrewsbury   performed for their 4th Annual program. More than 300 people watched students from age 5 to 40 perform and show their talent, under the able guidance of their Guru Sapna Krishnan, the artistic director of Lasya School of Dance. The program began at 4:00 pm with an invocatory song sung by Nilanjana and Madhumitha Nambiar in praise of Lord Ganesha.  

The dance program began with an Anjali, followed by Thodayamangalam and Shivasthuthi. The next piece in the Margam was the Shabdam “Ayar Shiriya”, in Ragamalika, in praise of the ever playful Krishna. This piece described a variety of Krishna’s antics. It depicted how even a frightened deer stops to listen to the melodious music when Lord Krishna played the flute. Following this piece, were performances by the younger members of the Lasya School, beginning with a Shlokam, “Shanthakaram”, on Lord Vishnu and  Sriman Narayana, where the students showed the 10 incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It was a delight to watch the little children perform the item on the stage.

The program then progressed to the most complex piece of the Bharatanatyam repertoire: the Varnam.  Set in the ragam Hamsadhwani, the Varnam “Padam Panindhein” was in praise of Lord Muruga. Along with beautifully choreographed nritta and abhinaya, the piece included intricate and complex jathis and beautifully crafted footwork in the charanam that were skillfully executed by the students. The next piece was another Shlokam, “Kripasamudram”, in praise of Lord Shiva, followed by the vibrant “Bho Shambo”, a favorite of the audience.

“Kavadi Chindu”, the next dance item was a lively mix of popular folk dance and Bharatanatyam which captured the audience’s attention with its catchy tune.  This dance, performed by the senior students of Sapna Krishnan, portrayed a pilgrimage in which devotees of Lord Muruga travel to the temple town, Palani carrying “Kavadi” on their shoulders.

Mrs. Sapna Krishnan made a special mention about her senior most students Meenu and Niveda who will be off to college next year but are still planning to continue their training and how she enjoyed teaching them. Subsequent to the “KavadiChindu” was “Thaye Yashoda”, a marvelous abhinaya piece in which the Gopikas complained to Mother Yeshoda about Krishna’s pranks. A special segment was performed by the adult students, called the Swar-Taal, where the students moved gracefully to a beautiful music piece.

Lastly, the Thillana, dedicated to Lord Muruga, was performed by the senior students of Lasya School. The Thillana included a small prayer to Lord Muruga in which the dancers pines for the handsome Lord Muruga, being hit by the five-headed arrow of love. The program ended with a Mangalam, in which the dancers faithfully thank the heavens and the audience for providing them an opportunity to progress in their art.

The evening ended with a vote of thanks and dinner, prepared and served by the parents of Lasya family for all the guests who attended the function.

|