The debutant sisters Swati and Bhavna marked their Bharatanatyam Arangetram with a memorable performance at the Ashland High School auditorium on August 19, 2011.  The aspiring dance duo started the performance with an invocatory Pushpanjali in Gadyothkanthi ragam in which the young dancers sought the blessings of Nataraja, their guru, the orchestra and the audience. 

Pushpanjali was followed by a Ganesha stuti in Tilang.  These brisk opening numbers set the stage for a graceful execution of the swara sollukattu in Thodi ragam which provided ample scope for Swathi and Bhavna to demonstrate their skills in Nritta.  Swathi rendered the melodious Janani Janani extolling the virtues of the mother Goddess in Revathi ragam with emotional involvement. 

The thematic scope of the Swati Tirunal composition Bhavayami Raghuramam, which was selected as the Varnam,  provided ample opportunity for the sisters to exhibit their skills in abhinaya.  The epic story of the Ramayana was potrayed nicely by the sisters playing the various characters.  Swathi and Bhavna took full advantage of their knowledge of music and Indian culture to explore the complex layers of meaning in the lyrics to provide a strong visual dimension to the composition. The episode of Kaikeyi demanding the throne for Bharata and the ensuing sorrow and pain felt by Dasaratha was depicted well by the sisters, adding depth to the performance. The swara passages were interspersed with crisp jathis executed with agility. 

Varnam was followed by Neeye Sharan Shanmuga in Kambhoji ragam, performed solo by Bhavna  in which she highlighted the glory of Muruga with sensitivity.  This was followed by the melodious Chandra Chuda by Purandaradasa, which the duo performed with great confidence.  For the finale, a Tillana in Suruti extolling the virtues of Krishna was executed neatly by the sisters. The soul stirring Purandaradasa song in Sreeragam, Bhagyadalakshmi Baramma was performed with total devotion by both debutant’s.  The arangetram concluded with Brahmam Okate as the mangalam.  The able nattuvangam support from  guru Sridevi Thirumalai and captivating vocals by Vidwan Srinidhi accompanied by percussion support from Srihari Rangaswamy, violin support from Tara Anand and flute support by Narasimhamurthy deserve special mention and was a high point of the recital.

|