The ancient Indian treatise and the much revered text, Natayasasthra,  denotes the elements of dance as an amalgamation of sentiment , emotion, expression, physical characteristics, style, attitude, intellectual accomplishment, music, song and stage. A complete dance repertoire requires the seamless integration of all these elements. To this effect, the Bharathanatyam arangetram serves as a maiden opportunity for a student of this divine art, to bring these elements together.  In this endeavor, the sisters duo, Sindhu and Shalini excelled with flying colors.

The Bharathanatyam debut of Sindhu and Shalini Sreedhar, students of Natya Vidhyalaya and disciples of Smt Meena Subramanyam and her sister Smt Roja Kannan, was successfully held on Sunday, 9th of September, 2012 at the Regis College, Massachusetts. The performance, on this gorgeous late summer afternoon, began with an invocation to Lord Ganesha by the orchestra. The sisters took the stage with a Pushpanjali in ragam Nattai. Following the Pushpanjali, the sisters presented a traditional Alarippu in Kanda nadai (5 beats). Right from the start both Sindhu and Shalini showed great poise and confidence. The Pushpanjali and Alarippu set a great tone for the rest of the afternoon.

The next item on their repertoire was a Jathiswaram in ragamalika set to Misra Chappu. This traditional item places great emphasis on Nrittta or pure dance. A piece that contains intricate sequences fused with repetitive musical notes. The execution of the item requires precise movements and a strong grasp of the thalas (beats). The Jathiswaram, as such, poses lots of challenge in a solo performance, let alone performance by a duo. Sindhu and Shalini were very impressive in their coordination, thus their combined presentation of this piece. They showed great control of the thala and demonstrated graceful prowess over the anga (upper body).

After their impressive execution of the Jathiswaram, Sindu and Shalini introduced the element of abhinaya in their repertoire with the Shabdham. The piece chosen for the afternoon was in praise of Lord Krishna. The sisters depicted the various leelas of Krishna very elegantly. The choreographic arrangement for this piece was set in a manner which gave Sindu and Shalini an opportunity to perform the piece in solo segments.

A brief musical interlude followed the Shabdham. The orchestra mesmerized the audience with a heartwarming rendition of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi’s, Thikuu Theriyaatha Kaatil in ragamalika. The varnam, the central piece in a Bharathanatyam performance, was next on the reptoire. The piece chosen for the afternoon was a ragamalika composition Dasavatharam. The beauty of this varnam is how the lyrics are woven into the nine ragas and the seamless transition from raga to raga spaced by a sequence of jathis. Both Sindu and Shalini demonstrated great maturity and ease when moving from the nirtha focused jathis to bhava centered pallavi, anupallavi and charanam. It was indeed a treat to watch the sisters illustrate the various incarnations of lord Vishnu, the central character of this varnam.

Shalini resumed the second half of the performance with a solo on Sri Neelakanda Sivan’s, Aanandha Nadamaaduvar Thillai, in Poorvikalyani and Roopaka Taalam. It was indeed a pleasure to watch Shalini execute the piece with brisk movements. Sindhu’s solo performance for the evening was an emotionally engaging keethanam, Devi Neeye Thunai, in Keeravani. Sindhu’s anga suttam (body control) and maturity on illustrating the power of Devi was very impressive.

The sisters took the stage together again in the highly energetic Kavadi Chindu. Villinai Otha, in Chenjurutti is a composition by Mahakavi  Subramanya Bharathi. Beautiful homemade Kavadis were brought in as props for this item. The wonderful afternoon was capped off with a scintillating Thillana in Hindolam and a traditional Mangalam in Saurashtram.

As the phrase “Geetham, vaadhyam cha nrityam cha tharayam sangeethamuchyathe”, Sangeetham is the culmination of instruments, song and dance. The orchestra, comprising of stalwarts in their chosen fields, was outstanding in defining the mood for the afternoon. On Nattuvangam was Sindhu’s and Shalini’s guru, Smt Meena Subramanyam, the delightful and fresh vocals for the afternoon was provided by Vidwan Venugopal Vasudevan, dazzling Mridangam by Vidhwan Shaktivel Muruganathan, brilliant violin by Vidwan Sigamani Natarajan and lovely flute by Vidhwan Sankarapillai Sunilkumar.

I have had the esteemed opportunity of witnessing Sindhu and Shalini blossom as dancers. It is definitely a delight seeing them perform at this level. It takes years of dedicated training and whole hearted engagement, not only by the students but also the parents, to bring forth a sense of artistry in oneself. Sindhu and Shalini are fortunate to have parents, Geetha Sreedhar and Sreedhar Annamalai who have provided support to them throughout this wonderful journey.  In addition, what moved me was their emphasis on guru bhakti (respect for the teacher). It is truly with the blessings of once guru’s that a student of any art can achieve greatness. Culminated with the solid training by their gurus, Smt Meena Subramanyam and Smt Roja Kannan and with god’s blessing, Sindhu and Shalini are definitely ready to take the next step in this divine dance journey.

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