Twirls. Beautiful lights. Graceful expressions. Powerful jumps; Affectionate hugs. Beatific smiles. Shalini – a student of Gurus Kausalya Srinivasan and Rekha Balaji, was a bundle of mixed emotions and showed supremacy during her graduation recital in Bharathanatyam on

Nov.17, 2012, at Norwood High School, MA.

From the moment Shalini entered the stage to the moment she took her final vow, the audience was filled with enthrallment. Shalini’s elegant presence and classic dancing was nothing short of excellence. She began her show with an invocation consisting of Pushpanjali, Thodayamangalam, Ganesha Pancharatnam and Alaripu. Thanjavur Quartet’s Jatheeswaram in Ragamailika followed. Shalini sustained excellent strength and vigor as she performed this piece of pure Nirtha. With a countenance of divine tranquility, the young dancer maintained strong hand gestures and vigorous footwork.

Following this piece, the supple Shalini spun onto stage with an aura of splendor as she danced to Thanjavur Shri Arunachalam Pillai’s beautiful composition, “Shanmuga Shabdham.” This piece was choreographed by Kausalya Srinivasan specifically for Shalini’s arangetram. Shalini brought genuine feeling and overflowing charm as she fondly described

the youthfulness of the handsome Lord Muruga.

In the Varnam, the central piece of Shalini’s recital, her outstanding skill in nrita(pure dance) and in abhinaya (mime and expression) was at its height. Shalini exhibited great stamina and endurance as she danced to a thirty minute varnam composed by Sri. Periyasam

Thooranan’s varna in Bhairavi. Throughout this beautiful piece, she displayed mastery over diverse emotions and feelings as she acted out various aspects of Lord Krishna. At the beginning, she portrayed the yearning of nayaka(heroine) who being entranced in

love for Krishna, to see Him soon. Later on, she emerged as the playful young man who enjoyed dancing rasa leela and having fun playing pichkari(water gun) with the gopis of the village, with perfect expression of mischief. I could not help but marvel at Shalini’s perfect

precision for every stride, strength in posture for every leap, elegant mudhras during every stretch. The tempo of this elaborate varna was swift, yet as her guru brought out the rapid nattuvangam and the orchestra played out intricate rhythms, Shalini never faltered in her step

as she retained her fortitude with a bright smile and strong step. She concluded the show’s main piece with triumph, leaving audience in awe.

After a short intermission, Shalini treated her audience to a padam, an expressive dance that spoke of love, anguish, devotion and joy. The alluring dance of goddess Alamelumanga was wonderfully portrayed by the passionate dancer, Shalini. Followed by this was Kavadi

Chindhu, a light and lilting piece, to which she danced like a peacock in joy bringing cheer to the audience heart.

No Bharathanatyam recital is ever complete without homage to the Lord of Dance, Nataraja. Shalini successfully and exquisitely with excelled balance danced to the song “Anandha Natamaduvar Thillai,” a compostion of Neelakanda Sivan which glorified the cosmic dance of

Shiva. At the very end, she blew the minds of her supporters in the audience as she held a 30-second pose with a perfect balance as the lights slowly dimmed away.

The next piece was the all-time favorite, “Chinnanchiru Kiliye,” by Suramanya Bharathiyar.

The ardent dancer, Shalini, brought out genuine feeling and overflowing charm as she

portrayed a mother’s special bonding with her child and her expressions in the entire dance

were remarkable. The audience was totally enraptured in the final moments of the dance

where the mother (dancer) sings a lullaby to put her child to sleep and while slowly moving

out of the stage with her child in her sleeping arms.

In an exhilarating finale, Shalini danced to Thillana in the raga Simmhendramadhyamam composed by Madurai Sri Krishna Iyengar. She illuminated the stage as she twirled around with invigorated energy, crisp footwork and truly beautiful staturesque poses. Shalini concluded the program with Andal mangalam, during which she thanked her audience, her muscians and her gurus. She dedicated this item to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai baba and to her beloved late grandfather.

The evening’s success is owed to the accompanying artists, Guru Smt. Kausalya Srinivasan (Nattuvangam); Sri Babu Parameswaran(vocals); Sri. Sudhakar Subramanyam (Mriddanagam); Sri.Krishna Kutty(Violin); Sri. Suresh Mathur(Flute); and Jeyanthi Ghatraju, a close friend who introduced the artists and the dance items to the audience.

Expressing their enthusiastic appreciation were the Chief Guest - Prof. Nancy Moses, the Coordinator of Dance and Chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at Bridgewater State University, and Guest of Honor - Smt. Ranjani Saigal, the Founder and Director of

Eastern Rhythms dance school and the Co-Founder of a successful Lokvani magazine. In their appreciative words, they commented that Shalini did a stupendous job and they hoped that Shalini will pursue this art form.

If you missed to see Shalini’s Arangetram, you missed a lot… but check on the brief video below and you’ll get a glimpse of our wonderful experience watching Shalini’s beautiful, graceful and extraordinary performance to the delight of her fans, family and friends.