Bharathanatyam Arangetram of Sheela & Lalita Devadas

Lexington's National Heritage Museum was a fitting venue on July 13, 2013 for a delightful afternoon of classical Indian Bharathanatyam dance by two young artists. More than 200 family members and friends attended the event from across the globe.

Born and raised in Lexington, Devadas sisters Sheela, 17, and Lalita, 15, are far from common youngsters. Sheela is a sophomore at M.I.T and is also a gifted origami artist. Lalita is a rising sophomore and champion debater at Lexington High School.  They have learnt Bharathanatyam from their highly accomplished Guru, Smt. Jayshree Bala Rajamani for over ten years.

The program started with a Pushpanjali invocation to the Lord Ganesha (Hindu elephant god who removes obstacles) and moved on to an Alarippu, where the sisters – with gentle graceful and rhythmic movements – opened up to execute a seamless sequence of exquisite postures in a preview of the items to come. This laid the foundation for a Jathiswaram – a pure dance piece of intrinsic footwork and hand gestures, which the sisters topped with near perfect coordination.

The next two items were the Shabdam and Varnam. Through these dances, the sisters brought out their technical skills and expressive powers.  The Varnam was a dedication to the supreme mother, ‘Maathe’, and both girls brought out the amazing qualities of the Goddess – love, affection, nurturing, power, and compassion.

The audience was then presented a visual treat through a presentation of the sacred text Lalitha Sahasranamam. It was choreographed brilliantly to bring out the power and beauty of Goddess Lalitha, followed by Shambho Natanam, which depicted Lord Shiva as a destroyer.

The taste in selecting the right dances continued with the item Indariki, reenacting holy Saint Annamacharya's composition on the ten incarnations through different dance sequence, each described a different incarnation or avatar of the Supreme Being Lord Vishnu.

In the penultimate Thillana, the dancers showed off a fast-paced style with sculpted postures and facial expressions paying homage to Lord Rama. They finished their performance with the Brahmam Okate, a traditional conclusion to the performance. It was beautifully devised in the form of Kollattam, or dancing with the divine sticks. This item emphasizes the oneness of humanity and its connection to one Supreme Being.

The final act consisted of an offer of thanks to the Almighty, their Guru, the Musicians, and audience.

It was a delight to watch two young women put on a spectacular show, but the musicians were just as inspirational. Renowned vocal, flute, percussion and violin artists, Shri. Prashanth Parisini, Shri. Surya Narayanan, Shri. Dhananjayan, and Shri Muruganandan visited from India to dazzle the audience with their musical support.

 Sheela says, “Our Arangetram was an amazing experience because of how everyone came together to create the performance - my sister and I, obviously, but also our teacher Jayshree Didi, the orchestra, our parents, everyone helping backstage, and all the family and friends who attended.”  Lalita agrees, and adds that “The Arangetram was an experience that I will never forget.  Standing on the stage after the last dance made every minute of practice worth it.”

About the authors:

Menaka Rammohan is a former bharathnatyam artiste and is currently a certified yoga instructor in Houston. 

Naresh Vissa is a media, publishing & marketing entrepreneur.

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