Bharatakalai School of Dance Arangetrams 2019

The Arangetram is seen as a rite of passage in every young dancers’ life.  It is the moment they ascend the stage after countless years of training and hundreds of hours of preparation. With guidance from their Guru, the dancer or dancers perform/s in front of an audience of friends and family with live music for the first time. This year, five of Guru Jayshree Bala Rajamani’s students ascended the stage, accompanied by an amazing live orchestra from India.

Sandhya Vellayappan: June 29, 2019

After 12 years of learning Bharathanatyam from Guru Jayshree Bala Rajamani, with her passion leading to her being the Guru’s teaching assistant for the past 3 years, the day of her arangetram finally arrived! The audience of family and friends filled the hall at Littleton High School, where beautiful decorations had been set up outside to welcome them.

Sandhya began her performance with two short Kautvams, the first in praise of the elephant-headed god and remover of all obstacles, Ganesha. This was followed by the Subhramanya Kautvam saluting the brother of Lord Ganesha, the peacock-riding Lord Muruga. This series of pieces was brought to an end by a traditional Allaripu. These introductory pieces were performed with great agility and grace, providing a strong beginning for a beautiful arangetram. 

It was here that Sandhya began to truly display her skills as a dancer as she moved into more complex pieces. After a flawless performance of a Jatiswaram, a pure dance piece comprised of rhythmic footwork set to beautiful melodies, Sandhya began to display her expressive expertise in her Shabdam, in which she played the role of a heroine who falls deeply in love with Lord Shiva upon seeing him perform his cosmic dance. 

The first half of Sandhya’s arangetram came to a close with the performance of the Varnam, the longest piece in a dancer’s repertoire. In this Varnam, Sandhya deftly switched between characters as she told the story of the shapeshifting Lord Muruga’s efforts to win over a young maiden’s heart.

The second half of Sandhya’s arangetram began with a selection of stanzas from the famous Mahishasura Mardini Stotram, in which Sandhya masterfully evoked both the power and compassion of the Goddess. This was followed by two expressive pieces, or Padams, one in praise of Lord Shiva, the lord of dance, and the other describing the struggle of a Nayika (heroine), who, despite her love for Lord Krishna, cannot recall His face.

Sandhya ended her arangetram with a Thillana, a piece that celebrates the unity of Shiva-Shakti through intricate footwork and sculpturesque poses, which Sandhya performed deftly and with great elegance. This was immediately followed by a Mangalam, in which Sandhya thanked Lord Shiva, her Guru, the musicians, and her audience for their support. Everyone was truly impressed and the standing ovation was definitely well deserved. (By Asha and Alok Shetty)

Vrinda Chandar: July 6,2019

Vrinda had a spectacular Bharathanatyam arangetram performance. Her twelve years of experience clearly showed in over two hours of dancing for a crowd of friends and family at the Lexington Christian Academy. In the beginning of the program, she displayed her abilities in pure dance, as she warmed up with her Alarippu and Jathiswaram. The Alarippu showcased complex maneuvers, including having to keep her arms up and straight consistently, do different lithe athletic movements alternating between sitting down in ‘murumandi’ and rising up in ‘aramandi’, and having to do the complex steps in multiple speeds. The Jathiswaram, which is a nearly ten-minute pure dance piece, was a test of her stamina, which she conquered with ease as she presented a diverse array of adavus. She displayed this same stamina at the very end of the program with her Thillana, a celebratory pure dance piece. Even though at that point she had danced for two hours, she showed no signs of slowing down and instead performed her pure dance sequences with advanced footwork and held poses for extended periods of time.

Her mastery of pure dance matches her abilities in ‘abhinaya’ or expressions. In her Shabdam, a song in praise of Lord Krishna, she pretended to be the mischievous young Lord Krishna, stealing clothes and butter he was not supposed to. In another dance, Murali Shyam, she portrayed a character who was totally different: a Nayika or female protagonist, who is irritated by Krishna's constant flute playing. Both characters were polar opposites, but she had the audience convinced she was both characters with her effortless versatility. The highlight of the program was the Varnam in ragam Khamas that sung praise to the beautiful Goddess. A selection that was over thirty minutes long, Vrinda had to perform both pure dance and abhinaya sequences. Her jathis had challenging choreography, such as having to spin while seated, that Vrinda carried out with poise. The audience was so impressed by her skill, they burst into applause after she performed each jathi. Her success in abhinaya in the Varnam mirrored her pure dance, as she went from portraying being in love to killing in battle within minutes of each other, once again causing the audience to burst into applause in the middle of the Varnam.

Vrinda ended the program with a Mangalam on Ganesha that saluted her Marathi roots, and the audience gave her a standing ovation. The program was wrapped up with heartfelt speeches from family and friends. (By Anjali Ramakrishnan)

Anjali Ramakrishnan: July 13, 2019

Hundreds of people filed into the auditorium of the Lexington Scottish Rite Museum; the delicate flowers were sprinkled across the front of the stage; the shiny lamps twinkled; the three-tiered altar held the God of dance, Nataraja, beautifully dressed and decorated for the occasion. They were all waiting in anticipation for one person - the star of the show - Anjali Ramakrishnan, who was going to ascend the stage to perform her arangetram.

Ever since Anjali was five, she studied Bharathanatyam under Guru Jayshree Bala Rajamani, building the necessary foundation to prepare her for such a strenuous performance. Anjali beautifully expressed her 10 demanding pieces with poise, elegance and power accompanied by the live musicians.

One of the most impressive parts was how Anjali was able to coordinate the musical accompaniment to her dance steps and still make it look like she was dancing effortlessly. She was able to connect her audience to the cultural stories of India. Anjali started off her performance with Ganesha Kautvam, an invocation to the god Ganesha. She beautifully depicted his characteristics: his elephant head, his rodent vehicle, and how he is the remover of all obstacles. In the next two dance pieces, the Alarippu and the Jathishwaram, Anjali impressed the audience with her skills in the pure dance form. The next offering was called the Shabdam which is in praise of a god or a king. This piece involved the use of abhinaya or the facial expressions. She chose to praise Lord Krishna and delighted the audience by explaining the intricate stories of Krishna’s life. Next, she beautifully exhibited her technical skills through the Varnam, the pinnacle of the performance, in dedication to Hanuman, the brave helper of Shri Rama. This Varnam was especially composed for her by her Uncle Shri Raj Kumar Bharathi.

After a brief intermission, Anjali started up the performance again with a sweet loving piece called Madhura Meenakshi which praises the goddess Meenakshi. There was no doubt that the audience was able to feel and connect the strong devotion that Anjali was feeling through the piece.

The next piece called Bho Shambho picks up the pace in a rigorous fashion. In this piece, she represented the powerful Lord Shiva who dances the cosmic dance of the universe. The final two dances, the Thillana and Mangalam were joined together and ended the overall performance on a high note. With such an intricate pure dance piece, Anjali simultaneously showed the dichotomy and the harmony between Shiva and Shakti. It was no surprise that the Anjali finished with a huge standing ovation from the crowd and her overall performance was such a grand success. (By Vrinda Chandar)

Asha and Alok Shetty: July 14, 2019

After learning dance for 11 years Asha and Alok, the brother-sister duo, took the stage to present their Arangetram. However, getting to this day was no easy task.

Asha and Alok began learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru Sridevi Ajai Thirumalai in 2008. In 2016, after moving, they began learning under Guru Jayshree Bala Rajamani. After many years of learning the foundation of this beautiful and strenuous dance form, Asha and Alok began preparing for their Arangetram under her tutelage. The months leading up to the day were hectic for the family, with costume fittings, countless hours of practice and finalizing all the event details.

When the day arrived however, all their hard work paid off. Asha and Alok presented their 10-piece repertoire with power, grace and passion, and brought the dance form to life for their audience.

Kicking off the event with Thodaya Mangalam followed by Alarippu, the two captivated the audience immediately with their synchronization and technique. Throughout the first half, with their Swarajathi and the beautiful verses from the Lalitha Sahasranamam praising the eternal Goddess, Asha and Alok showed the audience the power and rhythm of the Bharatanatyam dance form.

Then they presented the central piece of every Arangatram, the Varnam. Together they presented a piece dedicated to Lord Rama depicting various stories of the Ramayana. The two seamlessly switched characters and portrayed each scene with exquisite expressions and steps to pull the audience into the story. Mesmerizing the audience with their passion, they made the crowd feel as though they were truly witnessing the entire Ramayana unfolding on stage.

After the intermission, the second half was completed with Shambho Natanam, in praise of Shiva, the Lord of dance, and Padams about Krishna- Jagadodharana (Asha) and Krishna nee begane baaro (Alok) - beautifully soloed by each dancer. Through these solos the audience was able to see each dancer’s expressive dancing and share in the stories. The pair shone as not only complementary dancers, but individual ones as well.

To finish off their grand debut, the brother and sister presented a Thillana in the ragam Varamu. This piece was beautifully choreographed to emphasize the dancers’ strengths as a duo, and continue to highlight their amazing ability to be in sync with each other. They truly completed each other in this quick paced dance by becoming one as Shiva-Shakti. The pair went straight into their Mangalam after the Thillana, giving their thanks to God, the Guru, the musicians and the audience for helping them get to that point.

Everyone in the audience stood to give the young dancers a standing ovation and whoops of praise for completing this milestone event. All in attendance are sure to agree it was a truly captivating Sunday afternoon that will not soon be forgotten. (By Sandhya Vellayappan)

Group Reflections: The 5 Arangetrams of 2019 from the Bharathakalai School of Dance were special in a different and personal way for each student. Our Guru, Jayshree Bala Rajamani, not only prepared her students for the Arangetram, but made sure we all took joy in our dance. We felt blessed to go through such an awesome experience and humbled by the presence of the musicians, teachers, friends and family who came to see us.  What’s more, all of Jayshree’s Arangetram students not only prepared for their own day, but supported each other through the whole process. From passing out brochures, giving pep talks, helping with the orchestra, and lighting, the Arangetram kids and others from the dance school were there to help each weekend. The four families became friends and supported each other as well. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had our Arangetrams in 2019 because of the bonds we formed with the fellow Arangetram students and the four dance families who went out of their way to make each Arangetram truly memorable.

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