First Arangetram for Chinmaya School of Dance
The evening began with an invocatory prayer by the vocalists, Smt. Natana Valiveti and Smt. Subha Ramanan accompanied by artistes Shri Nanjudaiah on violin, Shri Sundar Padmanabhan on flute, Smt. Jaya Pandrangi on veena and Shubha Chandramouli on tabla. The program was officially started by Brahmachari Uddhava Chaitanya, the Resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission D/FW and the guest of honor for the evening, with the ritual lighting of the traditional lamp. Ramesh Hegde, M.C. for the evening, welcomed the guests.
Shruti began the dance recital with Alarippu,an invocatory piece, in raga Nattai, set to Thisram tala. This was followed by Jathiswaram in which Shruti danced to a composition of Padmashri Dandayudha Pani Pillai in raga Hamsanandi and Rupaka tala. Both Alarippu and Jathiswaram showcased the pure abstract dance (nritta) aspect with intricate rhythmic footwork and geometric patterns. After a brief musical break, it was time to introduce the abhinaya or the expression aspect of the classical dance. Shruti revealed her mastery over abhinaya by describing the attributes of goddess Parvati to Panchashat Peetha Roopini,a keerthanam composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar in raga Karnataka Devagandhari and Adi tala.
The next item,Varnam, was the pinnacle of the first half of the program. An important part of any Bharatanatyam recital, Varnam encompasses aspects of nritta, nritya, and abhinaya, in which a theme is elaborated to a climax synchronizing bhava, raga, and tala. The day’s varnam was a rendition of “Saamiyai arai todi vaa,sakhiye…” another composition of Padmashri Dandayudha Pani Pillai in raga Navaragamalika and Adi tala.
The program resumed after a brief 10 minute break with the felicitation of the artistes and the guru by Shruti, followed by a short but sweet speech by the guest of honor, Uddhavji. Swamiji likened the synchronization of footwork, hand gestures, and expressions in dance to the balancing act of life. Quoting from an interview of a famous Bharatanatyam artiste, he said, “Learning dance and being in tune and rhythm of dance teaches you how to live a balanced life.” What a beautiful message!
The first dance item of the second half was a Padam, Bhavayami Gopalam, an Annamacharya composition in raga Yaman Kalyani and tala Khanda Chapu. “Bhavayami Gopala balam mana sevitam tatpadam chintayaeyam sada…” (I meditate upon you, O Bala Gopala, and in my heart I worship your holy feet…). This padam describes Lord Krishna as a little boy, stealing butter. Shruti brought this mesmerizing childhood act of the Lord to life through her facial expressions and hand gestures.
The devotion of the Bhavayami set the mood for Rama Mantrava Japiso, a rendition of a bhajan on Lord Rama. A befitting tribute to the power of Rama mantra, this bhajan was composed by one of the pioneers in Carnatic music, Sri Purandara Dasa, in raga Jonpuri and Adi tala.
The culminating item of the evening was Thillana, a Lalgudi Jayaraman composition in raga Mohana Kalyani and Adi tala. Shruti displayed her exuberant joy and intricate footwork in this number. The dance recital, attended by over 350 invitees from across the United States and India, concluded with a vote of thanks by Ramesh Hegde and Mangalam, the concluding prostration by Shruti.