Bharatanatyam Arangetram

Bharatanatyam

Bharatnatyam literally means the “Dance of India”. The broadly accepted theory on the evolution of Bharatanatyam is that the dance form got its name from  Sage Bharata Muni  who wrote the  Natya Shastra formulating the principles of dance, which is considered the” Bible of Indian classical dance”. Another interpretation is that the word, “Bharata”, represents the three essential aspects of the art, “Bha” for Bhava (emotions),”Ra” for Raga (melody/music), and “Ta” for Taala (rhythm). Bharatanatyam has three distinct elements to it: Nritta (rhythmic dance movements), Natya (mime, or dance with a dramatic aspect), and Nritya (combination of Nritta and Natya). It is the dance of the mind and soul and is known for its grace, purity tenderness and sculpturesque poses.. It lifts the dancer and audience to a higher level of spiritual consciousness

Arangetram

Arangetram (ascending the stage), marks the first qualified dance of an aspiring artist. It is the culmination of her comprehensive education in dance and the beginning of a dance career. The artist performs various dance excerpts and exhibits the knowledge she has acquired over several years of dedicated and strenuous training. In this debut, the artist seeks the blessings of Lord Nataraja, the Guru and the audience. 

Guru and Nattuvangam

Coming from Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India, Guru Smt. Vani  Nidadavolu learned Kuchipudi as well as Bharatanatyam at a young age. She hails from a family of musicians and connoisseurs of fine arts. She is a renowned artist in Tri-State area and has done many solo as well as group performances in India as well as in the US. She has been training and sculpting local Indian girls as classical dancers since 1993. She runs her dance school under the name of Vani Natyalayam in Trumbull as well as in Monroe and at the Stratford Hindu temple, CT. Her students have performed in numerous occasions and have volunteered in many fund raising events. She is a master choreographer and choreographs all her dance pieces in Kalakshetra style, adding her personal touch of grace and intricacy to the dances without compromising the traditional style. She not only teaches classical, but also folk and fusion. In addition to dance, Vani holds Master’s Degree in Commerce and Diploma in Interior decorating. She credits her success in dance to her mother and father.

http://www.vaninatyalayam.com/

Sishya

Mahika has had a passion for Dance from the very beginning and has been learning Bharatanatyam for 9 plus years now. She started dancing at age five, and learnt all the basic adavus and mudras from Guru Kavita Kuppuswamy whom she fondly referred to as “Kavita Teacher”. When Kavita moved away to Texas, Mahika continued her training under Guru Dr. Francis Barboza for a year .Mahika truly blossomed under Guru Vani Nidadavolu’s guidance who effortlessly stepped in from where Kavita and Dr Barboza left off and brought her to this culmination,her dance graduation/debut. Vani has been Mahika’s teacher and guide for the past 5 years. Besides Bharatanatyam, Mahika has excelled at Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Bollywood and Gymnastics. Mahika is a sincere, hardworking and dedicated student. This coming fall she will be a sophomore at Norwalk High School. As a freshman she took all Honors classes and played the flute in the Norwalk High School Marching Band, ran indoor and outdoor Track and was elected Vice President of her Class.

                                                             

Dances

1. Pushpanjali
Raga: Saraswathi                                               Talam: Aadi

Pushpanjali means offering of flowers. The dancer usually enters the stage holding flowers in her hands, which are offered to the deity. Here the dancer pays respect to God, Guru, and the audience. Pushpanjali is performed with very simple jathis(sequences of footwork).

2.Ganesh Kauthuvam.

Ragam:Nattai           Taalam: Aadi
Composer: Gangaimuthu Nattuvanar
Choreography: Dr. Francis Barboza
This dance is a prayer to Lord Ganesha, son of Parvati and Shiva and the remover of obstacles. Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. This is a fast-paced invocatory dance where the dancer offers her prayers to the Lord Ganesha and seeks his blessings to make the event a success. In a Kauthuvam, chollukattus (rhythmic syllables) are intertwined with the lyrics of the song. Thus it has both nritta (footwork) and abhinaya (expressions) components in its choreography


3.Jathiswaram

Ragam: Suddhadhanyasi        Talam: Tisra Dhruvam

The Jathiswaram is a pure dance composition where the dancer executes several intricate sequences to a basic musical composition. It has no line of poetry. The dance is so choreographed as to display the dancer’s brisk footwork, rhythmic coordination and grace.

4.Shabdam 

Ragam:Todi                                           Talam: Aadi

A Shabdam is an “abhinaya nritya” or interpretation of a song through gestures and expressions. This piece “Swagatam Krishna” describes the mischief of young Lord Krishna who is the beautiful and lovable charmer of the gopikas (village belles ) of Gokul. At the same time he is the savior of the pious people ,the rishis and saints and destroyer of evil forces like Kaalinga the snake or Kamsa’s elephant.






5.Shiva Stuthi                                        

Ragam: Revati                               Talam: Misrachapu

Lord Nataraja is considered to be the God of dance in Hindu mythology. In this dance piece, Shiva is described as the divine cosmic dancer, the ocean of compassion with whose blessings one can cross the “Bhava sagar”.He resides in the hearts of his devotees as Nataraja in a place called Chidambaram.Here the dancer describes how Lord Shiva holds the cosmic fire and the drums in his hands.He is the omnipresent cosmic dancer.He is Isha,Sabesha (Nataraja) and Sarvesha(the lord of all).

6.Varnam

Raga: Abhog                   Talam: Aadi

The Varnam is the main item in Bharatantyam recital, in which all aspects of dance are found. It is the touchstone of an artist’s caliber for demonstrating her mastery over  intricate footwork and interpretative dance. It is the longest and most challenging piece. Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (interpretative movements) alternate through the piece in such a way that the continuous development of a theme is insured.

7.Narayana Theertha Tharangam             

Ragam: Hindolam                            Talam: Aadi

This piece a Tharangam composed by Sri Narayana Theertha, captures essentially the devotion that the dancer has for Lord Krishna.  In this dance piece, Lord Krishna is described as being decorated with  jewelry and holding a precious stone called Kausthubham in his heart and saving the universe by destroying the demons. Interestingly this dance piece ends with the artist dancing on a brass plate and executing rhythmical footwork .

8.Laali Padare

Ragam: Madhyamavathi                                     Talam: Aadi

This item is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara of Dwaraka Tirumala. At bedtime the dames move the cradle wing of Lord Venkateswara accompanied by Alamelumanga and Padmavathi.

9.Tillana

Raga: Abheri                                                  Tala: Aadi

The Tillana is designed to introduce variety and rhythmic excitement into the latter portion of the program. It consists of rhythmic syllables and a few lines of sahitya (text) coming towards the end. The Tillana provides a fitting conclusion to a dance recital creating a joyful and exhilarating mood. This is an item with lively beats and alluring poses.

                      Arangetram concludes with the Mangalam 
                                                  (Mangalam is a salutation to God, the Guru, and the audience)