Bharatanatyam is the most popular classical Indian dance-form prevalent in South India, originating from the
temples of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the most beautiful, subtle, sophisticated and graceful dance-forms in
the world, as well as one of the oldest classical dance traditions in India. It's splendor is demonstrated by
the dancer using ‘Nritta’, technique involving rhythmic movements and intricate footwork, ‘Abhinaya’, facial
expressions to interpret the delicate nuances of a lyrical piece of music or poetry and ‘Mudras’, expressive
hand gestures. It is a composite art blending drama, music, poetry, color, and rhythm, allowing the dancer
to convey inner sense of artistic and spiritual expressions, seeking union with God.
‘Arangetram’, meaning ‘ascending the stage’, is viewed as the
first public solo dance performance by the dancer. This is the
culmination of several years of sustained training and
preparation by the Guru and the disciple following the Guru
Sishya Parampara, a traditional method of passing the skill to
the next generation. ‘Arangetram’ is a significant milestone in
a dancer’s career.
Anjali Raga: Ranjani Tala: Chathusra Jathi Ata
'Anjali' is an offering to the Lord Almighty through the idiom of dance. This piece, composed
by Madurai. R. Muralidharan, is choreographed using varied footwork patterns strung together like
a garland of flowers, symbolizing the feeling of offering from within the dancer’s heart. The
offering of the flowers signifies the submission of the body, mind and soul in the divine presence
Alarippu Tala: Misra Tirupudai
'Alarippu' meaning 'blossoming of a flower' is an invocatory dance,
offering obeisance to the Gods and the audience. This piece provides an excellent warm up for the dancer with its simple and spontaneous
movements of the neck, shoulders and arms, gradually building up the tempo with various elegant positions.
Sabarigireeswara Raga: Malahari Tala: Adi
Lord Ayyappa, a Hindu celibate deity, residing in the Sabari hills of Kerala in Southern India,
is considered to be the epitome of dharma denoting truth and righteousness. According to Hindu
theology, he is the son of Harihara – Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini, and Lord Shiva. This
composition describes the utmost devotion and submission to Sabarigireeswara, the giver of luck
and good fortune. The dancer’s heart blossoms with the holy water from the Lord’s lotus feet.
In the divine presence, good thoughts of the devotees spread like the lit camphor in the sanctum.
The dancer’s emotional tears mix with the Pampa River that flows by Sabarimala, as she delightfully
worships the ‘Makara Vilakku’ – the Zodiac light that appears in the sky on the auspicious day of
Sankaranthi.
This song will be followed by ‘Padi Pattu’ a hymn chanted in celebration of each step to ease the
final climb of eighteen steps leading up to the temple shrine
Varnam Raga: Atana Tala: Adi
'Varnam' is the central and most elaborate piece of this Arangetram. The complexity of its choreography involves a judicious blend of Nritta (pure rhythmic dance) and Nritya (emotive, communicative dance),
highlighting the importance of both aspects. A challenging piece for the
composer, choreographer and the dancer alike, the lyrical content of
this varnam is punctuated with 'Jathis' rendered mnemonically by the
Guru in the first half, and is intertwined with 'swara' interludes in the
second , offering a visual delight in Bharatanatyam vocabulary.
This Varnam, written by Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sharma, is a collective expression of his devotion to Lord Krishna. The dancer vividly depicts her faith and attachment to
Gopala, who eludes her with his mischief, and keeps her waiting and pining for him. He is Nanda’s son who charmed the Gopikas and the cows alike
with his melodious flute. As a little baby, he killed the wicked Puthana, who tried to nurse him with her poisoned milk. As a toddler, he revealed the
entire universe in his mouth, when his mother Yashoda reprimanded him for eating mud. As a young boy, he vanquished the evil serpent Kalinga to save the village and lifted the Govardhana Mountain to give shelter from torrential rains. He slayed his uncle, the mighty Kamsa, shielded Draupadi
from shame, and served as the charioteer for the great warrior Arjuna. The dancer, as an ardent devotee of Madhava implores, “O Chinni Krishna, please come quickly to protect us all!”
Durge Durge Raga:Revathi Tala: Adi
The composer, Madurai. N. Krishnan portrays the magnificence of Goddess Durga, who is the supreme deity
of the Vedas in Shaktism. “Victory to thee, O Mother Goddess! Shower your benevolence upon your worshippers”.
Fiery and fearless, she rides on her lioness majestically, and manifests as the ferocious energy to destroy
all evil forces. With eighteen golden hands holding various weapons and vigilant with her one thousand eyes,
she protects her devotees day and night with her glorious aura. Enshrined as the fish-eyed Goddess Meenakshi
at the South Indian temple in Madurai, she is the reigning princess revered as a symbol of strength and prowess.
Kanakamayam Ayidum Raga:Huseni Tala: Rupaka
Swati Tirunal, the 19th-century king of Travancore, was a prolific Carnatic and Hindustani composer. His most
interesting work ‘Utsavaprabandha’ is made up of twelve compositions in Malayalam language, describing every day of
the Padmanabhaswamy Temple festival in Trivandrum. This charming composition is dedicated to the third day of the
festival, when Lord Padmanabha’s idol is taken out on a procession atop the kamala vahana (lotus vehicle). It describes
a conversation between two devotees who are watching the procession go by, but aren’t sure who the deity is. They wonder,
“Who could it be, approaching in such opulence? Is it Indra, the King of Gods or Chandra, the moon, or Lord Shiva, or
could it be Surya, the Sun God? Maybe Kubera, the God of wealth?” Discounting all their guesses, they conclude and agree
that the deity in procession is none other than Lord Vishnu himself
Lord Shiva Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, his feet embellished with reverberating bells-studded anklets, blissfully performs
the heavenly Thandava dance, holding the power drum Damaru in one hand and the holy fire on the other hand. His worshippers
endlessly chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ with their hands clasped in prayer and devotion. ‘Om’ embodies the divine in the form
of sound, ‘Namah’ the dancer’s salutations to Shiva, the auspicious and the gracious one, ‘Shivaya’, the five-syllable mantra -
na represents earth, ma- water, si - fire, va - air, and ya - ether. The Shiva Thandava Kavithuvam, written by Madurai R. Muralidharan,
is a judicious compilation of choice words illustrating Lord Shiva’s grandeur from head to toe – the celestial river Ganga decorating
his matted locks, adorned with the crescent moon, the colorful snakes decking his neck like a garland, and clad in tiger skin draped
around his waist. The dancer internalizes the meditative verses on the dancing God, visualizing the splendor of his performance alongside
his consort Parvathi.
As a continuation to the Kavithuvam, the dancer will pivot to perform for a folk lore passage known as ‘Pulluvan Pattu’, normally sung by
the ritualistic Pulluvar community as a snake-worship practice. This segment of music segues to the popular ‘Adu Pambe’ song composed by
Pambatti Siddar in Punnagavarali Ragam set to Adi Talam. ‘Vasuki’, the snake that coils around Lord Shiva was very powerful and an ardent
devotee of Shiva. The song writer praises the playful serpentine movements, in harmony with the Lord’s dance.
Thillana Raga: Dhanashri Tala: Adi
The Thillana, composed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal, is a joyous finale, incorporating intricate footwork patterns set to an array of
rhythmic variations, highlighted with multifaceted spatial design.
Mangalam Raga: Suruti Tala: Adi
'Mangalam' is the concluding prayer for the well being of one and all. Written by Saint Poet Purandaradasa, this special composition
refers to the auspiciousness of everyday, filled with extraordinary blessings. When we sing and praise the eminence of the Paramathma
Hari, the Supreme Being showers his benevolence upon us.
Special Thanks to Family & Friends of Dhanya & Haridas and Nardhana Academy of Dance
Smt. Ramaa Ramesh is a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and the Director of “Nardhana Academy of Dance”, a dance
school founded by her in 1992 in Malvern PA. Ramaa trained under Padmashri Smt. Chitra Visweswaran, a world
famous Bharatanatyam dancer/teacher, for over fifteen years in a dance style that blends the best of three
schools – Thanjavur, Vazhuvur, Pandanallur. She taught as a senior staff member in “Chidambaram Academy of
Arts”, her Guru’s dance school. She has performed professionally in India for prestigious organizations in
Chennai and other cities, including the National Center for Performing Arts in Bombay. Her performances and
lecture-demonstrations in the USA, France, the Middle East, and Japan, have won several awards and raving press
reviews to her credit. She has a Masters Degree in Dance from the Temple University, Philadelphia and continued
to pursue a doctoral degree in dance. She also teaches an introductory course to Bharatanatyam at the Bryn Mawr College, PA.
Ramaa has always dedicated her efforts towards technical perfection, flawless rendering and realistic expressions in her
performance and in teaching. She enjoys choreographing thematic productions and lyrical interpretations in different Indian
languages. To her, Bharatanatyam is a way of offering herself to the Lord Almighty
Janaki started her dance journey at the early age of 5 under
the tutelage of Guru Smt. Ramaa Ramesh. From the initial
days, she had a very strong liking for the dance form, which
was also noticed and nurtured by her Guru. Her interest in
this art form, it's grace and elegance has only increased as
time progressed. Janaki has had the privilege to learn under
the guidance of various other gurus to expand her dance
knowledge. In her dance journey, her classes with Guru Sri
Vijayan Tripunithura of Soorya Nritha Vidhyalaya, Kochi, India, allowed her to see Bharatnatyam in a different light.
Additionally, her Mohiniyattam classes with Manjari Anand of Paadapadmam, Ballet classes with Magge Hoelper of Rock
School West and Bollywood dance lessons with Rathi Ramesh and Dhruv Sandilya of Daksha have all played a pivotal role
in helping Janaki create a unique way of performance. All the different dance forms and the privilege to work with
different gurus concurrently has given her the opportunity to develop a style of her own and has fostered a greater
appreciation of different techniques and styles.
She has won awards in various dance competitions and has performed and choreographed
dances for a multitude of events. Her dance experiences have helped her be of great value as
an instructor at the Nardhana Academy of Dance and inspire younger kids. Janaki's early
passion for Bharatanatyam inspired her in her other musical pursuits. She also learned Carnatic
music under Guru Smt. Priya Balaji that helped her in understanding and choreographing various
Bharatanatyam compositions
Janaki is currently a senior at Great Valley High School, Malvern, PA. She has been a member of various
clubs at school like the NHS and Model UN and has worked as the Vice-President of the Youth group of the
Kerala Association of Delaware Valley. She will move on to the next phase of
her life this fall doing her Bachelor's in Business Administration at Drexel University. She plans
to continue her passion for dance all throughout her life, whether that be in her college life or beyond.
