The scintillating seven

Wild weather did not stop the flurry of art lovers as they made their way to Bankstown Hall on the eve of October 8. It was an eventful evening for Kalashree Institute of Performing and Fine Arts and its seven young aspiring dancers. The hall was bustling with activity and community members were there in full numbers to support and bless the dancers. Arangetram is a very important event in the life of a dancer and her teacher. There may be no black robes or caps, but this graduation ceremony is a showcase of the dancer’s talent and prowess for dancing. The young artists danced their way into the hearts of the audience through the different items of the arangetram. The first item was the Allarippu followed by Jatiswaram, Varnam, Padam, Kirtnam, Thillana and finally Mangalam.

The evening began with a beautiful invocation. This was followed by the introduction of the Guru and the Guru Namaskara, where the guru blessed her shishyas, Gunpreet Kaur, Rutuja Manjrekar, Trupti Deverkonda, Ashwini Sane, Shruti Joshi, Anuradha Rane and Yashahsri Patil, and presented them with gungaroos From there, the evening belonged to these seven talented dancers. The Alarippu which symbolizes the ‘awakening’ of the dancer is an invocatory piece. The dancers performed Gangatharang, praising Lord Shiva who is accompanied by Parvati and Ganga. The cohesion with which the dancers moved was absolutely beautiful and set the hallmark for the entire evening. The next item was Jatiswaram, where the dancers weaved different patterns, a display of pure Nritta. It was purely based on music; there were was no poetry and no bhavas. The energy that the dancers poured into this number was indeed amazing. They moved with such precision that it left the audience gasping at times. In this item the girls took turns to reveal their expertise, the formations were great and the synchronization perfect.

The dancers then moved to Varnam, said to be the most complex, interesting and elaborate item of a Bharatnatyam recital. The performance was an intricate mosaic of bhava, raga and thala. In this recital the devotee was beseeching Lord Shiva for his grace and protection. The seven girls performed complicated sequences creating a mood beauty and grandeur with commendable harmony; there was not a step out of place and every hand gesture moved with clock-wise precision. This was the longest piece of the evening and lasted about an hour. After the speed of the Varnam, the dancers moved to Padam, a slow recital where the dancers got the opportunity to reveal their talent in abhinaya. The lyric chosen for this particular piece was “Thumaka Chalata Ramachndra...”, where mischievous, little Rama seeks his mother’s attention with his innocent pranks. The girls took turns to portray this and the performance of one dancer flowed into the next dancer’s with smooth deftness, with no breaks or hiccups. Kirtanam, a pure abhinaya item with bhakti rasa, had two parts to it. In the first part the girls told the story of Hanuman meeting Sita in Asokavan, retelling incidents from Lord Rama’s life to gain her trust and to get her to believe him. The second part depicted Krishna’s Raas Leela, his beauty, his frolics with the gopikas, his stealing of maakhan, etc.

The highlight of Thillana was the various poses that the dancers sculptured on stage. The eye movements, the neck movements, the shoulder movements, the innumerable poses were all eloquent and absolutely exquisite. The truly sensational dance recital finished with Mangalam, where the dancers saluted the Guru, the accompanying artists, the audience and God. The evening culminated on a pious note with the guru pooja. The dancers had achieved what they had set out to seek and had made their guru, Mrs. Dhanashree Karandikar proud. It was not the end for them, but just a beginning to the long, enjoyable artistic journey ahead.

Nima Menon

Gunpreet Kaur is a Science graduate from UTS and began dance as a hobby six years ago. This hobby developed into a passion which motivates her to continue refining her skills in the dance form.

“My inspiration stems from my interest in the ancient arts, culture and traditions of India,” said Gunpreet.

Ashwini Sane is studying Business and working simultaneously. Her love of dance and performing has been ingrained from a young age and she has performed at many cultural events. “I love the intimate gestures that can be used to express emotions in Bharatnatyam and some day I want to be able to teach dance myself,” says Ashwini of her aspirations.

Ratuja Manjrekar is currently studying Business and Commerce at UWS and was one of the first students at Kalashree. Her enjoyment of the finer points of Bharatnatyam comes from performing compositions. Trupti Deverkonda is in her Senior year at John Therry Catholic school. She began classical dancing at the tender age of 10 and it has become an integral part of how she expresses her essential personality.

Shruti Joshi is currently studying Sociology and fell in love with Bharatnatyam after exploring other dance styles. Anuradha Rane, student of St Patrick’s College, loves the many styles dance has to offer, and feels that dancing has taught her a lot, including helping her form lasting friendships. Yashashri Patil is in her senior year at Macquarie Fields High School and her interest in traditional Indian arts led to exploring Bharatnatyam. She aspires to expand her skills and knowledge alongside her studies.

If their arangetram was anything to go by, these talented young women will become formidable and passionate dancers whose thirst for knowledge and inspiration from ancient Indian culture will keep them motivated and keep us entertained.

Shafeen Mustaq