Namaskarams to all the rasikas of Classical Dance and Music. It gives me immense pleasure to write this short review on the Rangapravesham of Hemali Boorada that I had the opportunity to witness on 23rd July, 2017. It was a unique experience combining traditional pieces and valued community members sharing their stories of the artist as well. My heartfelt wishes to the Boorada Family and Saraswathi Society of Music and Dance for inviting me to attend the Rangapravesham of their daughter and disciple, Hemali Boorada.

  Performing the traditional Kuchipudi Ranga Pooja definitely provided background to the audience to the reverence of the age old traditions and practices of the artform such as Kuchipudi. Hemali has certainly come a long way with the guidance and mentorship of Guru Vedantam Venkat. With the support of a committed mother and Guru, Gomathi Boorada, Hemali has had the right opportunities to train and groom herself in this sacred art form. Moments in Sri Ganapathini and Krishna Sabdham certainly reminded us all of the authentic footwork choreographed by Guru Vedantam Venkat. Hemali executed the various forms of Abhinaya in the following pieces with utmost clarity, Aharya Abinaya : Ranga Pooja; Angika Abinaya : gait of sri ganapathini; Vachika Abinaya : Usha (pravesha Daru); Sathvika Abinaya : Shambo Mahadeva (Sanchari).

  I would be failing in my duty if I did not applaud the amazing line up of musicians that accompanied Hemali. Guru Vedantam Venkat's nattuvangam and Konnakol definitely gave Hemali her energy. He was dancing himself while seeing the student unfold every dance number on stage. With the mellifluous singing by Pavani Mutnuri and the reverberating beats from the mridangam wielded by Haranath Pasumarthy added grandeur to the feature presentation that evening. The Tarangam at the end brought it all together; the audience were brought to the edge of their seats while the whole team resounded the iconic dancing on the plate traditional to the kuchipudi margam. The exchanges of sollu (patterns) in various gaits and intricate combination accompanied by the violinist reminded us all the mastery of skill of the musicians. This was indeed a sight to watch when Kaushik Sivaramakrishnan (Violin) and Guru Vedantam Venkat on the nattuvangam, created such harmony with dance recitations and melody.

  From start to finish, Hemali focussed and exhibited how far along she has come in her training. It was indeed a true testimony to what training can provide to the next generation of dancers. Rangapraveshams are certainly a great step in the life of a dancer. For Gomathi Boorada, it was an iconic moment as her daughter/disciple takes on her reign in the traditional kuchipudi. This bond of love and appreciation for the classical arts being passed down is a moment to cherish for a lifetime for Hemali and the Boorada Family.

  Rangapravesham of this sort is a great step in the horizon of the next generation of artists of Kuchipudi under the training of Guru Vedantam Venkat for the all upcoming dancers in Edmonton under Saraswathi Society. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful evening of music and dance. Look forward to seeing Hemali presenting more authentic pieces of Kuchipudi and evolve as a professional danseuse.

 

By Naren Ganesan
Artistic director
Sanskriti temple of fine Arts, Edmonton

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Contributor is Neha Nataraj, a PhD student who is herself a Bharatanatyam dancer.
Key words: Naren Ganesan, Hemali Boorada, Rangapravesam, Saraswathi Society of Music and Dance, Vedantam Venkat,
August 2017, 0817-1/R1 **A Worldwide Indian Classical Dance Report
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