A report-
Arangetram - Kumari Medha Swaminathan , 
Student of Smt . Lakshmi Swaminathan 
(Director of Natananjali School of Dance, Bethesda, Md) 
Bharatanatyam Arangetram
Saturday, July 18, 2015 
Cultural Arts Center , Montgomery College , Silver Spring, MD
-Vinatha Kumar

Medha, entered  the stage,  wearing a beautiful shade of Pink costume 
with an orange border, and made a great first impression by performing a 
crisp jati sequence,  as she danced her way to the Altar of Lord Nataraja 
and offered flowers to the Lord in a devotional mood . 



Medha then proceeded to seek the blessings of her Mother Guru Smt . Lakshmi 
and other members of the Orchestra.

*Sri Ganapati Ninne Kaii Tozhunnen*
Invocatory piece-
` Sri Ganapati Ninne Kaii Tozhunnen `
Ragamalika,  
Composed by Sri S.A Raman, 
Choreographed by Lakshmi , 
Medha performed an elaborate Teermanam with well executed hand gestures  
and intricate footwork .     Medha's brisk  Nritta sequence was so captivating 
that it set the tempo for the rest of the dance. Lakshmi's choreography of this 
item was marvelous specially the Jati patterns .   

Medha traversed the entire stage both  diagonally and linearly  while executing
the jatis with a great deal of   flair and finesse.     Medha also portrayed the 
different poses of the Elephant headed God with Zest  and Zeal so much 
so that  one felt as if Nartana Ganapathi himself  was dancing before one's  
eyes . At one point,  Medha's description of Lord Ganapahi as Amba suta 
( Parvati's son) with the soft  sounds of  Lingaraju's  drumbeats  in the 
backgound , was so moving,   that it touched the heartstrings

* Dattatreya Trimurthy Roopa*
Devotional item on Lord Dattatreya , 
Composed by Ganapathy Satchitananda Swamiji . 
Keertanam - ` Dattatreya Trimurthy Roopa` 
Ranjani Ragam, 
Specially  choreographed by Sri. N. Srikanth Natarajan , 
Medha created a very authentic imagery of the three headed God with 
Rosary Beads, Kamandalu, Trishoola, Damaru, Conch and Discus.  
Medha's abhinayam was full of Sattwika bhava and  the mood she created 
was Sublime.  

Medha's rendition of this devotional item was so realistic that a Tantrik 
advaitin like me resonated very well with the description of 
Adi Guru Dattatreya as being the Kalpavriksha (wish fulfilling tree ) 
and Kamadhenu ( wish fulfilling cow) .  Srikanth's choreography of 
Dattatreya's imagery was indeed masterly.

*Angayar Kanni Anandam Kondale*
While Smt. Vara Anantaraman, the charming  MC for the evening,  
introduced the Orchestral Team and the Guru to the Audience,  
Medha changed into another costume for the next item . Medha looked pure
 and pristine like the Maiden Goddess Angayarkanni , clad in a jasmine 
white costume with a multi colored Fan adorning her waist . 

Pada varnam- ` Angayar Kanni Anandam Kondale`, 
Composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman , 
Creatively choreographed by N. Srikanth Natarajan,  
Medha handled this  challenging item with expertise like  a seasoned dancer .   
Medha  demonstratedcompetence  in all three areas  Nritta , Natyam  
and Abhinayam .  

In the very first Jati sequence,   Medha  was  captivating with her clean, 
perfect diamond shaped  aramandis ,  graceful hand movements and 
strong footwork  and jatis with complete finishes .   
While Medha was brilliant in executing the complex jathis , Guru Lakshmi's 
powerpacked Solukattus added that extra dimension to Medha's technical 
virtuosity.   .   

Medha's sense of Rhythm is impeccable and so is her understanding  and 
grasping of all the finer nuances of Natya shastra .  In this Varnam dominated 
by  Navarasa , Medha  shone brilliantly in the ` Digvijayam` scene  as 
the Warrior Goddess when she stomped around the stage in powerful 
strides  in a Chariot  . Indeed , a Jhansi ki Rani moment -` Veera `  at its best . 

Medha was alluring  when she displayed the emotion of a lovelorn 
Nayika walking back and forth on stage with a coy and bashful look
Her graceful gait reminded one of Navarasa nata bhamini.  Sringara ...   
 My favorite rasa was of course the ` Roudra ` rasa where Medha  was
simply outstanding as ` Kali Mahakali .... ` - 

Her eye expressions with the Vengeful look were phenomenal and 
her postures as the Weapon Wielding Devi was ` Shakthi` personified .  
Credit goes to Srikanth for creating so many Goddesses in One Varnam
from The compassionate Meenakshi to Sri Chakra  Nilaya Vaasini Sri Lalita 
Tripura Sundari  not to speak of the Devi  Mahsasura Mardini  and Kali Kapalini of
` Devi Bhagvatam.` In the final scene , when Medha stood as Devi Meenakshi 
with her left hand resting on her side , her torso elevated and her waist wearing 
curved look and the right hand holding the Parrot and her Face full of Compassion 
It was indeed a Moment of Bliss . Special mention must be made of the talented
 Orchestral team who contributed  in a large measure to the incredible success of 
this Navarasa Pada Varnam.

* Shambhu Natanam

After a brief intermission, Medha appeared in an aestheticlly designed blue outfit with an ornate 
pearl necklace studded with red and green kemp stones.

`Shambhu Natanam`, 
Composed by Sage Patanjali 
Choreographed by Srikanth .   
Medha  once again proved her prowess in Nritta with her strong arms and 
elongated leg extensions . It was amazing to watch Medha perform intricate
Jati patternns with the scuptiuresque postures of Shiva.  In this item,  
Medha's  powerful leg kicks and yogic leg raises  were amazing . Medha 
weaved a mini Varnam out of this   and her endurance and stamina in 
executing the intense jathis and korvais was incredible .  

Srikanth excels in creating  authentic images of all Hindu Gods/godesses and that is one 
reason why his choreography is out of this world. 

In Ban Chale Ram Raghurai , 
Composed by Tulasidaas , 
Choreographed by Lakshmi , 
Medha was incredibly convincing in portraying the ` Viraha Bhava`  of a Nayika 
experiencing 
the pangs of seperation from her beloved - in this instance , the Nayikas were 
none other thanthe men and women of Ayodhya ( the Praja)  who were lamenting
the fourteen year exile of their Raja Ram . In this piece, Medha's every limb spoke,
her expressions  of sorrow  as the grief stricken Dasaratha or the weeping and 
wailing men and women of Ayodhya , were  poignant . 

At the concluding scene when Medha slumped on the floor with her right hand 
resting on her forehead in great remorse ,  My eyes became moist . 

Medha proved what a versatile dancer she is with her next item ` Vishamakara 
Kannan`  composed by Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer and choreographed by 
Srikanth. Medha's transformation from a Praja in distress to  a naughty and playful 
Krishna,  was  incredible .  Medha's  mischievous expressions as Krshna and the 
expressions of frustrations as Gopis were  natural - at times her bhavam produced
chuckles in the audience specially when she rolled her eyes or pouted her lips. 
This item was specially appealing because of both its dance in folk style and and
lilting music .

*Thillana in Mohankalyani
The  concluding item 
Thillana in Mohankalyani . 
Composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman  
Choreographed by Lakshmi . 
Medha once again shone brilliantly in her flawless execution of jathis, adavus
and korvais .   Medha's Nritta is impeccable and faultless and today she established
herself as a dynamic dancer  with a superb mastery over Nrittaa and  fantastic mukhabhinayam, 
full of fluidity. 

Medha is a complete performer . She finished her arangetram on a strong
note with a devotional rendition of Namdev's abhang on Vittala . As Medha
circled on the center of the stage chanting ` Vittala ` with her both hands up in 
the Air , she brought the house down with bhakthi pravaham.   
The capacity crowd in the hall stood up to give Medha a standing Ovation and 
clapped non-stop. 

Medha is born to dance but the credit for bringing Medha to this level of
perfection goes to her Mother and Guru Lakshmi .  Lakshmi's Tough Love 
has paid rich dividends and Medha is now a distinguished  Bharatanatyam  
dancer with a bright future .  Also, Lakshmi deserves a big hand for coming up
with an all new Repertoire although i would have loved to see Medha perforn ` 
Nindrandu`  , her masterpiece.


*Support*
The  Lifeline of today's Arangetram was the fine Orchestra which included Srivatsa, the Vocalist; 
Lingaraju, the Mridangam player; Sandhya Srinath, the Violinist ;  Raman Kalyan the flautist ; 
Lakshmi , the Nattuvanar .  

Srivatsa was mesmerizing with his magnetic voice and his delineation of 
all ragas exemplary especially the Swara prastaras.  
Lingaraju and Medha had formed their own holy alliance on stage Lingaraju 
playing the drums in total sync with Medha's dancing bells
- Sense of rhythm was  excellent. 

Sandhya Srinath's bowstrings on the Violin sing in a melodious language
 of their own and today once again , she touched the inner sanctum of our Soul,
specially in the two Lalgudi compostions, her guru.   

Raman Kalyan , as always , takes us to the Land of Brindavana  with his 
` Adharam Madhuram` Flute and he excelled in that dance item on ` Vishamakara 
kannan.`  He is a crowd pleaser with his antics too on stage . 
A huge thanks to the most charming MC of the evening , Smt. Vara Anantaraman,
whose brief introductions and succinct explanations were a welcome relief.   S
he pronounced all the raga names and composers names correctly - a bonus point .

Finally,  huge congratulations to Medha's parents Lakshmi and Gopal , who were so  hospitable 
A word of appreciation for N. Srikanth Natarajan who converted Bhakthi into a Tenth Rasa this 
evening with his creative choreography of Dattatreya, the Adi Guru , Mother Goddess 
Angayarkanni ,  Shambo, the King of Dance and  Kannan, the darling of the Gopis . 

Keywords
Do not copy, Copyrights Acknowledged, Vinatha Kumar, Bharatanatyam