Sana,
You took us on a Vande Bharath train from Madurai to Punjab, and we ended our pilgrimage at Vaishnavo Devi’s abode. Your arangetram was a sangamam (union) of the South and the North. What a beautiful way to celebrate our cultures in Bharathanatyam style. Namaskaram to Guru Ramaa for her akshaya-patra of imagination. We could see a lot of hard work was put into teaching you the songs, their meaning, and choreographing pieces that celebrated two extremely different cultures. The musicians who supported her in this journey worked very well together to bring us a divine experience. Even though Ramaa aunty says it’s experimental, it always delivered as "experienced" and "exceptional."
Coming from a Punjabi family, I still can’t imagine how you were able to render a pure Tamil Varnam that portrayed the beautiful Meenakshi’s story. Your varnam is one of my favorite pieces from today and a favorite for many of the attendees. We were able to see your full potential in this varnam.
Sashtaanga Namaskaram to Jainshankar sir, lot of respect and love to Guru Ramaa, and a big hug to you for giving us “Nrityathi Nrityathi”. I can't pick between this as the highlight of your arangetram or the Mohe Rang Do la, or the mangalam.
I can bet that no other dance teacher can choreograph a song like Mohe Rang do Lal like this! It’s difficult to even explain to anyone how a Kathak song can be choreographed in Bharathanatyam style. Rathi took this song to a different level, and Ramaa aunty with Kathak style jathis, and your dance made us all forget that we were in a Bharathanatyam arangetram. You took us to a Kathak dance recital for a few minutes. Your hair braid swirling at the end jathi, oh my!!!! What a timing! Lovely... Kudos to Rathi for sincerely practicing the pronunciation and delivering it with ease.
Ramana sir and Ramesh sir’s support today, along with Jai Shankar sir's beat, Bama akka’s voice, made your arangetram a truly wholesome experience. To sum it all up, it was a "unity in diversity" style of arangetram. Just like eating dokla with mango thokku! Two totally different cuisines, but an enjoyable combination.
Lots of love to all the emcees, and the lovely lighting girls for their bubbling energy to make your arangetram a beautiful one. Your makeup and costume were as fitting as a T. Shout out to Giftson for the superb audio. He doesn't speak much, but his audio speaks for him!
With Goddess Vaishnavi’s blessings, along with your Guru’s support, you will succeed in life. Please continue to learn and cherish this art form, and like your uncle and grandma mentioned, even though Bharathanatyam is not in your culture, you took a special interest in learning it, so please continue and take it to the next generation.
Love,
Sangeetha Aunty
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