Young Anusha set to thrill with 8 Indian dances

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Thursday March 4, 2010 00:00

Shekhar Mittapalli, the father to the  young dancer, is over the moon as he awaits the day when his daughter will be showing off all those sophisticated Indian dance repertoires at Maitisong, Gaborone, this Saturday evening.

'As a father I feel very proud that my daughter has accomplished this training. She is very good in class as well as in Indian classical dance. Not many young girls manage to complete the classical dance training due to many reasons,' he said as he looks forward to enjoying the graduation whose highlight would be the presentation of the certificate by the guru.

The Indian high commissioner, who has accepted the invitation to grace the event, would also witness the rendition by Shekhar Mittapalli's daughter among others. The Indian classical dance is acclaimed for the powerful messages it is able to bring out through the dancer. Emotions such as anger, laughter, happiness, sorrow, as well as ways of life can be expressed through the dance repertoire. It is the gracefulness of the body language, which comes under scrutiny when those feelings are expressed by the dancer.

According to the evening's programme, the arangetram or graduation is a special performance of the disciple and is part of the traditional format of the path of the Indian classical dance tradition.  In the Tamil tradition, the graduation is a test for the student (the shishya), as well as the guru, as the guru's knowledge and the sishya's talent are judged by the elite audience.

Hence the arrangetram is done only when the guru is confident the student is capable and talented enough to perform as a solo dancer on stage. Bharathanatyam is one of the most popular ancient classical dance forms of India, originated in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is the manifestation of the Indian concept of the celebration of the eternal universe through the beauty of the body.

In the Hindu mythology the whole universe is the dance of the Supreme dancer, Nataraja (shiva). 

Bhrathanatyam, the Natya Shastra-based dance with aspects of Lasya, the graceful feminine lines and movements and Thandava - the masculine aspect. This dance form is a combination of Bhava (expressions), raga (musical mode and Thala (rhythm).

This art form occupies a very significant place on the classical dance map of India. The kuchipudi dancer is a multiple person on the stage and this multiplicity is achieved by the swift change of mine, which depends more on the combination of the naturalism of the dramatic content and the symbolism of the poetic intensity of feeling of an episode.

Aunique feature of Kuchipudi is the Tarangam, in which  the performer dances on the edges of a brass plate, executing complicated rhythmic patterns with dexterity, while sometimes also balancing a pot of water on  the head.