Program

Invocatory Song – Sri Vigna Rajam Bhaje:

Today Svetlana will be opening the Arangetram with a delightful invocatory song in our beloved Ganesha or Ganapathi.

Ganesha is a favorite for many of us. It is no wonder that a form of Lord Ganesha dancing in full regalia has captivated the philosophers and sculptures of yore.

The song goes like this I bow to Lord Ganesha-verily,I seek refuge in That Lord Who is the Remover of all obstacles.

Ever I beseech Him Who bears the head of an Elephant; Who is the Son of Lord Shankara (The Destroyer of the demon Andhaka)and Devi Shankari/Parvati.

(I pray to Him)Who is worshipped by Indra-the foremost among the Suras/Devas; Who is the Abode of Virtues; Who Grants boons to His devotees (who approach Him through recitation & penance-culminating in samadhi);Who is meditated upon by Devas,Rishis & other devotees; Who is the Cause of Destruction of poisonous evil (personified as a mad elephant)*

(I pray to Him)Who is bedecked with ornaments of gold- That Ever Vigilant Lord, Who is the Adornment of Kailasa (the Resplendent White Mountain); Who is the antithesis of Lust (KAma),arrogance (Mada), irrationality (MooDHa) and Who dispels Fear/Bhaya( as He is the All-Powerful, Courageoous One);Who is praised by saints like Sanaka, S'uka, Narada, Patanjali, Paraashara and Matanga; Who is the Embodiment of the Ultimate Truth and Bestower of Moksha/Salvation-verily I bow to that Lotus-Eyed Lord!

Today Svetlana will be performing Sri Vigna Rajam Bhaje composed by Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi set in Gambheera naattai Ragam and Kanda Chaapu Thaalam.

 

​Jatiswaram:

Jatiswaram is a pure Nritta piece which brings out three aspects of dance – Music, Rhythm, and Movements. Raagam and thalam are the major aspects Jathiswaram follows Allaripu in the Bharatanatyam repertoire. Jathiswasram includes Jathi (sollukattu), Pallavi, Anupallavi and one or more Charanas. There are no any sahityam passages present, the whole composition is sung using swaras.

Jathiswaram could be defined as "musical composition without sahitya”, which melody progressively becomes more complex in sense of rhythm. It does not have any particular mood or sentiment. It produces aesthetic pleasure.

A Raga can be understood as special musical space where certain patterns of swaras or tunes live in. Raga has it own mood. It guides flow of melody as cannel guides the river. Talam and Kaalam (tempo) give feeling of time. They make melody move on, define how fast it should flow.

Jatiswaram is a dance item that helps in developing rhythmic stability. Highly enlightening and entertaining, Jathiswaram can also serve as a perfect choreographic tool.

Message of Jathiswaram is beauty. Thus, anga shuddha (proper postures and movements) in combination with flow of melody and rhythm should evoke sense of harmony and joy of dance in hearts of spectators.

Svetlana will now be performing Kalyani Jatiswaram set in Rupaka Thaalam.

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Shabdam:

Shabdam is a very joyful, poetic and the first dance exploring Abhinaya (facial expressions) with a devotional or amorous theme in the margam.

The song (saahityam) is usually separated into stanzas and between each stanza, you'll have a simple Korvai (nritta steps). Each stanza can contain a different story or all of them put together is one single story. But essentially the whole item is about one person, one theme.

This item is usually set to the Misra Chapu Thaalam and Ragamalika (different Ragams or Tunes for different stanzas). The movements here are leisurely. In the Shabdam, emotions are withheld at the beginning; thereafter, when the dancer has clarified herself, they are released in a measured and disciplined manner.

Today’s performance will be Venu Gaanane Shabdam. The lyrics goes in praise of God Krishna and goes like this - My friend! Is it fair for you to be deceitful at this time? At a time when my heart desires for Krishna?

Can one desire for anything other then lotus-like feet of my very own Lord who is beauty personified? Will even a lotus flower be equal to him/his feet in beauty/ softness?

Svetlana will now be performing Venu Gaanane Shabdam composed by Sri Vazhuvoor Ramayya Pillai set in Raagamalika and Mishra Chapu thaalam.

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Varnam:

Varnam is the central and most elaborate number in a Bharatnatyam Margam. It is a demanding number testing not only the stamina of a dancer but the training, the skill, the imaginative faculty of a dancer to improvise and to successfully alternate between pure dance and abhinaya. If all these come together this engrossing number is a visual delight.

The varnam is the continuum which gives ever-expanding room to the dancer to delight in her self- fulfillment, by providing the fullest scope to her own creativity as well as to the tradition of the art.

In the first half of the varnam, the dancer usually begins with a trikaala jati (a jati rendered in three speeds) followed by a line of sahityam (prose). The entire varnam is an intertwining of pure dance and abhinaya followed alternately. Each line of sahityam corresponds to one avartanam and is repeated four to six times. The sahityam is preceded by a jati. Varnam is a term borrowed from Carnatic music. In technical parlance, this dance composition commences with usually four and rarely

six feet of sahitya, each corresponding to one avartan of the talam.

In the second half of the varnam, the swara sequences intertwine in the song. They are danced like short jatis, followed by abhinaya on the sahityam corresponding to the notes of these swaras. When the abhinaya is performed in tattu mettu, the toe-heel foot pattern, ending with aradi, a phrase repeated three times, the entire combination gives varnam a complex character. The abhinaya weaves in sanchari bhava with the sthayi bhava, finally ending in a tattu mettu sequence and an araddi. Svetlana chose the exploits of Lord Krishna for this centerpiece of the program. ‘Kanna Karmegha Vanna’ describe the Avatar of Lord Vishnu in varying vicissitudes. The song flows

with describing Krishna leelas where he steals the butter from the pots, troubling Gopikas, showing the entire world in his mouth to Mom Yashodha, defeat the demon Kalinga who was troubling the people of Brindavan. Krishnar Varnam is set in Ragam Simmendra Mathimam, Thalam Adhi, Composer Smt Lalitha

 

Paarkadal Alai Mele

On the waves of the ocean of milk!

This beautiful composition by Udumalaipettai Narayana Kavi describes the exploits of God Vishnu.

This song describes the Dasavatharam or the ten avataras of Vishnu. Svetlana will perform for this song depicting the history and miracles performed in each avataram.

The beauty of this composition is that each stanza is set in different raagas thus forming a Ragamalika.

This is set in Aadhi thaalam.

 

Krishna Nee Begane Baaro:

The next performance will be the popular Krishna Nee Begane Baaro.

Sage Vyasaraya, who is great saint belonging to the Dvaitha school of philosophy and lived between 1460 and 1539 composed this.

The song goes like this.

Krishna, you please come quickly

Come quickly and show your face

With anklets in the leg and blue gem studded bangles in the hand,
Oh blue coloured one , come dancing to me.
In the hips you wear belt with bells, rings on your fingers,
And the garland of Vaijayanthi on your neck, please come.
Adorned with yellow silk of Benares with flute in your hand,
And with sandal paste applied all over body.
You who showed the universe in your mouth to your mother,
Oh God who carried the earth, Oh Our God Udupi Sri Krishna

Krishna Nee Begane Baaro set in Yamuna Kalyanai Raagam and Misra Chaapu Thaalam.

 

Nachiyaar Thirumozhi – Vaaranam Aayiram

Andal the poetess and saint of 9th century AD is the only woman to be recognized as aazhwaar --mystic vaishnavite saints of Tamil nadu.

Nachchiar Thirumozhi is a compilation of 143 verses of Sri Andal that detail her attempts to join Govindan.

 Varanam Aiyiram , consisting of 10 verses is a renowned Thiru mozhi written at the age of 15!It relates the sequences of her dream of getting married to Narayana or Vishnu, to her friend.

The beauty of these verses lies in the fact that any young woman, on the threshold of marriage of this present times, can identify herself with Andaal transcending time , class and other barriers. Though it goes without saying that Andal's dream was on a higher plane!

Apart from the astonishing literary merit of these verses , that are dripping with Bhakthi, what is amazing is that the rituals of marriage mentioned 1200 years earlier are still followed with the same enthusiasm even today!

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Thillana:

Thillana is a brisk and a lively number performed towards the end of a concert. Usually a carnatic vocal or a Bharatanatyam concert culminates with a Thillana. Thillana consists of a Pallavi, Anupallavi, Sahityam and Cittaswaram. The composers enjoy the freedom to add the Sahityam based on the presiding deity of the composer or their Ishta devataa (beloved god). Thillanas were composed in the late 17th and 18th century by Tanjore quartets, Ootthukkadu Venkata Kavi and Maharaja Swathi Thirunaal and many such vidhwans.

Is starts from eye movements, followed by several Mai Adavus (featuring elaborate body movements) set to Pallavi. After Mai adavu several korvais (sets of adavus) are performed set to Pallavi and Anupallavi.

Usi adavu is another feature of Thillana, when dancer covers the stage by quick and fast sequence of movements. Thillana is Nritta item, but there is always one-two line slokam in the end when dancer performs abhinaya.

Svetlana will now be performing Dhanashri Thillana composed by Swathi Thirunaal Maharaja set in Raagam Dhanashri and Aadhi thaalam. This will be followed by Mangalam.

Mangalam means auspiciousness. The dancer ends the recital with this piece where the dancer will perform Namaskaram to Guru, God, and Audience to conclude the Arangetram.