On Dancing for Joy!

by Sravanthi Vallampati

It's time to Dance, her Heart commands,
her Soul as though awakening to action
takes on the world with flying feet,
lifting it up with spirit free, Joy unconfined;
Looking to Heaven with ravished eyes,
one with the azure sky, she danced along....

Decked like a bride, garb and ornament,
belts of gold tightened at waist,
her aides instruments rare, song most mellifluous;
Dancing prayer, folklore and romance
with ease unmatched and grace sole,
Lost in her Soul's Joy, she danced along....

What thoughts come to mind as we hurriedly make our way into an auditorium to witness a performance of someone who believes that 'Dance is the hidden language of the soul' is anyone's guess. The stage, exquisitely decorated with an idol of the Lord of dance,' Nataraja' himself on one side and a live orchestra on the other, was still, but for the flickering of a lamp at the altar. The rustle of footsteps, the testing of the instruments and lighting and backstage preparation came to a halt as a prayer invoking the blessings of the Gods and the Guru ushered the commencement of the proceedings. It was an occasion to celebrate and bring into focus the unique talent, energy and multi-faceted personality of Mahima Venkatesh through her Bharatanatya Arangetram.

Bharatanatyam, an age-old and cherished dance form of India is taught and learned with great veneration and pride to this day. The ‘Narthaki’ (dancer) of this highly cultivated dance form brings to life the scintillating dynamic between 'Lasya', the graceful feminine lines and movements, and 'Tandava', the energetic masculine action, to ultimately conceptualize the essence in an engagement of cosmic proportions. The word 'Bharat' is made up of three Sanskrit terms: 'Bhaav' - emotion, 'Raag' - music, and 'Taal' - rhythm. 'Natyam' means drama. The two words together describe this divine dance form where drama is heightened by over-powering emotion expressed in words set to rhythm-aware music. Bharatanatyam, it is said, is the embodiment of music in visual form, a ceremony in itself, and an act of devotion and celebration. The dancer that dreams of pursuing this art is required to work towards perfecting the ten essentials namely Javaha (Agility), Sthirathvam (Steadiness), Rekha (graceful lines), Bhramari(balance in pirouettes), Drishti (glance), Shramaha (hard work), Medha (intelligence), Shraddha(devotion), Vacho (good speech), and Geetam (singing ability).

Cheered on by teachers, family and friends, Mahima, a sophomore at Strongsville High School took center stage to open the evening with 'Pushpaanjali', a floral offering to Lord Shiva (Nataraja) followed by a prayer to the remover of obstacles, Lord Ganesha. Her handling of the delicate balance between perfection and beauty right from the start set a tone of high expectation for the evening. Mahima’s elaborate gestures, rhythmic movements, emotional and sentimental states of mind complemented by impeccably appointed music, costumes and accessories, took the audience through a journey of the 'Navarasas'. From extolling the beauty of the presiding deity of the temple of Madhura Meenakshi to folklore popular for its pure and simple emotional content, through depictions of childhood exploits of Lord Krishna, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the enraged outpourings of a disgruntled lover, leading towards a technically superior performance laced with graceful agility.

A performance par excellence such as this one is the result of genuine interest, immense hard work, unflinching dedication, tremendous encouragement and keen instruction. Mahima is a disciple Smt. Sujatha Srinivasan of Shree Kala Mandir under whose tutelage, she has given many a solo performance and participated in dance dramas like ‘Shadripu’, ‘Minstrels of God’ and ‘Andal’. Throughout her presence on stage, her deep love of dance and the desire to share her joy of learning and perfecting the art was evident as her body swayed to charming melodies rendered perfectly by Smt. Pusthakam Ramaa suitably accompanied by Sri. K.S. Jayaram on Flute, Sri. Janardhana Rao on Mrudangam, Sri. Prasanna Kumar on Kanjira, Rhythm pad & Morsing and Smt. Sujatha Srinivasan on nattuvangam.

The Chief Guest for the evening Dr. Kamala Reddy of Pittsburg, PA, a senior most student of Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam praised the unbridled enthusiasm and energy of youth today who are unafraid to explore their inner selves and display the courage to make their dreams a reality. Smt. Nirmala Balasubramanian, the Guest of Honor and Mahima’s preschool teacher at Bama Montessori was overjoyed as she reminisced years gone by and said that it is no surprise students like Mahima with their positive attitude and leadership qualities, have come this far and was certain that many more years of success and achievement lay in the future. An all Honors student, active Girl scout, Science enthusiast, Flautist, young journalist and a budding leader, Mahima is sure to make a name for herself not only in the dance circuit but also in her other areas of interest.

For the rest of us out there, young dancers like Mahima are but an inspiration to take a deep breath, tie our hair back and dance for joy or just lose ourselves in a performance like the one I had the good fortune of witnessing and look forward to another savory experience! My sincere admiration goes out to Mahima’s parents Sowmya and Venkatesh and her little sister Mahati without whose commitment, dedication and encouragement celebrations like this one in the life of a young artist would be, but impossible.