Invocation
Kavuthwams
Ragam: Ragamalika — Talam: Eka — Length: 8 minutes
The Kavuthwams are ancient temple dances that were originally performed at flag-hoisting ceremonies as part of spiritual rituals. The three Kavuthwams performed today are to invoke Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles, Lord Karthikeya, the commander in chief of the Gods, and Lord Nataraja, the Lord of Dance.
These compositions were researched and revived by Srimati Sudha Chandra Sekhar and her late Guru Bharata Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai. They are an integral part of the Hindu Temple Rhythms repertoire.
Alarippu
Ragam: Nattai — Talam: Misram — Length: 5 minutes
Alarippu, which means blossoming, is a traditional invocation dance. In this dance, the limbs of the body unfold like a flower. The dancer offers prayers to God (with the hand above the head), to the guru (teacher) (with the hand in front of the face), and welcomes the audience (with the hands in front of the chest). This item is a composition of the renowned Tanjore Quartet.
Jathiswaram
Ragam: Bhairavi — Talam: Thisra Ekam — Length: 10 minutes
The Jathiswaram is an item of pure, rhythmic dance, known as nrittam. The dancer performs jathis which are complex combinations of basic movements, to fit the rhythm and melody of the song.
Sabdam - Sri Ramachandra Kripalu
Ragam: Yamuna Kalyani — Talam: Misram — Length: 27 minutes
Sabdam is an interpretative dance in which the dancer relates a story or a specific theme through facial expressions (abhinaya) and hand gestures (mudras). This sabdam, set to the popular Tulsidas bhajan, conveys and praises the divine beauty of Lord Sri Rama by describing the many adventures of his early life.
Varnam - Sakhiye Inda Velayil
Ragam: Ananda Bhairavi — Talam: Adi — Length: 25 minutes
The Varnam is the most demanding and complex item in the repertoire. This Varnam, in Tamil, depicts the lovelorn nayika (heroine), asking her sakhi (friend) not to tease her during her time of suffering. The nayika requests that sakhi bring her beloved Lord Krishna to her.
Intermission (10 minutes)
Musical Interlude
Remarks by Nidhi Kumar and Jay Patel
Padam - Main Nahin Maakhan Khaayo
Ragam: Maand — Talam: Adi — Length: 15 minutes
A Padam is a slow-tempo allegorical song. This Padam is a bhajan (loving song of devotion) composed by the poet-saint Surdas, in which the young Lord Krishna is accused of stealing butter, his favorite food. He pleads his innocence to his mother, Yashoda. Lord Krishna tells his mother he spent all morning tending the cows and then the afternoon playing his flute, after which he came straight home. He also claims that he is a small boy and unable to reach the butter pots hanging from above. He tells Yashoda that cowherd boys gathered together and rubbed butter on his face to get him in trouble. Lord Krishna indignantly throws down his flute, fine garments and ornaments. Mother Yashoda’s anger melts away at seeing his beautiful face in tears. She gathers him into her arms and offers him the butter he loves so much.
Introduction of Orchestra
Vote of Thanks by Namita & Vinay Seth Mohta
Natanam Aadinaar
Ragam: Vasanta — Talam: Ata — Length: 10 minutes
This Padam extols Lord Shiva’s dance of pure joy. The dance describes how this cosmic dance caused the planets to tremble and the Earth to quake as the great God unleashed movements that blessed his devotees. Lord Shiva danced with his left foot uplifted in the golden hall of Chidambaram Temple, also known as Thillai. This Tamil song was written by Gopalakrishna Bharathi, a 17th century poet.
Thillana
Ragam: Kaanada — Talam: Thisram — Length: 12 minutes
The grand finale of the recital is the Thillana. In the Thillana, more than any other item, we see the architecture of human form utilized to its fullest extent. The movement, poses and footwork are all intricately woven with the melody and tala (rhythm).
Presentation of Certificate
Remarks by Gurus Sudha & Anandini Chandra Sekhar
Remarks by Aanika Seth Mohta
Mangalam
A traditional conclusion in which the dancer expresses gratitude to the Lord Nataraja for giving her strength to complete the performance, to the guru for giving her knowledge to perform, and to the audience for gracing the occasion with their presence and encouragement.