Program Details

Thodaya Mangalam

We will start off this arengetram with a Thodaya Mangalam. A Thodaya Mangalam is a set of songs usually written by different composers who come together to create one compilation welcoming the Lord, instilling divinity. It is an invocatory piece. This piece comprises of padartha abhinaya and nritta parts of the dance. This specific thodaya Mangalam is a talamalika. It is usually done to test the tala knowledge of the dancer using Pancha Nadais. This thodaya Mangalam is in praise of Lord Vishnu in his different forms. Lord Rama, Venkateshwara, Krishna, and Narasimha. The choreographer has used small sancharis to showcase the Lord in their real forms. This is a trademark item of Bhanumati Nrityakalamandiram School. This piece is a Ragamalika set to Talamalika. This piece is a dasarchana by a string of composers such as Sri Bhadradri Ramadas, Sri Anamacharya, Sri Vijayagopala Swamigal, and choreographed by Guru B. Bhanumati.

Item : Thodaya Mangalam ((Jaya Janaki Ramana)
Raagam : Ragamalika
Thaalam : Thalamalika
Composer : Sri Bhadradri Ramadas,Sri Anamacharya,Sri Vijayagopala Swamigal, Sri Padmacharan
Choreographer: Guru Narmada

Shringapuradeeshwari

Shringeri Sharada, the mother of knowledge and arts is someone who we pray to. The composer in this piece describes Goddess Sharada’s physicality and the suitable kind, mother nature she personifies. The personification of dance, music, sculpture holds all this knowledge yet is soft and soothing to witness. She is the embodiment of a mother. Dr. Narayanan’s guru is Sri Bharati theerthar Swamigal. The head of Shringeri mattam. This piece rings very close to Dr. Narayanan and will always be special to her. Seeing Shravani, Dr. Narayanan knew the soothing, comforting yet confident nature of Shravani matches that of Goddess Sharada, making this the perfect fit for her. Devi that is near here in Basura. She is known as Gnana Saraswathi, and this temple is the other famous sharada temple in India. This item acts as a nrityarpana to Goddess Sharada. Sri Padmacharan mentions his name in the piece describing as a metaphor that he is the flower at Sharada’s feet. This piece is in Ragam Kalyani and set to Adi Talam. This piece is composed by Sri Padmacharan and choreographed by Guru B. Bhanumati.

Item : Sringapuradeeshwari
Raagam : Kalyani
Thaalam : Adi
Composer : Sri Padmacharan
Choreographer: Guru B. Bhanumati

Varnam

Shiva. Bholenath. The Lord of Dance. The destroyer of evil. The one who adorns a crescent moon on his jatha jhootham is Lord Shiva. This piece is named ChandraChooda. The literal meaning being the one who adorns the crescent moon. This piece describes every story and characteristic of the dance lord himself. Purandara Dasa with a pleading voice writes this krithi surrendering to Lord Shiva. We will get to witness the time Shiva burned kameshwara with his third eye, saved markendaya from yamadharmaraja and and more. Saint PurandaraDasa talks to Shiva reminding him of all the things that constitute the lord, in a way reminding us of the magnanimous presence that he has. The sanchari explores a story of Pavitra gange. Ganga is known to bring purity with anything she touches or reaches. Even though Ganga has the purest and best qualities in her, when she became intolerable bring tremors onto the plates of the earth causing havoc. Lord Shiva did not hesitate to control Ganga in order to protect his Bhaktas, going back to the theme of sharanagathi. Where does the stream of Ganga start from? The peak of Kailash parvat. If you see geographically, the peak of the mountain mirrors that of Shiva’s jatha jhootham. It looks like Lord Shiva himself is the mountain sprouting out Ganga. This piece is usually done in a padam format but has been converted into a varnam adding in jathis and a sanchari in the beginning. A varnam is a piece that encapsulates jathis, sahithyams and swarams that add an aspect to the story. Varnam being the longest piece in a dance repertoire, tests the stamina of the dancer. This piece is a Ragamalika and set to Adi Talam. This piece is composed by Sri Purandara Dasa and choreographed by Guru B. Bhanumati.

Item : Varnam (Chandrachooda)
Raagam : Raagamaalika
Thaalam : Aadi
Composer : Saint Purandaradasa
Choreographer: Guru B. Bhanumati

Broche

Sri Mysore Vasudevacharya talks about his love for Lord Rama. His vinappa and plea to the Lord to accept him like a child and a true Bhakta is emitted and choreographed as so. This piece was selected for Shravani as Dr. Narayanan felt Shravani had a kind and mature demeanor that she could emit well. Dr. Narayanan also felt adding a sanchari regarding Narasimha before the krithi would provide a wide variety of emotions and stories to show the sharanagathi and bhakti towards Lord Vishnu. May be it in any form of Lord Vishnu, Lord Rama or Lord Narasimha in this case, the bhakti remains the same. The composer writes pleading to Lord Rama to give him the love and surrenders his whole self to him. The composer writes with utmost right like how a child would talk to their mother demanding their love. This piece is in Ragam Khamas and set to Adi Talam. This piece is composed by Sri Mysore Vasudevacharya and choreographed by Guru Smt. Sheela Chandrashekar.

Item : Brochevarevare
Raagam : Kamas
Thaalam : Aadi
Composer : Sri Mysore Vasudevacharya
Choreographer: Guru smt. Sheela Chandrashekar

Tiro Tiro Javarala

The love between Lord Vishnu and his Javarala. The composer writes this piece in a colloquial manner. The words you will hear is not literature Telugu. Anamayya wrote this piece to attract to the general public bringing a closer attraction and love to their lord. This piece consists of bhakti, shringara, and pure innocence. Dr. Narayanan chose this piece to give a different view on sharanagathi, to show how hymns, prayers and pujas are not the only way to reach the lord. All one needs is pure bhakti and an innocent plea to the Lord. That is what Lord Vishnu’s lady love has to towards him. This piece is in Ragam Gambheera Nattai and set to Adi Talam. This piece is composed by Sri Anamacharya (tuned by Sri Balakrishna Prasad) and choreographed by Dr. Smt. Subashree Narayanan.

Item : Tiru tiru
Raagam : Gambira Natai
Thaalam : Aadi
Composer : Sri Annamacharyulu
Choreographer: Guru smt. Subashree Naraynan

Thillana

This piece is in Ragam Hindolam and set to Adi Talam. This piece is composed and choreographed by Guru K.N. Dandayutha Pani Pillai.

Item : Pancha Ratna
Raagam : Hindolam
Thaalam : Aadi
Composer : Guru Sri K.N. Dandayutha Pani Pillai
Choreographer: Guru Sri K.N. Dandayutha Pani Pillai

Mangalam

Sharanagathi. Bowing down to the Almighty is the overall theme in every dance piece we have seen today. We are so blessed to have Gurus who choreograph and choose certain pieces to convey to their students what bowing down to the Lord is. The Mangalam Dr. Narayanan has chosen is Brahmamokate. It does not matter how we choose to perceive the Almighty, what we all must know is that there is one supreme power. Everyone believes in the same power, which we can see through idols or hymns and beliefs. Be it Hinduism, Christianity, or Islam. Be it a small dog to a big elephant, the sun shines splitting its rays the same way having us all breathe the same air. This piece is in Ragam Bouli and set to Tisra nada Eka Talam.This piece is composed by Sri Anamacharya and choreographed by Dr. Smt. Subashree Narayanan.

Item : Brahmam Okkate
Raagam : Bouli
Thaalam : Tisra Nada Eka Talam
Composer : Sri Annamacharyulu
Choreographer: Guru smt. Subashree Naraynan

Shravani Reddy