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Following the Begada varnam, the concert opened with a traditional invocation Gajavadana Karuna Sadana (Sriranjani, Papanasam Sivan) which also included a lively swara prastharam. This was followed by a Thyagaraja krithi Paramathmudu velige (Vagadeeswari) and a spirited rendering of Bhogindra Saayinam (Kunthalavarali, Swathi Tirunal). Next came a Dikshitar krithi in Suddha Dhanyasi, Subramanyena Rakshitoham. The elaborate piece, with alapana and swara prastharam, allowed the violinist Sri Ananthapadmanabha ample scope to show his virtuosity. This was followed by three more krithis - Sambho Mahaadeva (Bauli, Neelakanta Sivan), Aparadhamula (with alapana, Lathangi, Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer) and Raama Bhakti (Suddha Bangala, Thyagaraja) Next followed the centerpiece of the performance, an elaborate rendering of Swathi Tirunal's Anjaneya in Saaveri. The maturity of the young artist was shown in the concert level rendition of this krithi. Neraval was done on the line "janakasutaadi vimochana lola". The tani avarthanam by Madipakkam Suresh on the Mridangam and Daniel Reck on the Ghatam was also very elaborate and fitting. The concert concluded with a few light pieces - Sree Ranga Pura Vihaara, (Brindavana Saaranga, Dikshitar), Rama Raama (Thilang, Purandara Dasa) and Rati Sukha Saare, a Jayadeva ashtapathi, and finally a Tillana in Desh composed by Dakshinamurthy Pillai, and a mangalam. Pavithra was fortunate to have Senior vidwans from Chennai, Sri Ananthapadmanabha on Violin and Sri Madipakkam Suresh on Mrudangam to support and encourage her . She was also accompanied on Ghatam by Sri Daniel Reck, a student of Ghatam Mastero Prof. N. Govindarjan, Chennai. In her vote of thanks, Smt Saavitri Ramanand, Pavithra's Guru for Music and Dance, specially thanked Smt. Bhargavi Sunderarajan, Smt. Rajam Ramanathan and Sri. Ramanathan of IACRF Inc, the audience, the Hindu Temple, Sri N. Venkataramani, Sri Padmanabha, Sri Suresh and Sri Daniel Reck. Special mention was made of Sri David Reck (Eminent Veena artist from Amherest) and Smt Ranganayaki Srinivasan, senior Vidwamsini in the Tri State area for their presence and for encouraging and blessing Pavithra. Considering that Pavithra learnt Carnatic music in New York, along with all her other activities and committments, the elaborate concert - with such a wide range of composers (except Shyama Sastry?! ) and ragas being chosen - highlights her committment and talent. Shruti Laya wishes her all the best in her musical career, and cites her as a role model for other kids learning music in our area. And of course, a good part of the credit also goes to her guru, Smt. Saavitri Ramanand. | |
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These young artists showed a mastery of their craft that would have made even senior artists proud. Starting with a brisk pushpanjali in Amrithavarshini, they followed up with a fast nritta piece in Hamsanandi. The beautiful choreography added to the effect, with the dancers effortlessly forming and dissolving in swirling groups of twos, threes and more complex variations, winding up and undulating, all in perfect synch to the taalam. Then the dancers presented their first main item, Mahisasura Mardini. With so many dancers on stage, they were able to do full justice to the drama inherent in the story. This was followed by an elaborate Krishna Leela Tarangini, with the dancers on brass plates and on pots, dancing complex steps and assuming statuesque poses with a triple deck of brass pots on their heads. A brief break followed, where the Chief guests Sri. Balachander and Smt. Usha Balachander, and the guests of honor Sri. Balaram Pammi and Smt. Indira Pammi were invited on stage to bless the artists. Sreenadh Jonnavithula of Shruti Laya presented certificates of appreciation on behalf of all the rasikas of New York. This was followed by a dashavataram dance based on the famous Jayadeva Ashtapathi, with the focus on the Narasimha Avataram and Vamana Avataram. The abhinaya skills of the young artists were on full display here, with the story unfolding before our eyes. A brief enactment of the Shiva Parvati pranayam followed, with Manmatha getting destroyed by Shiva, who then relents after Rathi Devi begs him to spare her husband. The grand finale was a delightful light piece with Krishna and Gopikalu. The wiles of the gopikas in trying to draw Krishna's attention, Krishna's playful tricks to infuriate and enrapture the Gopikas .. all of these were brought out with the beautiful abhinaya, and highly expressive facial expressions. These artists were in the US as part of the recent ATA celebrations, and this program was presented by Dr.Sridevi Bhumi, herself a dance student of Sri. Ramamoorthy. Pictures from this performance are hosted here by Shruti Laya as a community service | |
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"TRIYEE", a classical dance ballet, by Smt. Satya Pradeep and students of the Nritya Saagaram Dance Academy, June 15 2008 An extraordinary production of a thematic presentation of Lord Dattatreya was staged by the Nritya Saagaram Dance Academy on Sunday June 15th at the Mineola High School Auditorium. The Guru Smt. Satya Pradeep brought out an impressive and enjoyable ballet of Lord Dattatreya as an Incarnation of the Trinity - BRAHMA, VISHNU and SHIVA. The Dance Drama was set out in two Acts. The first act described the greatness of Athri, and narrated the story of Sumathi, who cursed the Sun not to rise to prevent Sage Mandavya's curse on her husband Sage Kaushika from taking effect. The second act narrated the story of another pativrata Anasooya, who turned the Trimurthis Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva into babies, and then into the lustrous form of Lord Dattatreya with three heads. Smt. Satya assumed the role of a Sutradhara, the Narrator of the story and the entire play was beautifully enacted by her students (21 of them). The leadership of Satya taking on the role of the narrator and making her students act out the characters, speaks very highly of her confidence in her students, and in the outcome of this high caliber production. Each one of her students gave of their best and they all did their Guru and parents proud! The lyrics by Dr.Pappu Venugopala Rao and the music composed by Sri. Bhagavatulu Seetarama Sarma, the two legends in their fields, helped get the Five Star status to the production and made it unique. The vocals by Sri. Hariprasad Kaniyal and Smt. Radha Badri did full justice to the carefully chosen ragas and words, and brought out all the emotional impact of the various scenes. The Orchestral ensemble was musically quite attractive. A Live orchestra was perhaps too much to ask for, but its absence was noticeable! The appropriately chosen Chief Guest of the evening Dr. Dattatreyudu Noori commended the contributions of Smt. Satya Pradeep to the community through her Nrithya Saagaram Dance Academy in New York. The attendance by representatives from different cultural organizations to the program is a testimony to Satya's reputation and standing in the community. | |
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"Namo Narayana", A musical Tribute to Annamacharya, by Smt. Nivedita Shivaraj and the Ragachitra Classical Choir, June 15 2008
Smt. Nivedita's rendition was clear and strong, with due importance to the bhavam as well as the raga and tala. Samyuktha Shivraj is very good for her age, and is clearly a rising star. Janani Kannan, Gayathri Dharmavaram, Amrita Rajagopal, Shruthi Visveswara and Padmavathy Sivakumaran performed very well, adding energy and beauty to the concert. The music program was presented as part of the Venkateswara Brahmotsavam celebrations held at the Maha Vallabha Ganapathy temple in Flushing, NY.  |
Kumari Pavithra Sundar, a young Indian American, gave a solid 2 1/2 hour performance on Saturday, July 12. This well attended concert was sponsored by the Indo American Cultural and Religous Foundation, under their Young Talent Promotion program. Pavithra's guru is Smt. Saavitri Ramanand, a well known and respected music teacher from the area. The audience were welcomed by Sri N. Venkataramani, well known in the community for his community service and art promotion work
For over three hours, rasikas at the packed Saraswathi Hall were treated to mesmerizing performance by the students of Srirama Natakanikethan, Hyderabad. Led by their octagenarian guru Sri. V.S.Ramamoorthy and his daughter guru Smt. Manjula Ramaswamy, the eight lovely young ladies (all 12 to 15 years old!) Sushmitha Tadakamadla, Mohana Sudha Karumuri, Amulya Vinayak Bhat, Varshini Arza, Srishti Budhori, Sindhuja Ramachandran, Nikhila Singireddy and Manogna Thotapalli kept the audience in a state of rapture with their virtuoso performances.