| Arangetram Highlights - pictures & student experiences |
| Sita's Arangetram on February 20, 2010 Guest of Honor - Dr. Purnima Shah |
          
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| Arzu's Arangetram on May 1, 2010 Guest of Honor - Sudha Chandra Sekhar |
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| Priya's Arangetram on June 13, 2010 Guest of Honor - Dr. Sunil Kothari |
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| Some Student Experiences The study of this dance form is a lifelong quest. Given that, the learning is not limited to developing just grace, balance or ryhthm, which are pre-requisites for any dance. It is more than that. It builds character, it builds inner strength, it builds resilience and tenacity. So, for those who have the staying power and continue with their lifelong quest, the sense of achivement at every milestone reached is incomparable. Here are some expressions of those feelings. Of what the learning has meant to them. Reproduced here with their permission. Arangatrem Essay for Asha Aunty. Eight years ago, I came into the world of rhythm, beats, and discipline. It was new. It was riveting. It was going to be an adventure. I can honestly say that I didn’t feel anything when I was dancing at the time. I was dancing because it was for my mom. I was dancing because I wanted to follow her dreams. I was dancing because her face lit up every time she saw me perform and it made her so happy. For a long time, it was for her. She had grown up with so much passion for this type of dance and never got to pursue it when she wanted to. She passed it on to me. It was like her passing down the baton to me in a relay and saying, “Go baby girl, you can do this. Run. Run for me.” And so I danced. I danced to see her smile and that’s what pushed me on and on. I still remember when we first started off with 20 students at the Kiwanis Center and how it all came down to four girls. Those three girls became a huge part of my life and we endured a lot together. Needless to say, we all grew up together with a lot of memories. However, we were followers. We watched each other as we danced and we depended on each other whenever we forgot our pieces. We relied on each other and we provided each other with some cushion so that we knew we would never be alone on and off stage but we were separated afterwards. That was when we saw our passion in this form of dance. We became our own selves. We discovered our identity. We saw something that could lead us into something more. We knew that our Arangatrems weren’t going to come to us but that we had to run to it. As we moved on, we learned so many things about ourselves that we never knew. I learned the feeling of being a performer. There were days where I just didn’t want to go but once I was there, I never wanted to leave. I wanted more. We had one-on-one for about two years and the process for my Arangatrem began in September of 2009. Swathi just finished her Arangatrem. She was the first girl in the four girls that grew up as dancers. After watching her perform, I was ready to do mine because it felt so real. My rehearsal began in October and it was definitely one of the hardest tasks I had to do. It’s frustrating to know that you cannot hear everything you should. I hated feeling sorry for myself for the same reason every time. It was so frustrating because no one knew how it felt. I had no one to relate it to and no one would understand. It was like being alone through every rehearsal and proving to everyone that I was capable of it all. To be honest, the hardest part was seeing my family especially my mom watching me rehearse. I could tell she was scared. Her eyes were focused; her smile was slant, and her wrinkles forming on her forehead. She was scared because she was worried that I wasn’t ready. It was hard because I don’t think she realized how hard I was trying. My breaking point was whenever my hearing aids/cochlear implant died in the middle of my rehearsals due to the amount of sweat it was holding. No matter how many times I tried to explain how frustrating it was, the normal response “Don’t worry. You’re doing just fine.” And I wasn’t. Though those rehearsals were tough, I learned so much for the better. “When you’re forced to stand alone, you realize what you have in you” and so I did realize what I have in me. The journey was not only a journey towards Arangatrem but towards completing my identity and who I am. As February 20th came closer and closer, rehearsals became so much better than before. I was ready to do this. I gave up school for a week to get ready for the big day. My family was flying in from everywhere, India, California, Texas. It was amazing. My best friend, Priya, and my sister, Nina, were my biggest supporters. They were cheering me on and I knew I could count on them. I was ready to get on that stage and show them what I have been doing for the past eight years. Everyone was ready. The stage looked so beautiful, the orchestra were prepared for the night, dinner was set, the Nathraja was placed magnificently, makeup, hair, jewely, and dress were done, people started coming in, and me? The star of the night? I’ve been ready for eight years so all I could think was “Let’s go and rock this show!” I had my sister behind me, my best friend working on the lights, and my family and friends in the audience ready to watch me. It was going to be great night. My thoughts before going on stage were that this time I wasn’t proving to anyone anything. I was proving to myself that I can do this and that I am stronger than I have ever been. The spotlight was waiting for me and so I danced. Sure I made mistakes but I redeemed myself. Afterwards there were so many people who congratulated me for my achievement and it felt so good. I was a dancer but this was only the beginning. I remember leaving the Seabrook auditorium. It was such a strange feeling. Everyone had left and I was the only one standing on that stage in my dress. I didn’t want to leave. Even though I accomplished my dreams, I felt like I was leaving everything that I worked so hard for behind. I kept reminding myself that this is only the beginning and more to come. It was definitely a journey. In the end, I did this for myself because I wanted to. I just hope that I made my mom proud because I couldn’t even tell. Even to this day, I still don’t know if I did but it doesn’t matter because I am proud of myself. If you had asked me before what I thought an Arangatrem was, I would have told you that it’s a significant accomplishment for a dancer to achieve. Now, it’s so much more than that. It’s going through so many years of learning. It’s going through frustrations, fights, laughs and passion. It’ leaves you with memories that makes you want to relive them again and again. It’s seeing what you are capable of and where your passion lies. It’s seeing how much you are willing to sacrifice for something you love. It’s creating your individuality and I did. If I could it again, I’d do it all the same. -Swathi Charya |