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Arangetram |
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| Arangetram is an ancient tradition that dates back to the time when the practice of dance was the sole domain of devadasis. Devadasis were professional dancers dedicated to keeping the tradition of Bharata Natyam alive. Arangetram was the occasion when the young devadasi was presented in a full-length solo performance after many years of intense training to indicate that she now qualified to undertake the responsibility of keeping the dance tradition alive. Arangetram thus represented the transition from that of a student to a fledgling performer. While the devadasi tradition itself has disappeared the tradition of the arangetram has come to be absorbed into the modern practice of Bharata Natyam. Today, Bharata Natyam has come to represent all that is refined in Indian culture. Arangetram then becomes a supreme symbol of that refinement. It marks the completion of the first phase of learning and the beginning of a new phase in a dancer’s unending quest for excellence. It is the culmination of years of meticulous training at the hand of a highly skilled and qualified teacher or guru. It is the result of the family’s unstinting support and committment to the long and demanding process of arangetram. Of equal importance is the involvement of the audience. For what is art without a supportive audience? In this sense it is an event that symbolically unites not only the artistic community, but the community at large. |
          
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On the day of the Arangetram, the student offers his or her knowledge of dance at the feet of the guru and Lord Nataraja, the legendary god of dance. With their blessings and the blessings of the specially invited audience, the dancer sets out to accomplish the challenging task of performing an entire margam or the traditional repertoire. The dance pieces in the traditional margam, progress in intensity and difficulty from the simple to the complex, from stillness to movement and back to stillness. This is the intrinsic feature of a Bharata Natyam margam. India Foundation has been privileged to present six arangetrams between the years 2006 and 2010. Under the watchful eye of their teacher, Asha Bala, who is an accomplished dancer herself, students underwent intense training in the intricacies and nuances of this dance form before they were presented to receptive audiences in Fayetteville, North Carolina as well as in Chennai, India. Each performance was done to the accompaniment of live orchestra that was made up of highly talented and accomplished artists. With distinguished guests such as Guru Kalayana Sundaram Pillai of Sri Raja Rajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Dr. Naima Prevots - Professor emerita American University, Dr. Purnima Shah of Duke University, renowed scholar and critic Dr. Sunil Kothari, and Guru Sudha Chandra Sekhar gracing the occasions, each of the arangetram was a momentous event for the students, their families, their guru, and for India Foundation. Alongside are invitations and brochures of these arangetrams. Please visit the Arangetram Photo Gallery page as well. We, at India Foundation would love to hear from you and have your input. Please feel free to send us your comments in the form below. Thank you. |
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