Along with the theme of one’s recital, song selection, costume choice, and decorations are some of the most crucial parts of a Bharatanatyam performance. I briefly touched on a couple of songs I chose for my performance in my previous post. In this post, I will elaborate on each of the songs I chose and their importance to the flow of an Arangetram and the message of my theme.
Pushpanjali
Like I mentioned before, a pushpanjali is a song of invocation in which the dancer presents the gods with flowers and other offerings. They also receive blessings from the gods, their teachers, their family, and the audience. I was presented with a couple of different pieces to choose from when selecting my pushpanjali. I landed on a very traditional song.
The next song in my line up was called Ganesha Pancharatnam. This song honors Ganesh or Pillaiyar who is the elephant-headed god. He is worshiped as the remover of obstacles and the giver of blessings. This song depicts his life and upbringing. I chose this song for my repertoire because I danced to it my very first year as a part of Nava Nritya Dance Academy. It was also one of my grandfather’s favorite songs.
This next song was one of my favorites. My guru specifically selected this song for me as she believed it would showcase my skills the best. This song praises Muruga, the son of the god Shiva. A Kavuthuam is a specific song type in which one praises a specific god, in this case Muruga. This song incorporated my theme because Muruga is worshiped in many parts of Sri Lanka as well as India. This song utilizes fast rhythmic cycles and complex Jathis to show off the dancer’s skill.
Ave Maria
The next song I chose was Ave Maria, to incorporate my theme of unity in diversity. Since I was raised Catholic, I decided to honor Mary in one of my songs. This piece is a traditional Carnatic version of the Ave Maria. It recalls the story of the annunciation, visitation, and birth of Jesus.
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This next song is the centerpiece of an Arangetram. It is the longest piece in the Arangetram and traditionally lasts for 30 minutes to an hour. Since the ordinary American audience isn’t used to that long of a song, varnams have been shortened to 20 to thirty minutes in length. The varnam I chose was called Nee Manamirangi. This song is also performed in honor of Muruga and recounts his life and triumphs.
I performed Bho Shambho when I was twelve years old, and ever since, it has been one of my favorite songs. The very first time I performed this song, I knew I wanted it to be a part of my Arangetram. This song depicts Shiva, the father of Muruga and Ganesh. The movements in this dance are intended to show the immense power of Shiva and his connection to dance.
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Sarpa Nritya
Sarpa Nritya translates to snake dance and requires a dancer to have insane amounts of flexibility. This song is very acrobatic and resembles the movement of a snake. Snake dances are one of the folk dances of India.
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Mara’s legend is a song that recounts a well-known Buddhist tale of a demon (Mara) trying to tempt Buddha. I chose this song to celebrate my family’s Buddhist background.
Kandyan Dance
Kandyan dance is one of the traditional dances of Sri Lanka. This song was strictly performed with drums and does not incorporate any story telling elements.
This dance was a dedication to the the passion of Christ. It follows the story of the last supper, Jesus’s arrest, his death, and his resurrection. This song consists almost completely of Natya (the dramatic element).
Thillana
A thillana is another standard dance performed in an Arangetram. It is depicted through rhythmic patterns and usually appears near the end of a concert. My thillana was called Tarana.
Mangalam
The final song of an Arangetram is called the Mangalam. My guru has the dancer choreograph her own Mangalam as a final test of their Bharatanatyam knowledge. This dance brought together my message of diversity by uniting my unique backgrounds. The song began with a famous Buddhist change, was followed by a portion of the Ave Maria, and ended with another segment of a song in honor of Muruga.
The range of the type of songs you chose is so fascinating. While they are so different, they also seem to work together so well the way you described them. Once again, looking forward to hearing more!
Learning about other traditions is always interesting, and by actually looking into them, you can often gain different perspectives and become a more knowledgable person in many different areas. You also notice things you wouldn’t have noticed before. In looking for events around Penn State for the coming week, I found that there’s an Indian Performing Arts Festival this Friday and Sunday in the HUB, which features four recitals, one of them being Bharatanatyam, which I never would of noticed if I didn’t see this blog.
I love that you incorporated the Ave Maria into your Arangetram. I am also Catholic, so I hear Ave Maria a lot at church, funerals, and weddings. It is also really special to me because my family often refers to that song as my song since Ave and Ava sound similar. I loved learning about the other songs you incorporated into your Arangetram as well! I think it is incredibly impressive how you choreographed your own Mangalam by using your immense knowledge of Bharatanatyam. I look forward to learning more about your journey planning for your Arangetram!
I love that your Mangalam highlighted your theme of diversity by bringing everything together into one dance section. Thank you for sharing what each song means in terms of the stories they tell as well as how they are important to you and your family. I know you have said about how long an Arangetram, but for some reason my brain didn’t really understand the length of it until you broke down how many parts there are. I can’t wait to hear more about all of the other moving parts that go into an Arangetram!