An evening of Bharatanatyam

Hari Om Nritya Aradhana Dance Academy recently organised Nritya Darshan, an evening of Bharatanatyam where almost 90 students performed alongwith Meenakshi Rao, disciple of Dr. Yamini Krishnamurthy and Guru V Krishnamoorthy at Kamani.

The main attraction was Krishna Bhajan on choti choti gaiyan, chote chote gwaal, choto so mero Madan Gopal with little cows and little bullocks, enacted by three to 10-year olds.
Shiv Tandava strotram was presented by students of the academy along with Guru Meenakshi and Swedha Rao. Shiv strotram is a hymn of praise in the Hindu tradition which describes Shiva’s power and beauty. Meenakshi also performed alongwith her sister Swedha, on the semi-classical song gori tohri paijaniyan.

Finally it was Tillanna (pure dance) which captured the audience’s attention. A joyous fantasy of pure nritya, full of grace, beauty, intricate footwork and sculptureque beauty was presented by 20 most senior students. Meenakshi, Swedha and the disciples performed various pieces dedicated to ‘Lord Rama’, ‘Lord Krishna’, ‘Goddess Saraswati’ and also performed on ‘Vande Matram’.

After the dance recital, Meenakshi shared her experiences, “We showed the pure forms of Bharatanatyam which included pieces on various Indian gods. It was a very satisfying recital and we enjoyed our performance a lot.” This show has been organised annually for over 12 years.

“It is the aim of our academy to enable students to carry the hallmark of excellence and to promote bhakti through dance,” said Meenakshi.