Bharatanatyam Arangetram: Pratyusha Mulpur Dazzles in Memorable Debut Dance Performance

For over forty years, students of Guru Smt. Jothi Raghavan at the Nrityanjali School of Dance have set the standard for excellence in Bharatanatyam in the Greater Boston area. On Saturday, August 5^th 2017, Pratyusha Mulpur continued the storied Nrityanjali tradition and passion for excellence in her debut Bharatanatyam dance recital at the Littleton High School Performing Arts Center.

The program got off to a stirring start with a brisk rendition of Purandara Dasa composition Gajavadana Beduve in Hamsadhwani ragam by the veteran orchestra. Pratyusha then took stage to a rousing welcome from over 400 guests from all over United States, India, and even Kuwait, and started the recital with a Pushpanjali, Ananda Narthana Ganapathim in Nata ragam composed by Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer. With a beaming smile and excellent footwork, Pratyusha beautifully depicted Ganesha – the Lord of Obstacles – himself dancing in joy and bliss, and set the tone for the rest of the evening. Pushpanjali was followed by a gorgeous Alarippu, and Pratyusha’s graceful movements and timing prompted one of the guests to comment later that her movements were much like the fabled Kondapalli Bomma – the famous dancing doll from Andhra Pradesh.

Pratyusha next featured a Jathiswaram set to Khamas ragam. In this piece, the commanding nattuvangam of Guru Jothi Raghavan was matched by the brilliance of Sri Narayanaswamy’s mridangam, and Pratyusha’s energy, precise timing, and footwork. The attention to detail of the teacher and the pupil were fully on display in this piece, with brilliant execution of the fundamentals including aramandi, head, arm, and eye movements, and beautiful and continuous lines.

During the ensuing break, Guru Jothi Raghavan introduced the orchestra to rousing applause, and invited them to play a few songs. Sri Venugopal and Smt. Durga Krishnan took turns enthralling the audience. Following them, Sri Narayanaswamy brought the house down with a superb rendition on mridangam. Returning from the break in a new costume, Pratyusha lived up to her full name – Pratyusha Lavanya Sundari – through her grace, elegance, and beauty in the varnam, Rama Neeve. In this exquisitely choreographed central piece of the recital, composed by Tenmadam Narasimhachari in Kharaharapriya ragam, Pratyusha displayed superb stage presence that was confident and tender, joyful and expressive. It was truly Bharatanatyam storytelling at its glorious best. Rama protecting the sages, slaying demons, and walking down the streets of Mithila. Sita gazing upon divine form of Rama in rapture. Rama easily lifting and stringing the mighty bow, and Sita gracefully garlanding him. Several in the audience later commented on this magnificent depiction of Rama and Sita, and the ease and conviction with which Pratyusha simultaneously assayed and brought both characters to life in a way that even those who couldn’t understand the lyrics were immersed in the story. Pratyusha, not surprisingly, was at her absolute best in the longest – at over 30 minutes – and the most demanding item of the evening.

After a brief intermission, Pratyusha performed a set of three excellent padams. She and her Guru chose one padam each in Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu, matching the breadth of their interests with the diversity of the large audience. In the first padam, Annapurney Visalaskhi composed by Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Shyama (Saama) ragam in Sanskrit, Pratyusha elegantly portrayed Goddess Annapurna who bestows food and nourishment to all. This was followed by the superb Kuzhaludi Manamellam composed by Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer in Kambhoji ragam in Tamil. Sri Venugopal seized the opportunity to showcase his immense prowess on the flute during this scintillating piece. Pratyusha brought the characters to life – Krishna dancing with joy in the company of peacocks and cows that join him in bliss – through her beautiful and imaginative portrayal. The ever popular Adivo Alladivo by Tallapaka Annamacharya in Madhyamavati ragam in Telugu was the final padam. With graceful movements and excellent expressions, Pratyusha convincingly depicted the devotion and the emotion of a visitor to Tirumala hills, and the devotee’s eagerness for a glimpse of Lord Venkateshwara.

A sensational thillana in Brindavani ragam, composed by M. Balamurali Krishna, was an appropriate culmination to the amazing evening. Pratyusha’s mastery of the footwork and aduvus, and her synchronization with the brilliant notes of mridangam and nattuvangam were on full display during this showpiece. As Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh commenced the mangalam, Ramachandraya Janaka, composed by Bhadrachala Ramadasu in Kurunji ragam, the audience joined clapping in rhythm. As Pratyusha did her final namaskarams to Lord Nataraja, the Guru, the musicians, and the audience, she was greeted with a rousing and well-deserved standing ovation in recognition of a truly dazzling recital.

Her truly memorable arangetram was both a visual and auditory delight, as ragam and talam played an integral part. In addition to the incomparable choreography and nattuvangam of Smt. Jothi Raghavan, Pratyusha was supported magnificently by a wonderful group of veteran musicians. Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh on vocals and Smt. Durga Krishnan on veena are both well-known and beloved by the New England art lovers. Sri. H.S. Venugopal’s mastery of the flute was on full display in “Kuzhaludi Manamellam” when he mesmerized the audience playing Lord Krishna’s own favorite musical instrument. Sri N. Narayanaswamy provided the rhythmic foundation for the entire Arangetram with his brilliance and showmanship on mridangam. He was a true partner for Pratyusha as they together brought the footwork, grace, and artistry of Bharatanatyam to life.

Speaking afterwards, Pratyusha – a rising junior at Westford Academy – was humble and grateful, and effusive in her praise of her Guru, the wonderful musicians, her parents Sudha and Arun, and her brother Pranav Mulpur, and the large assembly of family and friends. In his remarks, Pranav reflected on the commentary by Socrates in The Republic, and said that while it may take a lifetime or longer for an artist to truly awaken, we were all privileged to bear witness to the glorious journey that Pratyusha and her Guru Smt. Jothi Raghavan have undertaken, and the magnificent fruits of labor that they offered that evening at the feet of the cosmic dancer, Lord Nataraja.

Ms. Medha Palnati is a rising senior at Westford Academy and a member of the WA Theater Arts program.
Picture Credits: Jeyakumar Sathyamoorthy (JK) and KT Kannan Photography (Kannan)

|