On August 26th 2006, Keerthana Gnanapradeepan presented her solo dance debut (Arangetram) in Bharatanatyam – South Indian classical dance. The debut stage was the Sorenson Center for the Arts, Babson College. It was an extremely fulfilling evening for the very large warm audience that had gathered.

Keerthana took to the stage with a dazzling smile and captured our attention just as she started her very first piece. Indian classical art form not only teaches its students performance, but also brings a new prespective to beauty and life as a whole. Keerthana's composed and tranquil approach to each of the items highlighted this aspect.

The program commenced with a bright Pushpanjali and a prayer to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. She moved on to Alaripu, a standard dance item that she rendered beautifully with the subtle touches that are so typical of the Vazhuvoor style of dance she follows. The third item of the day was a Jatiswaram in ragam Rasikapriya by the violin maestro Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman. The choreography of this item followed the beautiful and soulful meandering of the music and Keerthana executed the same with grace and precision. She then moved onto Varnam, the central piece of that evening’s performance. The Daru varnam presented was “Mathe Malayadhwaja Pandya Samjaathe” in praise of Goddess Meenakashi of Madurai. Keerthana delineated the story of Meenakshi starting with her birth at the sacrifice conducted by her father and culminating in her marriage to Siva in his form as Sundareswara. This taxing item was performed with stamina and every movement right up to the very last one was done with the deep-seated araimandi posture so essential to Bharatanatyam.

Keerthana continued her recital with very lively pieces that brought out the complex rhythmic nature of Bharatanatyam. Her sense of rhythm was impeccable and it was a treat to watch her weave different patterns on the underlying basic pattern without missing count. Her calm composure made her look like an experienced dancer fully in control of the performance.

'Aadum Paadhanai' describes the dancing feet of Lord Nataraja, the God of dance and Keerthana illustrated interesting stories of Lord Shiva (Nataraja) as delineations. The ease with which she switched characters while enacting the stories was a delight to watch. In 'Kannaa Vaa' Keerthana took us by surprise in the way she handled 'Vatsalyam' or motherly love. Her portrayal of a mother playing with little Krishna was very lucid and brought out sparkles of a very sincere artist in the making. The Kavadi Sindu has a flavor of folk tune is in praise of Lord Muruga and needs to be performed very soulfully to reflect the melody in the dance. Keerthana surpassed our expectations and presented heartwarming stories of Lord Muruga. Keerthana’s concluding item was a traditional thillana where she used very inspiring poses, typical of the Vazhuvoor style and impressed us with a lot of energy and stamina till the very end. The performance concluded with a Bhajan in praise of Bhagawan Shri Sathya Sai Baba.

Keerthana's dance reflected her training and sincerity towards the art very deeply. Bharathanatyam, like any classical art form needs long strenous practise sessions and in the long training years it is important to imbibe the art form as a part of everyday life. Keerthana's debut proved that she has taken Bharatanatyam much more seriously than a hobby and has persevered with a lot of sincerity.

A highly competent orchestra greatly enriched the recital. Each member in the orchestra is an artist of great repute and took the performance to the next level with their unfailing support and encouragement for Keerthana. It looked as if they guided her to slip into this very comfortable trance from where she could give us her best.

Keerthana is very lucky to have Sunanda Narayanan as her teacher who has imparted her holistic approach to Bharatnatyam. She is one the most dedicated teachers in NewEngland and her tireless enthusiasm has moulded Keerthana into a dancer with great potential. With a very pleasing stage presence, innate sense of rhythm and most importantly, her sincere approach, Keerthana has the dance floor laid out just for her and we wish that this is just a first step in the wonderful journey ahead.

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