The dance of faith
It will be a dream come true for Sowjanya Vinitha Rajaraman, a student of Wellington-based Natraj School of Dance, who will be performing her Bharatanatyam arangetram on March 27. For those not familiar with the term arangetram has a special significance for any classical dancer, as it is the first solo debut of an entire repertoire performed to an appreciative audience and to publicly thank the guru. It also demonstrates the successful completion of many years of formal training and is a ritual proclaiming a level of proficiency in this art form.
Interestingly, despite the Covid-19 pandemic challenges, this will be the fourth arangetram for the school within a year, and Sowjanya will be the tenth student completing her arangetram at the school, which was established in 1999 by Prabhavathi Ravi.
The 14-year-old migrated to NZ from Chennai with her parents when she was seven. The year 11 student at Hutt Valley High School started learning Bharatanatyam from the age of 8 under her gurus Prabhavathi Ravi and Radhika Maisuria. She will be performing the arangetram with a live orchestra comprising several very talented and well-known artists from Wellington and Auckland.
Talking about her preparations for the big day, she says, “Preparations are going very intensely. I am practising multiple hours every day and waiting eagerly for graduation day. I am both nervous and excited. I am more excited as I will be completing my graduation, which I consider as my first step in achieving greater heights.”
She adds, “I would like to dedicate my performance to my guru Prabha aunty, my parents, grandparents, and our Wellington friends, who I consider as my extended family.
There is no denying that the bond that a guru and their disciple share is special. Sowjanya credits her guru Ravi for imbibing positivity in her. She says, “Prabha aunty inspired me to concentrate on dance more than anything. Her training gave me confidence, patience, and dedication to give a hundred per cent to every moment. She taught me to be positive and try again and again when I fail on difficult steps.”
Talking about Sowjanya’s performance and her association with her, Ravi, says, “I am very excited and looking forward to her arangetram at Little Theatre, Lower Hutt, Wellington. It is a very proud moment for our school and me personally to see Sowjanya realise her dream in Bharatanatyam at this very young age. She can be proud of her dance journey and learning, especially during the past year. She has come a long way, and I wish her all the very best for her big day.”
On being asked about the difficulties in organising this event during the pandemic, Ravi, who believe classical art forms such as Bharatanatyam is the easiest way to understand and retain our culture, says, “It wasn’t easy. There are many unknowns regarding alert levels, theatre availability and restriction on numbers attending, increased costs in shipment, theatre light and sound, delays in receiving various things from India for the arangetram, including costumes, jewellery, decorations etc. I guess everything was challenging from the word go and continues till date with the increased Omicron cases in the country. It is quite stressful for the parents and Sowjanya, who have been planning this for over a year now.”
Lastly, when asked about her future plans, Sowjanya revealed that she would like to explore more dance forms while continuing to learn Bharatanatyam. “I would like to continue learning Bharatanatyam and its history and become a teacher at Natraj School of Dance. I would also like to explore other dance styles like jazz, contemporary which I am currently learning at school,” she signs off.
It will be a dream come true for Sowjanya Vinitha Rajaraman, a student of Wellington-based Natraj School of Dance, who will be performing her Bharatanatyam arangetram on March 27. For those not familiar with the term arangetram has a special significance for any classical dancer, as it is the first...
It will be a dream come true for Sowjanya Vinitha Rajaraman, a student of Wellington-based Natraj School of Dance, who will be performing her Bharatanatyam arangetram on March 27. For those not familiar with the term arangetram has a special significance for any classical dancer, as it is the first solo debut of an entire repertoire performed to an appreciative audience and to publicly thank the guru. It also demonstrates the successful completion of many years of formal training and is a ritual proclaiming a level of proficiency in this art form.
Interestingly, despite the Covid-19 pandemic challenges, this will be the fourth arangetram for the school within a year, and Sowjanya will be the tenth student completing her arangetram at the school, which was established in 1999 by Prabhavathi Ravi.
The 14-year-old migrated to NZ from Chennai with her parents when she was seven. The year 11 student at Hutt Valley High School started learning Bharatanatyam from the age of 8 under her gurus Prabhavathi Ravi and Radhika Maisuria. She will be performing the arangetram with a live orchestra comprising several very talented and well-known artists from Wellington and Auckland.
Talking about her preparations for the big day, she says, “Preparations are going very intensely. I am practising multiple hours every day and waiting eagerly for graduation day. I am both nervous and excited. I am more excited as I will be completing my graduation, which I consider as my first step in achieving greater heights.”
She adds, “I would like to dedicate my performance to my guru Prabha aunty, my parents, grandparents, and our Wellington friends, who I consider as my extended family.
There is no denying that the bond that a guru and their disciple share is special. Sowjanya credits her guru Ravi for imbibing positivity in her. She says, “Prabha aunty inspired me to concentrate on dance more than anything. Her training gave me confidence, patience, and dedication to give a hundred per cent to every moment. She taught me to be positive and try again and again when I fail on difficult steps.”
Talking about Sowjanya’s performance and her association with her, Ravi, says, “I am very excited and looking forward to her arangetram at Little Theatre, Lower Hutt, Wellington. It is a very proud moment for our school and me personally to see Sowjanya realise her dream in Bharatanatyam at this very young age. She can be proud of her dance journey and learning, especially during the past year. She has come a long way, and I wish her all the very best for her big day.”
On being asked about the difficulties in organising this event during the pandemic, Ravi, who believe classical art forms such as Bharatanatyam is the easiest way to understand and retain our culture, says, “It wasn’t easy. There are many unknowns regarding alert levels, theatre availability and restriction on numbers attending, increased costs in shipment, theatre light and sound, delays in receiving various things from India for the arangetram, including costumes, jewellery, decorations etc. I guess everything was challenging from the word go and continues till date with the increased Omicron cases in the country. It is quite stressful for the parents and Sowjanya, who have been planning this for over a year now.”
Lastly, when asked about her future plans, Sowjanya revealed that she would like to explore more dance forms while continuing to learn Bharatanatyam. “I would like to continue learning Bharatanatyam and its history and become a teacher at Natraj School of Dance. I would also like to explore other dance styles like jazz, contemporary which I am currently learning at school,” she signs off.
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