Teenager does her parents proud

The Arangetram of Kalyani Yagnanarayan was a scintillating experience, and if the quality of performance was any indication, then this teenager has a bright future.

The event, held on October 10 for invited guests at the Dorothy Winstone Centre of Auckland Girls Grammar School, was an event to remember.

The 14-year old dancer showed maturity and grace far beyond her years and presented 10 items. It was Kalyani’s rite of passage, the culmination of an odyssey that took her from the state of a student to that of a graduate.

Beginning her Arangetram with Pushpanjali, she went on to present Ganesha Shuti (set in Gambeera Natti Ragam and Adi Talam). Her spirited rendition of Jathiswaram (Mohana Ragam and Adi Talam) followed by Shanmuga Kauthuvam  (Gowlai set to Eka Talam) were testimony to the caliber of her Guru Kalaichchelvi (Selvi) Udhayakumaran, Principal of the Narthana Aalayam, a dance school based in Dannemora in Manukau.

Selvi had chosen Aadal Nayagan Aadinan (a Tamil number extolling the dance prowess of Lord Shiva) for Padam, well executed by Kalyani.

She presented a different perspective of Bharata Natyam after interval.

Her personality and image were transformed as she rendered Chikavanne, a Kannada number depicting the emotions of a Gopika towards Lord Krishna.

It is rare to watch a Bharata Natyam performance set to Marathi song and the bold experiment in Seetha Suyamvaram (The Marriage of Seetha) went beyond expectations, with the artiste portraying the joyful image of Seetha.

Venugopal Vasudevan (Vocal), Dr Somaskandan (Violin), Ramesh Baswa Nagarajan (Flute), Nagai Subramanian Narayanan (Mridhangam) and Selvi (Nattuvangam) comprised the orchestra.

Greg Watson, Principal of Mt Roskill Grammar School, where Kalyani is Year 10 student, was the chief guest.

Chandana Rao is a school teacher based in Auckland. The above is an edited version of her report.