Dancers Maanasa Ranga and Divya Dharmarajan present Nruthya Sammilana: A devotional bharatanatyam duet
United by their love for Bharatanatyam and guided by guru Raksha Karthik, Maanasa Ranga and Divya Vijayalakshmi Dharmarajan have curated a duet for their upcoming performance. The staging will involve a curated set of compositions that celebrate divinity in its most diverse forms. Offering a glimpse into the event they share with us their journey.
Experience Nruthya Sammilana, a divine Bharatanatyam duet by Maanasa and Divya, guided by Raksha Karthik...
What inspired Natanam Institute of Dance to come up with Nruthya Sammilana? What can audiences expect from the overall experience of the recital?What are the pieces prepared for this event and what are they about?
Raksha Karthik: Since Maanasa studies in the US, when she decided that she was travelling down to perform - she collaborated with Divya who diligently practices dance at the institute. They both wanted to do a duet. The artistes true goal would be to create moments of Rasa in the audience where the audience deeply connect and feel what the artists also emote. The pieces of Nruthya Sammilana have been carefully curated and choreographed by me to portray the deepest abhinaya to the audience.
What are the pieces prepared for this event and what are they about?
Raksha: The repertoire for this event presents a diverse collection of compositions celebrating various gods and goddesses. The recital begins with a pushpanjali and alarippu, invoking auspiciousness and setting the tone for the performance. This is followed by namamma sharade, a devotional devarnama in praise of Goddess Sharadamba, seeking her blessings and wisdom. The next piece, Saama Gaana Lolane by Papanasam Sivan, is a beautiful composition on Lord Nataraja. The recital then moves into the melodious raga sindubhairavi an evocative ashtapadi by Jayadeva, portraying the emotions and devotion of Radha and Krishna. The centrepiece of the recital is the varnam in raga lathangi, dedicated to Lord Muruga, exploring the devotee's deep yearning and devotion through both nritta and abhinaya. The second half of the programme unfolds, with Vaaranam Aayiram, which beautifully depicts the divine dream of Godha Devi (Andal) as she envisions her celestial wedding with Lord Ranganatha. This is followed by Aluvudyaatako Ranga, Purandaradasa's charming devarnama, that portrays the playful and endearing childhood of Lord Krishna. The recital concludes with a vibrant tillana in raga hindolam, bringing the performance to a joyous and energetic finale.
Can you tell us about the music, costumes, visuals, sets and props used?
Divya Vijayalakshmi Dharmarajan:The lights are carefully executed by Belaku Nagaraj, the music is by our beautiful and extremely talented orchestra — Nattuvangam – Raksha Karthik on vocals, Balasubramanya Sharma on mridangam, Bhavani Shankar on flute, Deepak Hebbar on veena and Gopal Venkataramanna on the rhythm pad. The costumes have beautifully been stitched by Arumugam S and the props only include a flower garland and kondai for the Andal piece.
What changes were made to make your performance distinct from those who have already performed it?
Maanasa Ranga: Raksha has spent months choreographing, curating and planning these pieces. From the adavus to the abhinaya and the sanchaaris, Raksha has very beautifully made these pieces. Mainly, her years of experience in choreography, her mastery in weaving songs together is the distinction
What excites you most about performing at Nruthya Sammilana?
Maanasa: Performing at Nruthya Sammilana is exciting because it is an opportunity to share my passion for bharatanatyam. This is a moment for me to grow as an artist, connect with the audience and bring Raksha ma'am's incredible choreography to life. I also feel very grateful to represent my Guru's teachings on such a respected platform and to continue my journey of learning through more performances!
Divya: I am elated to be performing in a performance that is put together with a lot of hard work and dedication from many people. From the rough sketches of dances to the precise final piece choreographed by my Guru, sung by the musical ensemble and performed by us — the dancers and encouraged by our closest friends and family to people we recently met, dance has a way of connecting.