Nivedana 2024: A dazzling dance recital by the Laasya School of Dance
Laasya School of Dance organized its mesmerizing Dance Recital on August 31 at the Berkmar High School Theater. Sridevi Ranjit, founder and Artistic Director of Laasya School, put together 24 pieces covering all Indian classical and semi-classical genres, from devotional to folk, slokas, keerthanams, varnas, shabdams, and fusion. The recital was a brilliant exhibition of melody and rhythm that captivated the audience for over three and a half hours.
Sridevi formally launched the second recital of Laasya School, aptly named ‘Nivedana 2024. She explained that Nivedana meant an offering or dedication and that Nivedana 2024 was her offering to her parents, teachers, audience, co-artists, students, and God. The students performing ranged from the ages of four to 16 years, and for some of them, it was their first-ever stage performance.
Nivedana 2024 began with a prayer song by Saanvika Guntapalli to Lord Ganesha, which was followed by an extremely graceful Mohiniyattam dance rendition of a Ganesha Stuthi by Sridevi herself. It was the first time that Mohiniyattam, the traditional Indian Classical Dance form originating from the state of Kerala, was being performed in a Laasya School recital.
[Top] Nivedana 2024 turned out to be a dazzling dance recital.
This was followed by a Keerthanam about Lord Shiva which was the longest piece of the recital and was performed by 15 students in unison. The recital continued with Sthuthis to Devi Parvathi and Goddess Durga, an Alarippu, a Slokham, the Aayar Sheriyar Shabdam, and a Jathiswaram. These were interspersed with devotional folk songs to Lord Muruga, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati, and Lord Ayappa of the renowned Sabarimala temple. The second Mohiniyattam performance came from Meera Rakesh, who has been a co-artist with Guru Sridevi at various events in Atlanta. The first Varnam of the evening was performed by two senior students of Laasya dedicated to Lord Nataraja. An exhilarating fusion dance on some hit songs from Tamil and Telugu movies got the audience swaying along with the amazing dancers.
[Right] The event saw a bouquet of fusion pieces.
The highlight piece of the recital’s first half was a captivating Mohiniyattam Varnam by Sridevi. The dance ballet portrayed the story of Hidimbi, the demoness wife of Pandava Bhima, and her lamenting the death of their son Ghatotkacha in the Kurukshetra war. This was choreographed by Sridevi’s Guru Shri. Kalamandalam Pushpalatha. Before the performance, Sridevi explained the story in a narrative-ballet style that helped the audience appreciate the story better when she performed it later, adding to her natural elegance and fluidity of the performance. It was the third Mohiniyattam item in the recital, and also the most complete representation of the dance form.
Sridevi, therefore, chose this perfect time to announce that Laasya School of Dance was formally launching Mohiniyattam coaching classes this fall.
After the break, the recital continued at its pace, bringing a bouquet of classical, devotional, and cinematic fusion pieces. These included a Shabdam on Radha and her yearnings for young Krishna; a devotional Keerthanam on Lord Shiva, the Supreme Being; a few semi-classical dances from movies, and some folklore from South India.
[Left] The dancers enthralled the audience with their performances.
It was indeed special to see some enchanting performances from the senior students of the school who had completed their Arangetrams in the past two three years. Each of these senior students, Hansika, Nishna, Likhitha, and Deepshika, also spoke about their experiences learning under Guru Sridevi, doing numerous performances over the years.
The grand finale of Nivedana 2024 was when 30+ performers delivered the Rhythms of Kerala, a dazzling repertoire of art forms from Kerala: Thiruvathira, Kalari, Thalam, and Pooram Muthukoda. This was a fitting end to a brilliantly put-together show that was not only truly entertaining but a proud showcase by 106 performers of their artistic talent, perseverance, and hard work. Sridevi ensured that every student and co-artist was awarded with the recital trophy and a certificate that will help retain the memory of the event.
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