Banavani

Muttontown, NY – Tanya Datta and Saumya Datta from Long Island, NY, had their Bharatanatyam Arangetram or debut performance on the 24th of October at the Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing, NY.

14 year old Tanya and 12 year old Saumya performed an entire margam or a full spectrum Bharatanatyam repertoire, with an interesting offering of solo and duet pieces.

The program began with a Pushpanjali or a sacred offering of flowers and Gajanana Nartana which is an invocation of Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed God, who is worshipped by all Hindus before beginning any spiritual or worldly activity. This was followed by Jathiswaram a dance item known for its grace of movement and composition. Krishna Shabdam, a charming solo performance by Saumya was next, followed by an intricate duet, Varnam. Delicately choreographed padams were followed by a high intensity Thillana. Tanya culminated the program with a folk dance in the upbeat Kurati style.

The debutantes exhibited much poise and confidence during their two and a half hour routine, belying their tender ages. They carried the evening off beautifully on their young shoulders. The neat execution of jathis, or pure dance, with complex footwork was done effortlessly and with immense grace and flair. Their range of facial expressions or abhinaya displayed through out the repertoire was impressive. The dancers’ well coordinated movements and mutual chemistry in the duet sequences made it thoroughly enjoyable for the audience.

As students of Mudra Dance Studio, Muttontown, NY, the sisters have trained in this dance form for the past 8 years. They are the daughters of dance choreographer Dr.Arti Datta and eminent oncologist Dr. Rajiv Datta. Tanya is a freshman at Syosset High School and Saumya is a 7th grader at South Woods Middle School in Syosset.

Founder-director of Mudra Dance Studio, Dr.Arti Datta is a disciple of the late Guru Shri Mani, a leading exponent of the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam in India. She has performed extensively in India, U.K and the United States. The live orchestra comprised of Mrs.Ranganayaki Srinivasan as the vocalist, Mr.Murali Balachandran on the mridangam, Mr.Ram Nath as the flautist and Mrs.Sitadevi Pillarisetty, who accompanied on the veena.