Passage to artistry
An Arangetram is when years of practice meet an audience, and Tanvee, trained by Guru Priya Srinivasan, danced a demanding repertoire with the calm of someone who had done the work
An Arangetram is the evening a dancer steps out from years of training to face an audience on her own, and Tanvee, a disciple of Guru Priya Srinivasan and a Doordarshan-graded Bharatanatyam artist, had hers at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi.
She began with Alarippu, and during the Jatiswaram in Raga Kalyani, her footwork showed years of patient practice. Things turned gentler with the ‘Maiya Mori’ bhajan, where she caught the innocence and playfulness of the child Krishna, and in the demanding ‘Ee Muvvagu’ Varnam she held difficult rhythms and feelings of longing and devotion together with real control. After the guru and musicians were honoured, ‘Ananda Natanam Prakasam’ turned to Lord Nataraja, the ‘Yera Rara’ Javali brought a lighter touch, and a fast Tillana in Paras Raga was the last big test of the night.
Off stage, Tanvee works as a Cybersecurity Engineer and has kept up this rigorous training alongside her career. With Shri Raag on vocals, Manohar Balachandirane on mridangam, Soumya Kannan on violin and her guru on nattuvangam, she walked onto the stage as a student, and by the closing Mangalam, she left it as a performer in her own right.
