Pre-Arangetram Class

The momentum of the progress of a dancer develops to a high as the learning of adavus comes to a natural end. The time comes for the dancer to perfect her adavus and learn to put it together into dances. The time comes for her to hone her dance step to such a degree of perfection that she learns to dance without thinking about them. The time comes for her to revel in the meaning of the larger dance of which the steps she learns becomes a smaller part. There is a natural hunger for more learning and it is evident that the student seeks more challenges. The shining eyes say it all!

This is the stage when we begin to talk about the dancer’s arangetram so that she has a clear goal, and a strategy to achieve that goal. The advancement in understanding of music rhythm and Bharatanatyam increases exponentially in the year of the learning. As pre-arangetram students, the training is intense. Along with the regular school schedule, it can become quite overwhelming if the training isn’t planned for properly. Pre-arangetram students frequently assist class. This helps them gain a strong grasp of rhythm and talam. It increases their self-confidence because they need to teach it with surety to the others. It also helps them unravel the layers and depth of what dance means to them. They are mentored through the process, and gain a clearer understanding of the nuances of every adavu when they teach it.

Arangetram

At the arangetram level, the students will be in a two year planning cycle. They spend the first year planning the pieces they will perform. They assess their own physical capabilities and they soul-search to figure out what subjects interest them the most and what they would like to share with their family and friends on the show day. The family becomes a very important part of this phase of the dancer’s journey.

They come full circle in completing the understanding of what classical Indian dance is. The exposure to several smaller events and several master artistes in the year closer to their own show changes their perspective, sharpen their sensibility and improves their sensitivity to it all. They liberally and fearlessly understand topics such as margam, chutti and keerthanam. Several of the parents hear these words for the first time. But in the end, they come together and put it up for their loved ones in a moment to cherish for life.

An arangetram is a metamorphosis and realisation. Students go through several phases during this period, beginning with the outer physical self and moving to the inner elements:

• listening to the music
• learning the piece
• performing the piece from memory
• perfecting each move
• dancing spontaneously, letting the movement come ‘from within’
• tuning out all distractions, forgetting the audience and the lights, and dancing on stage only to get in touch with the inner self to deliver a cathartic performance

This requires a lot of rigorous training by many teachers of the From Within team, and a great deal of support and mentorship by fellow arangetram buddies. We are constantly looking to push the limits of our dance, and to this end have master teachers visiting from India solely to coach the arangetram level students in the summer before their shows. We often choreograph new items specifically for the student who is performing so that there is novelty in the margam.

The results of the arangetram are personal growth, incredibly strong connection to cultural roots that the student is free at any time to pursue to deepen, very strong personal relations with other dancers and teachers on the From Within team, and a sense of belonging and an understanding of their own importance as we look to each student to contribute back to the Academy.

On the whole, students who go through the process will have honed their aesthetic sense and will be able to appreciate beauty and talent in others if they choose to pursue other professional paths.

Post Arangetram Class

Most students at From Within who go through the gruelling schedule for their arangetram shows (fortunately) don’t come away feeling burnt out. Most come away feeling accomplished and with a burning desire to do more. At From Within, we are only limited by our own imagination on how to channel this energy and talent. We are actively planning a post arangetram program.

Currently, the students focus on learning new items – both of the traditional Pandanallur style (that they learn from Ms. Diya (Srividya Chandrashekar), as well as items from the From Within repertoire, strengthening talam to be able to use the nattuvangam, for arangetrams, and to teach junior students. They actively perform at various events all through the year, and work with other teachers and choreographers, too.

Several of our students help with other aspects of the academy and company as well. For instance, in the departments of administration, media library control, parent hand-holding, back stage control, marketing etc.

All of them teach class as needed and lend a helping hand to other students so that they are able to get the best possible experience, and so that there is continuity in teaching and learning (given our time-bound, fast-paced life). Waiting for a progressive turn only at the point when the primary teacher is available is no longer a model that works. We find that diligent work is important to make sure we do the best for each student to progress without keenly feeling gaps in their training.

We look forward to providing our students with a lot of opportunities to shine through dance. We pray that the coming years will bear testament to all the planning and hard work we have put in up to this point. In many ways, it feels like we have just started!