Re: What should we do...

Posted by Sangeetha on January 04, 2007 at 00:53:42:

In Reply to: What should we do... posted by Sri on January 03, 2007 at 11:32:17:

Dear Sri,
Here is an excerpt from the Q&A session with padmashri Smt sudharani raghupathy from Kutcheribuzz.com. Hope it helps:-
"I'd like to know how to prepare for a salangai pooja. I have a student who learnt from a different teacher for a while and is learning from me now. She'll be in 12th grade next year and the family would love to have a salangai pooja and not an arangetram, owing to her academic commitments. What is the usual norm for the same? Thanks very much.

-Ramamoorthy, Jeyanthi

Salangai pooja is possible when a student is ready to perform for atleast an hour and 15 minutes. An alarippu, jatiswaram, may be a shabdham, definitely a varnam, one or two padams and a thillana. On an auspicious day, give her the salangai. She can perform before a small invited audience and honour the guru at the same time. "

Could you please tell me the significance of Salangai Pooja? I know it is done quite elaborately now, but the students should have reached a certain level I believe.

-Mini

It is held to test the initial ability of a dance student to face an audience, before she presents a public performance. It is also the time when the dancer wears the salangai for the first time. It is a private function and the performance is done before the guru, family and a few friends. "

There is a practice of performing this pooja in Bharatanatyam. The dancer who is yet to make her debut performance and who has been taught almost all the marga-items of Bharatanatya could perform Salangai pooja (worshipping the anklets).The teacher ties the salangai (bells) on the ankles of her student for the first time and blesses her. It motivates the child to intensify her commitment to the art form.