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 Abhinaya presented Shri Kalaa Mandir dance company in Saint Louis- Archana Upamakae-mail: archana.upamaka@gmail.com Photos courtesy: Shri Kalaa Mandir October 26, 2025 Abhinaya, a well-known non-profit organization that promotes classical dances of India in St. Louis, Missouri, presents productions and performances by regional, national and international talent every year in order to preserve, propagate and establish various dance forms in the United States. Abhinaya presented Shri Kalaa Mandir dance company in St Louis on October 11, 2025. It was a remarkable evening for all dance lovers when they were treated to an artistic delight by Shri Kalaa Mandir (SKM) dance company from Cleveland, Ohio. Guru Sujatha Srinivasan, the artistic director of SKM and her disciples presented several Bharatanatyam pieces which explored the traditional repertoire showcasing the beauty and classicism through the melody and rhythm of the chosen songs.  Ananda Nartana Ganapathi  Ardhanari The first half of the show started with Nithya Kasibhatla and Sweta Balaji praying to Lord Ganapathi with Ananda Nartana Ganapathi, a composition of Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer set to Natai ragam and adi talam. This was followed by Ardhanari, a dance depicting the oneness of Prakrithi and Purusha, the masculine form of Lord Shiva balanced perfectly by the feminine beauty of Goddess Shakti. The performers Shriya Srinivasan as Shiva and Sita Vakkalanka as Shakti danced synchronously to the lyrics of Adi Shankaracharya tuned by M.S. Sukhi, making it a treat to watch. Soon after, the dancers Sneha Upadhyayula, Samyutha Polaconda, Nandita Srikumar and Yuvha Karthikeyan offered nritya seva to Goddess Amba. They presented Adi Shankaracharya's Ambashtakam, the sacred hymn dedicated to Raja Rajeswari, the revered presiding deity of Sri Chakra, an embodiment of love and grace. The dancers depicted her as the compassionate Mother, her benevolent power interconnecting and sustaining all sentient and insentient beings, rendering them reliant upon her divine essence. The devotion evoked by the pieces presented were followed by a melodious presentation, showcasing a mother's love, by Guru Sujatha Srinivasan. The love that Yashoda has for her son Krishna was portrayed beautifully by Sujatha, in the ever popular Jagadodharana by Purandaradasa in Kapi ragam and adi talam. Watching Sujatha as Yashoda, unaware that her son is a divine incarnation, trying to put her son Krishna to sleep by showing him the moon's reflection, offering him a treat, singing a lullaby and by rocking him gently in her lap/swing was a masterclass in abhinaya. After enthralling the audiences with traditional compositions of Bharatanatyam, the SKM team moved on to put forth creations that were message oriented and thought provoking, the first of which was Dheera, a piece on women empowerment. The dancers portrayed various stages of a woman's life - as a young girl being promised the sky and being encouraged to become anything that she dreamed of and as a young woman becoming an object of desire by society (even referring to the disrobing of Draupadi in an unfair game of dice) despite being educated and capable - questioning the hypocrisy and unfairness in the treatment of women in society and emphasizing the need for every woman to stand up for herself. Nithya Kasibhatla, Shriya Srinivasan and Sita Vakkalanka aptly displayed various emotions and conveyed the message perfectly. These young women showed great promise for being ambassadors of Bharatanatyam for the next generation.  Vivarta And finally came the much awaited production Vivarta - Transformations. Vivarta explores our relationship with Mother Earth and tells a story of beneficence, abuse, redemption, and triumph. It calls us to action - to be responsible, caring, and thoughtful in our future actions towards our planet. Mother earth loves her children, all life on earth, and bestows a great many resources like rivers, forests etc. without being asked and without expecting anything in return. However, humans abuse these resources and push the earth towards the brink of destruction. How we can redeem ourselves and the earth through mindful actions, thus asking Mother Earth for forgiveness, form the gist of this production. The portrayal of the five elements (earth, fire, water, air and sky), the flora and fauna and the various stages of crop cultivation was depicted well and was received well by the audience. Deforestation, pollution caused by chemicals and abuse of natural resources were choreographed brilliantly. The production ends with everyone asking Mother Earth for forgiveness and was done very well by the artistes. The music by Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan, Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi and M.S. Sukhi, choreography by Sujatha Srinivasan and Shriya Srinivasan, costume changes to support the narration, lighting and overall execution was on point. It was certainly the highlight of the evening. Guru Sujatha and her daughter Shriya Srinivasan choreographed the production and were ably supported by Nithya Kasibhatla, Sita Vakkalanka, Sweta Balaji, Yuhva Karthikeyan, Samyutha Polaconda, Sneha Upadhyayula and Nandita Srikumar.  Mangalam Following Vivarta was nritta based Vasant-bahar thillana which was refreshing. The dancers were in perfect rhythmic sync and the choreography lent to the dynamism of the composition. All good things come to an end, and so did the show. The group performed Bhoomi mangalam to close out the show. As a dance connoisseur, I appreciated the array of items presented by SKM and look forward to more productions by SKM.  Archana Upamaka is the Founder/Artistic Director of Upasana School of Dance, St. Louis, Missouri, where she teaches Andhra Natyam. Archana trained under Guru Nataraja Ramakrishna and his disciples Perini Ramesh, Perini Kumar and Kala Krishna. Archana is passionate about preserving and advocating for Andhra Natyam. She serves as President for Nadapadam, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the goal of international recognition for Andhra Natyam. |
