Showcasing classical Indian dance styles

Mohiniattayam (pic:Ganesh Solai)

CHICAGO: Sri Balaji Temple in Aurora, a Chicago suburb, recently hosted its annual classical dance festival at the temple auditorium.

It was a colorful program showcasing the unique classical dance styles of India- Bharathanatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Mohiniattyam from Kerala, Odissi from Orissa and Kathak from Uttar Pradesh. 

Seventeen dance schools were part of this program and over 200 participants staged their dancing skills at this grand event. The program started with students of Poonam Mahesh presenting Bharathanatyam, which was followed by Odissi dance style led by Ramankumari Gullapudi, an instructor based in Champaign Illinois. The next dance school was Natyarpana, from Milwaukee, WI led by their director Kripa Bhaskaran. The dance style was Bharathanatyam.

This was followed by students of Anupama Rajesh, who also presented Bharathanatyam.
The fifth school on stage was Tarana Kathak Dance Academy led by Shital Dhanani, who presented Kathak dances set to traditional classical music. Students of Janaki Anandavalli presented both Mohiniattyam and Kuchipudi dances.

 This was followed by students of Vidya Babu presenting Bharathanatyam. Next came students of Radhika Raghuvir also presenting Bharathanatyam which was followed by Students of Sowmya Kumaran of Naperville, presenting Bharathanatyam as well.
Students of Sobha Tammana of Kuchipudi Natya Vihar came next and presented authentic Kuchipudi dance items. 

The next school was Nrithyanjali School of Dance led by Sushmita Arunkumar who presented Bharathanatyam dances. Then came students of Rupali Chaudhri who presented Bharathanatyam set to north Indian classical music. Next came students of Sandhya Radhakrishnan, who presented Mohiniattyam of Kerala.

Students of Vanitha Veeravalli presented Bharathanatyam next which was followed by Students of Ipsitha Satpathy of  Utkalaa Center for Odissi dance presenting Odissi dance items. The program concluded with Students of Devaki Janakiraman, presenting Bharathanatyam.

A large audience was present for this very popular dance event that brings children and youngsters in the Chicago area for a unique performance opportunity.

Parents and friends of performers filled the auditorium and enthusiastically supported their loved ones' performances throughout the evening.