By Shodhan Prasad

Dubai, Dec 22: Klassical Rhythms, a nonprofit team with the sole motto of keeping the Indian classical dance alive, came together on December 18 for their 4th annual dance performance in the city. The program which was held at the Children’s City, Dubai Creek Park showcased more than 30 artistes of the team and was witnessed by full house audience. Dancers of various age groups came together for one common passion – dance.  The programme began at 4 pm and concluded at 7.30 pm.

Vidhushi Rohini Ananth, a well-known personality in cultural circles in UAE is the classic mentor at Klassical Rhythms who have led the team all these years training the students and shaping them in Bharathanatyam. An eminent personality by herself, Rohini is a graded artiste of Doordarshan India and a good promoter of classical dance. Recipient of many awards namely ‘Kerala State Award’, ‘International Award for Excellence in Indian Classical Dance’, ‘Aryabhatta Award’, ‘National Award for Promoting Indian Art’ etc, are some of the accolades to her credit.

The evening was a beautiful blend of music and Bharathanatyam, ably rendered by the team. The programme was presided by the illustrious Bindhu Madhava and Nirmala Madhava well-known artistes who came all the way from USA and also graced by Bhuvaneshwari Ratnam a well-known Bharthanatyam dancer of UAE.
 
It commenced with a traditional Mallari and was followed by Ganesha Sloka, Jatiswaram, Devaranama and Shiva Panchakshari stuthi. The Mallari was a feast to the eyes of the viewer as it involved a procession for the Lord of dance – Nataraja, and was rendered by all the dancers of the team.  
 
Later the guests were honored and thanked for their gracious presence to encourage the budding artistes. The distinguished guests applauded the effort of the mentor and congratulated all the dancers for putting up such a wonderful show.
 
A strong believer of the 'Go Green' concept, Klassical Rhythms nominated Prerana Pai for the Diana Award. The team’s joy knew no bounds when the nomination was successful and the team member received a certificate signed by the UK Prime Minister. KR team did its bit to this cause that evening, by honoring the artistes and the guests with rose plants, a unique way of inspiring people to grow at least one plant in their home. 
 
Felicitations were done to the representatives of the team who performed at the world convention in the United States in September 2015. Mementoes were handed over to Aarushi Santosh and Anagha Ramesh.  
 
The achievers of the team Prerana Pai, Sparsha Shetty, Avani Kamath, Sannidhi Shetty and Soumii Kathiresan who had won prizes in prestigious classical dance competitions were congratulated by their mentor. 
 
The second half of the evening put forth a beautiful blend of professional and upcoming talents on a single dais. Distinguished guest Vidushi Nirmala Madhava captivated the audience with her grace and exceptional Abhinaya. Her expressions and body movements were fantastic and well applauded.
 
The program continued with performances by the team members who rendered the Krithi on Chamundeshwari – a dance highlighting the birth of the goddess, Madhurashtakam where the beauty of Lord Krishna is expressed in utter admiration, Shiva stuthi where the dancers portrayed the aspects of grace and vigor. The peacock dance by the tiny tots was a delight to watch. The program concluded with a traditional Thillana and mangalam.
 
The total program was magnificently hosted by Shruthi Shenoy, Sushanth Mohapatra and Ragini Harish Pai. 
 
The team dancers who contributed to the success of the show were Prithvi Bhat Nettar, Manaswini Agarwal, Aishwarya Nambiar, Siddhi Nitin, Aarushi Santosh, Disha Dinesh Poojary, Avani Kamath, Adya Nayak, Sannidhi Vishwanath Shetty, Sparsha Prakash Shetty, Anusha Samal, Soumii Kathiresan, Sanjana Harish, Ananya Devathirajan, Vishaka V, Akshaya Ravish, Vindhya R Pai, Divya Ramkumar, Sneha Satyan, Anitha Ramakrishnan, Aparna Naik, Ishani  Mohapatra, Aditi Kamath, Yuktha Yadav Kotian, Tanvi Sunder Kanchan, Bhavna Bhaskar, Prerana Pai Bhande and Smrithi Shenoy. 
 
The event was supported by Rajesh Kuttar (stage), Praveen (lighting), Roy and Viju (make-up), Varun (photography) and Dhanush (audio and over all co-ordination). 
 
On the whole, the event was a treat to the body, mind and soul as it was a wonderful evening of beautiful music and Bharathanatyam for a packed audience by a team with not only dance as a common goal, but also an inclination to contribute towards environmental protection.