Lasya and Sravya's Rangapravesam

 It has been my girls’ ritual to talk about our favorite moments of the recital on our drive home from dancing events. Today was Lasya and Sravya’s Rangapravesam, and so many memories flashed in my mind as I started driving us home.

The Vuppamandla sisters are not just any dance school friends. Their family has been a constant throughout Raaga’s marathon dance journey, from day-1 to the day of Rangapravesam, and beyond. Raaga’s first ever Kuchipudi class at Nartana was with Lasya. For her first few dance years, Raaga’s makeup and hair was exclusively done at the Vuppamandla house- their dining table littered with black wool, safety pins and makeup brushes, moms and kids hurriedly feasting on Aruna’s idlies or sambar rice or something equally delicious, minutes before rushing to the recital venue. Taara’s baby shower was hosted by Aruna. Lasya and Sravya were the first kids other than Raaga to hold Taara, right on the day she came home from the hospital. Our years of friendship was evident in the emotions I felt as the girls were discussing their favorites from today’s recital.

1. The opening item, Jayamu Jayamu, was already their award winning item from Natya Idol, and Lasya and Sravya kicked off their big day with effortless elegance dancing to this song.

2. The second item, Ananda Natana Prakasam, had the girls commanding the audience’ attention with their every posture and formation, and Sravya’s epic backbend requiring a special mention.

3. During the third item, Vacchenu Alamelu Manga, I only saw the Goddess Alamelu Manga wearing green bangles the whole time Sravya was on stage, and I wished she stayed there for longer. Sravya looked divinely beautiful in this piece!

4. The tharangam, fourth one and the main item of the day, was an outstanding dramatization of Sudama’s friendship with lord Krishna, and his transformation from rags to riches. Between the two of them, Lasya and Sravya brought to life a steady stream of characters with their delicate expressions, and reminded us all the power of devotion. Special kudos to the vocalists for their incredible rendition of “takadiku dikutaka tom tana dhirana” throughout the plate segment with such precision and synchronization that elevated the item to stratosphere!

5. Post break, the girls resumed with the fifth item, sogasuga, a high octane number that had incredible jumps and lightning fast movements. Anu’s nattuvangam to those jathis was easily the best we’ve seen in recent times! The costumes were amazing in general, but the ones in this segment were my personal favorites. The sogasu on display was in perfect sync with the sogasu being sung!

6. The sixth item, Jayadeva ashtapadi, unveiled the dancer’s depth and attention to detail. It truly felt like we were watching Lasya’s nartana viswarupam, the culmination of her sadhana. As the emcees narrated, Lasya oscillated magically between jeevatma (Radha) and paramatma (Krishna), just with her expressions!

7. The seventh item, Brahmamokkate, was just outstanding choreography to a timeless classic delivering a message that stays relevant to any generation. In the part where the girls were portraying the commonality between a king’s nap in the palace and the slave’s dozing off, Sravya’s expressions trying to stay awake were hilarious and had the audience in splits!

8. The final item, Suruti Thillana, was a perfect conclusion to the Lasyam and Sravyam on display throughout the evening.

Taara declared that the plate dance during Tarangam, the main item of the day, was her favorite. She found the balancing act on the rims of the brass plates to be most fascinating.

Raaga’s pick was Brahmamokkate. It is her favorite Annamacharya keertana and she enjoyed how beautifully it came together, from costumes to choreography, vocals and percussion to the dancers’ expressions.

I enjoyed the two solos- vacchenu alamelu manga by Sravya and the Jayadeva ashtapadi by Lasya. When did the little Sravya we know become so big and beautiful and divine?! For the playful goof ball vibes Lasya always gives in real life, she totally surprised me with the depth and variations in her millions of expressions as the jealous Radha pining for Krishna’s attention.

For once, the three of us had different favorites, and we could be easily convinced to switch our loyalties to any of the other items. It goes to show just the kind of perfection and variety that was on display on the stage at Patricia Reser today.

I had two favorite non-dancing moments from the day that trump all the other dancing moments- the first when the two dancers exited the stage, literally jumping triumphantly, at the end of first half, and the second when the two of them held their hands while listening to their guru speak at the end. Such moments don't get rehearsed. They just get made. Today, Lasya and Sravya made their grand kuchipudi entrance. Congratulations to Aruna, Kalyan, Anu, the orchestra, and everyone else that made it happen!