An old recording of Smt.Rukmini Devi Arundale

18 days later!

I thought of writing earlier but it takes quite a while for the initial high to slowly subside and I wanted to get a more neutral picture out. So, was it worth the emotional, physical, financial effort? Yes, absolutely (if you are like me :) If you are preparing for your arangetram and want some expert (one time makes me an expert, doesn't it?) advice, feel free to reach out to me.

Meanwhile, here are some thoughts and tips to streamline, if you will, the process some more. You probably already know this but just pretend what I have to say is pretty insightful and all that.

Live orchestra -- if you plan to have one for your arangetram, assume that you will need to put in some effort into making them comfortable, driving them to/from the hotel, hall, your home etc. They will have dietary/travel requirements (they usually have a fully booked schedule) and you have to be ready to meet them. And regarding the performance itself, understand that no matter how much you practice with them, there will be times when you hear something different from what you had practiced for (however minor) and you just have to smile and go with the flow. As long as you are with the beat, you are good! I think there were at least 5 micro-portions of the song (lyrics and jathis) where the singer sang it differently from what we had practiced and it took me by surprise but I smiled and danced and all was well! Oh and we had about half the time that we asked for, for costume change (you know, when the orchestra plays songs so you can change your costume) -- so be prepared to be Lightning McQueen!

Practice -- Understand that after the choreography is done, you are in control of how much you practice. The teacher will guide you after that but at that point, the onus, for lack of a better word, is on you. Just practice and set your schedule. If there is a class with your teacher, get your dance refined. If not, no sweat, just...right, practice!

The Go-to person(s) -- Have at least 2 Go-to persons who can drive and help you out on the day of the program. In my case, it was my daughter's nanny (besides friends) who did quite a bit of last minute driving to get us the right mikes for sound testing. This Go-to person should not be you (duh) or your significant other or your parents or kids!

$$$ matters -- Considering the amount of emotional overload you and your family and your teacher goes through for your arangetram, get it all down in writing and that is the best way to deal with money matters associated with your arangetram -- it's all written down and clear and there is no relying on anyone's memory for details, KISS. Whether it be the orchestra fees, the hall rental fees or how much you owe your teacher, get it all written down, in advance.

Audience -- Get the invites out in advance. This is probably something that I should have done better. The number of people that actually showed up for my arangetram were less than half of what we expected. So get that invitation out, call if you want to add that extra touch and make sure the "Rasa" bhava is aplenty on the day!

Take it easy -- Probably the worst piece of arangetram advice but I think the day of your arangetram, you will find that you are relaxed and even if you are not, smile and act like you are, enjoy the company of your friends and well-wishers who are anxious and happy for you to succeed and have a blast!

Good luck!

Arangetram!

And yesterday it was!

Had an enjoyable and blessed arangetram!

Pushpanjali & Ananda Narthana Ganapathi: Pushpanjali went well. I was a bit nervous for Ananda Narthana Ganapathi -- until half of it, my thoughts were, "What did I sign up for?". I picked up confidence after half of it and by the time I transitioned to Muralidhara Kavuthuvam, it was all good.

Muralidhara Kavuthuvam -- This is a piece I have performed before on stage and I was pretty confident about it. So, from the start, it went well and my confidence grew. I was still holding back a tiny bit and not changing leg lifts to standing poses with both legs on the ground.

Varnam -- My confidence took off here. Especially, when I could do the abhinaya bits, I felt happy. The jathis came automatically to me. The singer in the orchestra took a chitta-swaram a bit different from we had planned but we ironed it out easily. At one point, my bells got stuck in my fan but that also went ok -- I couldn't be easily distracted from my varnam. I had found my zone :)

We had very little time for costume change after varnam  but I was in a high and went on to do a good job with Andal Thirupaavai inspite (Andru ivvulagam) of slightly different verses being sung from what we had practiced for. Loved the last bit when the door opens and Krishna comes out (my teacher had trained me well for that moment)! Loved the costume and make-up for it!

The next piece went very well. Maadu mekkum kanne -- it took a few verses for the singer and me to sync up but all went well. I held my smile in place and we were good to go. There was one point where I finished my walk before I should have but the song being in Tamil, I could easily cover up the extra lyrics!

The Thillana and Mangalam went well! I made up some impromptu on-beat steps for the Thillana and was thrilled about it -- didn't realized I could do it without showing a change of expression on my face!

The MCs rocked, 8 year old K~ gave a lovely speech about me, everything fell into place as my teacher said it would!

It was emotional day for my teacher, me and all my friends -- my thank you speech was well received. Still hasn't sunk in that the day is over...thanks to my teacher and everyone else who made it happen!

1 day to go!

Have been a bit tensed and restless today. Same time tomorrow, I should be so relieved and happy! Universe, now is the time to do your thing for me tomorrow!

Affirmation: All is well and will be well.

1 day+ to go...

Had a full practice with orchestra in Louisville today. My 5 row salangai kept hitting the bone on my feet as a result of which I have a pretty big blood clot on the top of my right foot and a smaller one on my left foot. Iced it some and am wondering if I should just go for the 4 row velcro-ed salangai as suggested by my teacher. We shall see how the healing goes!

One day of rest and the arangetram is on Sunday at 3.

Affirmation: I got it all down -- the swarams, the sahityams, the songs, the steps -- it's all in my muscle memory!

2 days to go!

Got my altered costume verified by my teacher and showed it to my friend who is going to help me with my costume on my arangetram day. Felt a bit tired today because I did not eat tiffin on time. Going to sleep early because I need to wake up early tomorrow for a 8.30 AM practice in Louisville!

Brochures here -- I look 3 shades browner than I am. Oh well. It is what it is :) All the gifts for the orchestra are set. Just need to write the thank you cards and the thank you speech!

Affirmation -- I am energetic and love to dance today and everyday.

Last but one practice!

Had a great practice session today (my teacher drove us to Louisville), I did forget one swaram but I had high energy throughout my practice and we danced the whole routine without a break!

Affirmation: I will remember, I will.