They come from the USA only to find an audience for their chosen vocation that runs parallel to the usual tide of techno tracks! Indeed, the juggling of these two extremes is appreciable in itself. These Indo-Americans' cherished dream of performing in India came true when the Cultural Department of Andhra Pradesh organized their recital at the Ravindra Bharathi. Sagarika Kalpatapu, Srinivas Prasad and Yamini Saripalli performed some revered numbers of Kuchipudi dance, based on Sanskrit, Telugu and also Kannada poetry.
And they were appreciated by the chief guest, C Narayana Reddy, for honoring and practicing the Telugu and Sanskrit poetry, and for keeping the art alive in a foreign land. Purandara Dasa's Kannada poem, "Gajavadana Beduve Gauri Tanaya", came alive with heavy, yet graceful, depictions of the Ganesha image. The Ragamalika 'Mandooka Sabdham' was a dramatic mythical piece, where a frog turns into a beautiful maiden, Mandodari, and gets wedded to the ten-headed vibrant King, Ravana.
The recital concluded with a contemporary Tillana, composed by Nookala Chinnastaya Narayana in 'Hindola' raga. The performance was attended by many a noted dancer from the city, like Alekhya, Pasumarthy Ramalinga Sastry and Swathy Somanath.
The message was clear - "We're keeping the dream alive".
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