Category: dancing

A Mitski Concert

Recently, as a gift for my birthday, I got to go to a concert for my favorite artist- Mitski. I’ve loved her music for a little over a year now and her music still means a lot to me. Being able to see her live was a wonder and I was so thankful for the opportunity to go.

I’d been preparing for her tour as soon as tickets dropped- finding the setlist, listening to it on repeat, educating my parents on her music, you name it. I was so incredibly excited to see her live.

The day of the concert was slightly worrisome, as there were threats of a storm and I was concerned that rain would become a problem. Luckily, the weather remained clear (the storm missed us entirely) and the threat of the concert rescheduling, or worse, cancelling entirely, was alleviated.

We arrived pretty early, taking our time to find our seats and look around. I had known multiple people from my school who would be going and I used this time to try and spot them (in the end, I unfortunately only ended up meeting one).

The opening act was Arlo Parks, a musician whose music I had only somewhat listened to. Listening to her in real life, though, was spell bounding. Her music was gorgeous and her voice was beautiful. I loved hearing her songs in person and many of them are already on my playlist.

After another 30 minutes of waiting, it was Mitski’s time to shine. Her songs were so beautiful and I loved her choreography and lighting, both of which were incredibly unique. For example, in one of her songs, she slow-dances with a beam of light and in another, she is trapped in a cage of light. Being able to see all of these songs which I loved live was amazing and I could tell the whole crowd was enjoying it too.

As the show came to a close, we were one of the first ones out, meaning that we were able to stand in the merch (short for merchandise) line before it grew too long and I walked away with a T-shirt which I really love.

This concert has been one of my favorite experiences and I’m so grateful and happy that I was able to go. Have you ever been to a concert?

Being in a Production

Recently, I was part of a production of Kannagi, a classic Indian myth. I was part of the ensemble, playing small roles here and there, such as Kannagi’s friends in one section, or personifying bad luck in another. The entire production was around 18 minutes long, therefore being a shortened version of the story.

In the story, Kannagi meets Kovalan, a merchant, and the two fall in love and get married. However, when out on a trip, Kovalan meets the dancer Madhavi and spends all his money on her. Kannagi forgives Kovalan and gives him her anklet to trade and get money for. However, when he tries to get it sold, the jeweler charges him with the theft of the queen’s anklet, which had been missing and looked like Kannagi’s anklet. The king, normally just, orders the execution of Kovalan. When Kannagi hears of this, she is furious, opening up her anklet to prove that, unlike the queen’s, hers has rubies inside. She curses the city of Madurai to burn and becomes a goddess.

In our production, we played the role of Kannagi’s friends, dancing with her when she was joyous and celebrating the wedding, the role of bad luck, chasing Kovalan when he goes to sell the anklet, the role of soldiers, killing Kovalan, and the role of fire, showing the city burning down.

We learned this entire item in a week and I had class most days- Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday- leading up to the performance (Sunday the 8th). We learned the item in the first 4 days, using the last 2 as days to review and clean up the dance. Often, classes were 2 hours long including time to choreograph and practice.

The dance itself was a mix of styles from Southern India as the story originated from there. This included Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Mohiniyattam (Kerala), and Kathakali influences (Kerala).

During this time, I had the misfortune of injuring both my knee and my ankle. We made sure to order braces as soon as possible, hoping to alleviate the pain. Luckily, the braces did help, providing support for both areas and allowing me to continue to dance while still “resting” my leg. I wasn’t able to properly rest it with all the classes, but over time, as I continued to use the braces, the pain faded, though still there. For the final performance, I did end up wearing the knee brace.

While the performance wasn’t perfect, I was proud of what we’d learned and performed, especially at how emotional and powerful it was. It was an amazing item and I really enjoyed it and hope to learn something like it again.

Newsies: The Musical

Recently, I went to see another musical- Newsies! This musical was originally a Disney movie, which was then adapted into the musical that it is today.

I absolutely loved the songs in this musical, especially the solos. All the actor’s voices were so beautiful and were perfect in conveying the story. I also really liked the set and how they were able to move only a few pieces/add in a few pieces around to convey completely different areas.

Newsies is about a group of newsboys who’s goal is to leave New York and find a new, more peaceful life for themselves. However, when the cost of buying newspapers to sell is raised, the Newsies decide to go on strike. As they gain support from other Newsies around town, Pulitzer, who runs the press, becomes enraged, banning the newspapers in town from publishing any news about the strike.

One of the things Newsies (the musical) is most well known for is its choreography and this didn’t disappoint! All the characters had such fun choreography that was a treat to watch and I really enjoyed it!

I loved this story as well as all of the characters! They all had so much spirit and such amazing personalities. I hope to watch the movie sometime as well and see how they compare!

Odissi

Recently, I watched an Odissi performance by Ms. Arushi Mudgal. Her performance was based around a theme of Aikya, unity. I really enjoyed watching her dance, along with her live orchestra. There was someone playing mridangam, the dancer’s sister who sang and did nattuvangam, another singer, and a flutist.
The dancer performed an invocatory item, then a Parvati Lasyam, which was about Shiva noticing Parvati dancing and how she lights up the world.
Next, she performed a story about Radha and Krishna. The dance illustrated the story of Radha dressing up as Krishna and asking Krisha to dress up as her too. She becomes so immersed in her role as Krishna that she goes to the village and call out for Radha, her friend. This item had more abhinaya and I really liked the details.
Her next item was a pallavi, a full nritta item (in Odissi), about the joy of dance. I really enjoyed watching her dance! I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of aramandi used in her dance. She used a step like Lolita (from Mohiniattam) in this item.
Then, she performed a full abhinaya item about a hero leaving a naiyaka. She interpreted it as a soul leaving a body when the body is on the cusp of death. I really enjoyed this interpretation!
Her second to last item was once again about Radha and Krishna, but it was a more fun item where Radha is telling her friends about an encounter she had with Krishna. I really enjoyed the playfulness of this item.
This performance happened at the Match theater!

Mid Year Dance Festival

Recently, I went to see Chennai Music Academy’s Mid Year Dance Festival. I went on the second day and watched both Lekha Prasad (disciple of Guru Priya Murle) and P.V. Adithya (disciple of Guru Sudharani Raghunathy) perform a 4 item margam consisting of a varnam and a thillana, the other two items being unique to the performer. I enjoyed both dances immensely, especially with the more intimate area, with a smaller stage and a live orchestra.


The first dancer, Lekha Prasad, started off with an invocatory item composed by Chirumanavoor Muniswamy Mudaliar. Next, she performed a 45-50 minute varnam called Sami nee Rammana Ve composed by Tanjore Ponnayya. Her aadavus were clean and I especially liked how she used her eyes in the abhinaya sections. Her poses were also well done and were once again, clean. Her angashruti was really good. After this, she performed an Ashtapadi- Yahi Madhava- composed by Jayadeva, then ended with a thillana composed by the Tanjore Quartet. I enjoyed her performance a lot.


Next was a performance by P.V. Adithya. He started off with a Kriti composed by Mysore Vasudevachar, in which his angashruti shone. Next was a 50 minute Varnam- Sami ninne kori- composed by the Tanjore Quartet. I really enjoyed his aadavus, as they were crisp and clear. Each aadvu was completed fully and even the faster speeds were clear. I also enjoyed his abhinaya.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the performances from the Chennai Music Academy. They were both well put together and presented and I am incredibly glad I was able to see these performances!

The Lightning Thief Musical

Recently, I went to go see a musical based on the first Percy Jackson book- The Lightning Thief. As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Percy Jackson and Greek mythology by extension, so I was really excited to see how this musical turned out. I’d already listened to the songs, so I knew most of it, and as I’d read the book before, I knew how the plot was going to turn out. Still, I was incredibly excited to see how it would be interpreted.

I really enjoyed the set and how, while the overall pieces and elements were the same, a simple change of banners or how the set pieces were placed could change the vibe of a scene and show a different setting (and obviously the lights helped with this too). Even though there was a smaller cast, I loved getting to see all the characters and their costumes for each character. Some of my favorite characters were Grover/Mr. D as well as Annabeth. They portrayed their characters really well and I enjoyed it all!

While it was a smaller scale production, I still really enjoyed how the scenes in the book leapt off the pages to be seen in real life. I especially enjoyed how some lines from the book were taken word for word, and it was so much fun to recognize these lines!

Chicago: The Musical

Recently, I went to see a new musical, Chicago. This added to the collection of musicals I’ve seen and (spoiler alert) that list is only going to grow this year.

I really enjoyed this musical, especially the music. The music set the scene incredibly well and I also loved how the conductor was involved in the story line at times. The choreography was also done incredibly well and you could tell the actors were thoroughly involved in the musical. I found the set interesting, as it was only a blank stage, with the occasional prop of a chair or two.

The musical was based on a play made in 1926, about the corruption in Chicago. The original play was based off of real criminals and real stories. The musical features Velma and Roxie, two women who have both ended up in jail. Velma’s famous and she’s been in the papers a lot, so when Roxie takes her spot, she’s upset. Again, I loved the songs and the choreography and the way the musical flowed. It was amazing to watch!

Have you been to see any musicals? Which ones are your favorites?

2023 goals

2023 is hopefully going to be a big year! I’m graduating middle school and moving on to high school, so that’s a pretty big milestone for me. I’m also hoping to work on things I’m passionate about and get much better at them.

Dance:

Dance, especially Bharatanatyam, is already a huge part of my life and I want that to continue through the new year. I hope to practice a lot more, learn many new items, and get more opportunities to perform.
This year, I’ll also get to perform in my school’s Spring Show, where I’ll be able to perform 4 dances in front of parents and friends. This is something I’m really excited for and I can’t wait to grow my contemporary dancing skills as well!

Writing:

I really want to work on my writing, as well as my use of vocabulary. Writing is already a huge passion of mine and I definitely want to grow that this year. I’m also auditioning for a creative-arts school in the category of writing!

Art:

Along with my writing, I would like to get better at my art skills! Currently, I might not be the best artist, however, I definitely want to practice a lot this year and hopefully learn more about art and develop an art style (or any semblance of one)

Books:

This year, I’m going to be trying to “read my bookshelf” more and get through many of the books on my bookshelf instead of always getting new ones. I hope to maybe finish more series and discover a lot of good books!

School:

This year, I’ll be going into high school and I hope to find my footing quickly. I’ll definitely keep working hard in my new school (and for the rest of middle school).

What goals do you have for 2023?

2022 lookback

January:

I started the year in India. We didn’t really do much that first month, but it was a good and clean beginning to the new year.

February:

We took a quick staycation in Downtown, which was definitely a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity to relax while staying in the city.

March:

We went to Miami this year which was a lot of fun! We got to see a lighthouse and also got to visit Calle Ocho, which I had been learning about in school. I also visited the science museum which was a fun experience.
We also got to see Hamilton, which was awesome. I loved watching the songs come to life and it was overall a great experience.

April:

I did two dance performances this month- an annual recital for Bharatanatyam and my first ever Mohiniyattam performance!
I also got to watch an arangetram which was a new experience for me.

May:

We went to New Mexico which was really cool! I really enjoyed viewing the Carlsbad Caverns and the Petroleum Museum, as well as Monahans Sandhills State Park.
Our school also put on Matilda the Musical and I really enjoyed watching it, especially as a lot of my friends starred in it.

June:

Right before 7th grade ended, we had our schoolwide International Peace Festival, in which my friend and I put together a project on gender equality. During summer, I went to India which was a lot of fun, as usual.

July:

I went to Delhi in the beginning of July, which was a place I’d never been before. I really enjoyed visiting The Taj Mahal, Qutab Minar, and Isa Khan’s tomb, as well as other places.
I came home from India early (☹️) to go to Leadership Camp, hosted by my Leadership teacher for 8th grade. I really enjoyed camp and definitely made a lot of memories there.

August:

I started 8th grade around the middle of August which was an incredible new experience.
I also competed in a duet and a group Bharatanatyam competition and won first place for the duet!

September:

I celebrated my birthday this month and turned 13! Other than that we didn’t do much, but I really enjoyed celebrating my birthday and cherished everyone in my life that day (and month).

October:

I started the month with a roller skating party for everyone in Leadership. At first, I was a bit shaky, but I eventually got the hang of it and had a lot of fun!
I also got to see another musical- Hadestown, which was inspired by Greek mythology, which I love.
After that, we had Homecoming, which is definitely one of my highlights this year, as I got to have a lot of fun that night.

November:

I started November off with my UIL theater class performing twice, once for parents and once at a competition. I had a lot of fun both times and I can’t wait to do it again in the spring!
After that, we went to my last musical of the year- SIX the Musical. I also saw two of my friends there which was such a fun experience!
Then, during Fall Break, we went to Boston and I saw a lot of historical monuments, which went perfectly with what we were learning in US History.
Lastly, I ended the month with Fall Show, a performance organized by the dance teachers so we can show off what we have learnt in the first semester.

December:

Our school’s first semester has ended, meaning we’re halfway through the school year. This was also the first year I had to do midterms, because I’ve started taking high-school level courses.
As the semester ended, I went to our school’s winter concert, as I had many friends in orchestra. I really enjoyed watching them perform and they did great!
Lastly, I closed the year off by going to India for winter break.

How has your year been?

Homecoming 2022

This year at my school, we had a Homecoming game and dance! Though I didn’t go to the game, I really enjoyed the dance and being able to see my friends and spend time with them.

One of the best parts was definitely being able to wear a pavadai to this event. Me and my other Indian friend had planned this for a while, so we showed up each wearing a matching outfit, her wearing pink and me wearing blue. I loved how we looked and the way we were able to show off our culture!

Another fun part about the dance was how it was set up. We had three areas we could go to- the gym, the cafeteria, or the patio.
In the gym, there was a lively and bustling environment, with a DJ and a crowd of people dancing along to the music.
In the cafeteria (where I mainly was), some teachers had candy and water, keeping us happy and hydrated. There was also a variety of songs playing and overall, the mood was bright.
Lastly, there was the chess patio. The patio was lit up beautifully, with strings of fairy lights surrounding the whole place. It has a calming atmosphere and was probably the nicest place throughout the dance.

All in all, the Homecoming dance was really fun and I enjoyed meeting all my friends with this and getting to spend 2 hours with them without having school work or anything else to focus on.