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!
Category: Events
Misery- Our Winter Play
For the past month or so, my school’s theater program has been working on the winter play- Misery by Stephen King. While I wasn’t involved in the play- either tech or acting wise- I did go see it recently and I really enjoyed it!
Misery is a play about an author named Paul Sheldon, who is famous for his Misery series, and his “number 1 fan”, Annie Wilkes. As Paul is driving back to New York, a storm hits and he is luckily saved by Annie. However, as he recovers, he starts to see the true side of Annie-someone who is prone to dangerous mood swings and wants him to stay with her forever. The play ends with Paul eventually killing Annie to make it back to his life as an author. However, she keeps haunting him, telling him how she’s his “number 1 fan”.
I loved watching the play, especially with how well done the tech was, especially the set and lighting!
A Streetcar Named Desire
Our theater program has been working on creating an adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire for the past 2 months. I’ve been on tech, specifically lighting- working on focusing lights, building an LED sign, wiring lights together, and so much more. Other departments were tasked with as much, if not more work-set built a platform and a balcony, scenic painted said platform, costumes sewed and bought outfits for everyone (and as the main characters each had a new costume or costume piece per scene, there was a lot to do), props provided the handheld items, and sound found and assembled what was needed for the show. It took all of us working together to create something as amazing as we did.
We performed the last two weekends- the 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th. Adding on to these scheduled evening shows, we added on an afternoon show on both Wednesday and Friday. All of our shows were sold out which was amaing!
It was really cool to be able to see the show come together. As I was on tech, I never really got to see what the actors did and vice versa. I remember the first time we got the actors to practice on the actual stage and the way that the play started to come to life then. We were able to go from just an idea on paper to a real life set and show, which was an incredible rewarding process
Recently, on Tuesday, we had our strike, which was when all the set was “knocked down” and taken down. For me, on lighting, this involved removing LED tape, taking down our fluorescents, taking down the sidelights (lights that shone from the wings of the stage) from the trusses, then removing the trusses themself. Other jobs included removing our balcony, removing the tarp and dirt from the stage, and organizing the piles of wood, tape, and nails. Currently, the stage is almost restored to its original look.
I definitely enjoyed my experience with theater this year and I definitely hope to continue in the coming years of high school!
The Upcoming School Year
Soon, in a week, I’m about to start high school! I’m pretty nervous, but I’m excited too, because this is a totally new experience.
This year, I’m taking my first AP class- AP Human Geography. AP classes are college-level classes, where the work load is higher and so is the material you learn.
Other classes I’m taking include Biology, English 1, Spanish 2, Algebra 2, PE, and Theater. I’m super excited to see my new school and start these classes and see what high school is like.
Over the summer, I’ve been completing the summer work required of us. This ranged from reading a specific dystopian book (English) to reviewing important landmarks (AP Human Geo). I’ve learned a lot from the work we’ve been told to do and I can’t wait to get back in a classroom and apply it.
Overall, I’m excited for this new experience and I know I will fully commit to it and do my best everyday. What was your high school experience like?
Crafts Over the Summer
This summer, in India, I’ve done a lot of crafts. These range from painting, to crochet, to embroidery, to balloon animals. They’ve all been a ton of fun and so I thought I’d go in detail about some of the fun things I’ve done this year.
Crochet:
I started learning how to crochet from my great-grandmother, who is a pro at it! We started small, with chains, then rubber bands, flowers, stars, and worked up to super cute bear keychains! I’m really proud of how much I’ve been able to learn in these 2 months.
Painting:
Using paints from my aunt, I first started painting in a coloring book. Currently, I’m working on a sunflower painting, but flipping the colors to their complementary versions (yellow is purple, green is red, etc.). I also painted a t-shirt using fabric paints! (also from my aunt).
PAPERCRAFTS:
Papercrafts are these dolls you can make! A game that I enjoy a lot- Project Sekai- offers up templates for these papercrafts for free, so I got to make a lot this summer! (8 in total).
Embroidery:
I started an embroidery project this summer, using a kit! I’d never really done embroidery before, but using instructions from my grandmother, I was really proud of the end product!
Balloon Animals:
This summer, I bought a balloon making kit. I learned how to make a balloon dog and balloon flowers! I got really good at making them and I still have a bunch of balloons left so I can’t want to keep making more.
What’s your favorite craft?
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 Everglades
Recently, I’ve been trying to experiment around with different poem styles- instead of classics like free style, limericks, or sonnets, I’ve been trying to find some unique styles- like the nonet! The nonet is based on syllable count and each line decreases, starting from 9 syllables-1 syllable.
I decided to write my nonet about the Everglades, which I got to visit when I went to Miami. They were incredible, and we even got to see an alligator, plus a heron! I enjoyed it a lot, so here’s my nonet about the Everglades!
You would think that in swampy waters
Nothing would dare to grow or live
I can prove you wrong, just take
a look at Florida’s
Everglades, where
wildlife thrives
everywhere,
just find
it
Here are some of the pictures from the Everglades!
What are some unique poetry styles that you know of?
Leadership EOY
In one of my recent posts, I talked about graduating! In one of my classes, leadership, we had an EOY party. There, different students had the opportunity to give a speech or presentation. I had the chance to give a speech in which I thanked it all- the year, the teacher, the class, the experience. Here’s my speech, I hope you enjoy it!
Leadership is a class I’ll look back on with fond memories. It’s a class that has helped me grow, flourish, and thrive through my 8th grade years. I’ve learnt things I never thought I would learn and experienced things I never thought I would experience. So this is a thank you. A thank you to people, classes, and experiences that have helped me learn. A thank you to those who have molded me and made me more of myself. A thank you to the closing of middle school and the opening of high school. This is a thank you.
First, a huge thank you to Mr. Marshall. The teacher of Leadership, a torch in the darkness. His brightness and energy made my day, no matter what. Every P day, or really, every single day, I knew that I had a respite in Mr. Marshall’s classroom. He was kind and caring to everyone, no matter who you were or what you did. He heard out everyone through all their ideas, silly or serious. Not only that, he addressed all topics. He didn’t shy away from the serious, no matter what. Mr. Marshall was an incredible role model, not only for me, but for everyone who was in his class.
Next, a thank you to the class of leadership itself. This class has given me so much to look forward to and so much to enjoy. It’s a class where I know I can relax and simply focus on the lesson without worrying about anything else. Our lessons are practical, but fun, teaching us skills that’ll be important in our day-to-day lives. For example, our lesson on framing, a lesson that taught me how to take the most ordinary or boring things and spin them so that I have a positive viewpoint. Or our lesson on writing reference letters, a skill that’ll surely be useful in any job we take up.
Lastly, a thank you to these experiences. Leadership has been one experience after another and I am so thankful to be able to be a part of it all. Starting from 7th grade, with our trial PUPS lessons, to now, giving a speech in front of everyone from leadership, I’ve never stopped to question it, letting myself enjoy it all. There’ve been so many fond memories made with the people in this room- Leadership Camp, PUP Camp, all the socials, making presentations together, giving tours together, teaching classes together, and so, so many more. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped growing or changing and I don’t plan to now, as I enter high school. Through it all, we’ve been one big, happy group. One big, happy ship. Leadership.
Leadership has created so many opportunities not for just me, but for all of us. I’ve seen everyone around me learn more about themselves and grow into the best version of ourselves. We’ve all grown and blossomed- just like our plants! I don’t think anything can change the memories we made here or the fun times we had. And all those memories, all those fun times are thanks to one shared class- leadership. So thank you to leadership. Thank you to all the people in this room- every single one of you. Thank for always being all aboard.
This class has created some of my best memories and I will miss it a lot. What classes like that have you taken?
Graduation!
Recently, on Wednesday, I finished up 8th grade, my last year of middle school. It was a momentous occasion and I was so happy to be part of it, though of course, it was also incredibly bittersweet.
I’ve enjoyed middle school a lot. It’s been filled with a lot of new things- new classes, new people, and new experiences. I’ve learned a lot and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to experience it all. Middle school has opened me up to new experiences, like theater, something that I’m incredibly passionate about today, which you might know if you’ve seen some of my previous blog posts.
Also, leadership! Leadership is a class I’d been hoping to get into ever since I first went on a tour and I was so happy to get the acceptance email. The classes, the teacher, and all the experiences have been one fun time and I’m so glad to have been part of it.
Lastly, I’ve made a lot of new friends, who I’ll miss so much in high school. They all mean a lot to me and while some of them are continuing on with me to the next year, I will unfortunately have to part ways with some people who mean a lot to me, though we have made promises to keep in touch.
On the other hand, I can’t wait to experience so much in high school! I’ve already gotten my classes for next school year, so I know what classes I’ll be taking. I’ll be continuing theater, which I’m super excited for! I’ll also be taking my first AP course- AP Human Geography. I know high school will be an extraordinary experience!
How were your school experiences?
Winter Break in Chennai
Lazy morning,
Sitting on the couch,
Playing games on devices that
Aren’t mine
Chennai is the best
Eating my comfort foods,
Surrounded by my family
What new adventure
Do we have today?
Chennai is the best
Cards in my hand
Shhh…don’t show anybody
Who’s the winner?
Yes! It’s me!
Chennai is the best
Staying up late at night
What movie shall we watch today?
Laughing with my grandparents
All night long
Chennai is the best
Never wanting to go back
Feeling so sad while arriving
at the airport
I can’t want to see everyone again!
Chennai is the best