Pushpanjali, Allaripu, and Slokam

Pushpanjali literally means offering flowers at the feet of God. In this invocatory piece, the dancer explores the space and seeks blessings from Lord Nataraja, Mother Earth, her Guru, the Orchestra, and the audience. The compositions for Pushpanjali consists of rhythmic syllables, or jathis. The pushpanjali will be followed by a Talamalika Alarippu, in which each section will change its rhythmic cycles. Finally, this piece concludes with a sequence of slokams on Ganesha, Saraswathi, and Shiva.

Siddhi Vinayaka

Ragam: Naatai

Talam: Adi

Composer: Sri R. Parthasarathy Iyengar

In this energetic piece, the dancer asks Lord Ganesha for his blessings. The dance praises the elephant-faced god, the remover of obstacles, and asks that he shows compassion to his devotees.

Jathiswaram

Ragam: Chakravakam

Talam: Rupakam

Composers: Thanjavur Quartet

Jathiswaram is a pure nritta item, where the emphasis is on the rhythm. As the name suggests, jathis (rhythmic syllables) and swarams (musical notes) are interwoven in beautiful patterns (korvai) culminating in theermanams.