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Event Series Arangetram Season August/September 2024

Arangetram Season 2024

The word Aranga means raised stage. Etram means climbing. Arangetram means – reaching the stage. It is a rite of passage ceremony where the Guru presents her disciple to the public. After several years of training and preparation students perform a solo dance performance on stage for the public with live music accompaniment by master artists. The Arangetram celebrates a milestone in the students training in the dance and signals the beginning of a new chapter of discovery and deeper engagement in the artform.

Shakti Nostalgia Festival

Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Redondo Beach

Get ready for an unforgettable celebration of 47 years of Shakti in LA! 42 Shakti alumni and current dancers light up the stage with the vibrant art of Bharata Natyam dance. Don’t miss this powerful celebration of culture and community!

Vijayadashmi Celebration

Vijayadashmi Festival honors Saraswati the Goddess of Learning and the Arts. The festival is celebrated in Sept/Oct. The students lovingly prepare to dance and celebrate together. This is the chance for family and friends to see senior shakti dancers, alumni, the youngest as well as brand new enrollments to the school are inaugurated. Joy, dance, and food bring the Shakti families together each year!

Naatucracker

Alex Theatre 216 N Brand Blvd, Glendale

A vibrant blending of movement, drama and music, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is imagined as Naatucracker- The Dancing Nut, through the Bharata Natyam dance form of India.

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Event Highlights!

Shakti Dance Company

The Shakti Dance Company -the performing division of the school- has toured nationwide, performed at the World Festival of Sacred Music – Los Angeles, the International Festival in Guadalajara under the auspices of the Foundation for World Arts, Hollywood Bowl’s Summer Sounds, Annual LA County Holiday Celebration, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center in Los Angeles and more.

Established in 1981, the Shakti Dance Company is based in Los Angeles, California. All performing members have had several years of training and have completed their arangetrams (solo dance debuts.) The average dance experience of the senior Shakti Dance Company member is 8-12 years. 

Renowned dancers from India, US, Malaysia and other parts of the world are an integral part of the Shakti Dance Company. The company’s orchestra of world-class musicians from India, US and Canada provide vital musical accompaniment for all performances.

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Shakti School Performance

Shakti School of Bharata Natyam

Shakti School of Bharata Natyam is a premier institution of Bharata Natyam (Classical dance of Southern India) in Southern California. Artistic Director, Viji Prakash teaches the Thanjavur style of Bharata Natyam characterized by its grace and vigor. Founded in 1977, Viji has provided instruction to over 2000 students in the art form. Over 300 students have performed solo dance debuts (Arangetram) and have toured India and the USA as members of the Shakti Dance Company, winning international awards and recognition.

Classes range from beginner, intermediate and advanced and taught at four locations: West LA, Valley, Torrance, Orange.

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Testimonials

“Viji…I liked it…of all the dance productions of yours that I have seen, your Bhagavad Git is the Best.”

Pandit Ravi Shankar - Irvine, CA

“Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed Shakti’s production of BHAGVAD GITA in Palo Alto last month, and to thank you for bringing such a wonderful show to the SF Bay Area. Everything about the program-dance, music, costume design and stage setting-was excellent and some of the highlights of the show are still with me. It was a joy to see you and Ajit dancing together, and the footwork in the thillana was just unforgettable. Thank you!

Sherman Lo - San Francisco, CA

Frankly, we were shocked about the beauty and hearing of these dances. We had no idea this existed. I still hear the mesmerizing music and rythms and see the colors, movements and faces of the dancers expressing the millenium-old sagas of their forefathers. I felt like being 40,000 miles away and 2000 years ago.
Thank You! Danke!

Barbara and Hanno Ix - San Diego, CA

Myself & Shanthi want to just let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed the “Bhagvad Gita” performance yesterday at Cubberly Theatre. It was simply outstanding and we were just transported to a different world for over 3 hours. This lasting effect lingered for a while even after the performance. Excellent choreography and all the important sequences of the “Gita” were included. Your students were just flawless. It was a wonderful treat to hear the musicians and the orchestra as well. The combination of Srivatsa and Palai Ramachandran was so good along with the soothing voice of Lakshmi Shankar. We look forward to many more productions from your troupe in our area in the future. Our entire family (parents and my daughter Sindhu) enjoyed it as well. Again congratulations to you and your troupe!!!!!!!”

Narayan Natarajan - San Jose, CA

That was an awesome performance today. . . Your students were powerful and energetic. Mythili was breathtaking as Draupadi & Karna. I enjoyed Duryodana’s & Arjuna’s performances as well. Ajit was fantastic . . .
Your Krishna was playful yet powerful. The whole dance drama was well put together and the music carried it to great heights. Congratulations!

Vidhya Subramanian - San Jose, CA

While many Angelenos were tuned into the fourth- season opener of “The Sopranos” on Sunday night, another drama of lust, greed, murder was unfolding at the Irvine Barclay Theatre… The full house on hand responded with standing ovation. A Southland treasure, Shakti will tour this extravaganza to other cities, including Houston and San Francisco.

Victoria Looseleaf - Los Angeles Times