What is an Arangetram Function and What Kind of Gifts Should You Take? All You Need to Know About This Dance Debut & the Top 10 Arangetram Gifts for 2020

Arangetram is a beautiful function which is organised when a student of any classical dance form performs on stage for the very first time. This is the first on-stage performance after the years of hard training. Teachers usually decide on an Arangetram for their students when they are fully trained. So, in a way, it is a big day for a classical dancer. The word Arangetram has been coined from the Tamil language and its exact meaning is - ascending the stage by dancer after the completion of formal training. It is a sort of a graduation ceremony of Indian classical dancers and after this ceremony, they can move forward in their dancing career. This ceremony is a milestone in the life of a dancer, that’s why in South India this ceremony is celebrated on a grand scale.

Arangetram celebration, or as we can say, graduation ceremony of Indian classical dancers, is a very prestigious ceremony. In this ceremony, numerous parts are included which a dancer has to pass. It is a very well structured graduation ceremony like any college or school graduation ceremony. This celebration has been broadly divided into nine parts. So, if you are going to attend an Arangetram ceremony soon, then make sure to learn all the basics of the ceremony. The nine parts of Arangetram celebration are mentioned below.

This is a beginning act of the arangetram where dancer bow in front of God, guru, and audience. It is a kind of warm-up exercise for a dancer so that they can prepare their body for the long performance. It includes pure dance steps which are performed according to the taal, or beats. However, gradually the level of body movements increases and complex steps are performed by the dancer soon. This part of Arangetram doesn’t convey any message - it is just a warm up session and a method of paying respect to all the attendees.

This is the next phase of the Arangetram and is the most thrilling part as well. In this phase, the dancer slowly increases the tempo of dance and performs numerous enchanting and complex postures and teermanas or muktayas. This performance is paired with the beautiful melody of raga which will hypnotise you. This is a starting part of the upcoming interesting and complex Bharatnatyam dance performance.

This part of the Arangetram is comprised of both Nritta and Abhinaya. In this phase, you will see some fluid dance movements amalgamated with some sharp acting skills. Generally, the theme of the lyrics revolves around the devotional scenes from Lord Krishna's life such as naughty scenes from Krishna's childhood, romantic Krishna’s Rasleela act or any famous sequence from numerous devotional stories of Lord Krishna. In the shabdam, emotions are kept withheld in the starting. However, once a dancer has clarified herself, then they showcase their discipline and measured attitude. After getting grip on the discipline, the dance moves to the next phase.

Varnam is the test of a dancer where they are tested on both Nritta and Abhinaya parts. It is a test of the dancers capacity to perform both dancing and acting in one flow. Numerous complex dance steps and expressions are compromised in this part of Arangetram. It is a pure test of the dancer’s capacity and skills in the most disciplined manner. The theme of Varnam is mainly kept devotional, but it’s not compulsory as Shrungara Rasa can also be kept as the theme of this part.

In this section, sheer expressions of divine love and a strong pang of separation in true love are portrayed by the dancer. The pace and movement of the dance is gradually slow in this part to express the mellow feelings of love. Padam act is like a movie where different characters are present; a hero as a lover or divine lord and the heroine as one yearning and vulnerable soul. In Padam, different scenes , like the heroine telling about her love affair to her friends, hero betraying the heroine, hero chasing for the heroine’s forgiveness, etc., and other different kind of skits are performed by Bharatnatyam dancers.

This is the very romantic and soulful creation of poet Jayadeva Sanskrit called Geetagovinda. They are highly romantic compositions which describe the pure love bond between Lord Krishna and his childhood friend Radha. Each canto is either sung by Radha or her maid and in 12 cantos different postures of Krishna's mind are described. Each canto is named differently such as Saamodadamodara - joyful Krishna, Aakleshakeshava – careless Krishna, Mugdhamadhusoodhana – bewildered Krishna, Snigdhamadhusoodhana – tender Krishna, Saakankshapundareekaksha – longing Krishna, Kuntavaikunta – indolent Krishna, Naagaranaaraayana – cunning Krishna, Vilakshalakshmeepatihi – abashed Krishna, Mandamukunda – languishing Krishna, Chaturachaturbhuja – intelligent Krishna, Saanandadamodara – blissful Krishna, Supreetapeetambara – ecstatic Krishna.

This term refers to devotional lyrics composed in the praise of God. It mainly includes the Abhinaya part only. You won’t see any dance in this act. This act is a compiled composition of great mystic Bharatnatyam compositions like Purandaradasa, Vyasaraja, etc. Bharatnatyam compositions are collectively known as Dasa Sahitya. They are devotional literature in easy to understand language. The different philosophies of life and love are narrated in them.

This is the last part of the Bharatnatyam performance. This part is composed of various complicated movements and postures. It is a sort of the last glimpse of the full performance where different muktayas are compiled in the ending of the performance. It is a dance piece in which numerous charanas, abhinaya, and meaningful lyrics are compressed. It is a showstopper part of the whole Bharatanatyam performance act presented by the Arangetram dancer.

This is the end phase of the Arangetram ceremony, where dancers again acknowledge their audience and pay respect to God and their guru. They thank the audience for watching their performance and their whole act. They thank God for giving them the strength to successfully complete the performance. Moreover, they thank their guru for teaching them this expressive dance form and training them. This dance presented by the Arangetram dancer is a way of expressing gratitude.

If someone in your circle is graduating as an Indian classical dancer and has invited you to watch the first performance, then you should definitely take some meaningful gift for the dancer. However, if you are a bit confused and can’t understand what type of gift would be perfect for an Arangetram ceremony, then don’t stress. We have created the list of ten amazing Arangetram gifts which are perfectly designed to celebrate this auspicious occasion. So, you can wish good luck to your friend by presenting the following gifts.

This is the most divine and perfect gift for the Arangetram ceremony. This beautifully crafted brass idol of Lord Nataraja - a dancing form of Lord Shiva will give blessings to the new dancer to become a flawless performer. It is a very finely crafted brass idol which will look outstanding as a showpiece. This status of Lord Shiva will bring lots of happiness and good luck in the life of its recipient.

You can order this divine gift from statuestudio.com for ₹2,533.

Vasthu Vilakku is a beautiful piece of pooja item which is used by classical dancers to purify the environment of the performance room before paying respect to God and their guru. This Vasthu Vilakku is strictly designed according to the norms of Vastu Shastra. It is a symbolic representation of the Tantric concept. In this product, pavithra design has been molded upon the top portion of this lamp. If you present this as a gift to Arangetram dancer, then he or she can always use it before starting their performance. Moreover, they can place it in their pooja room and lighten it to purify the environment.

This handcrafted gift is available on natureloc.com for ₹3,800.

A Bharatnatyam dancer has to wear traditional and beautifully designed South Indian silk saree during their performance. So, this beautifully handcrafted and threaded silk saree is a perfect gift for the occasion. This graceful saree and blouse is a perfect addition in the wardrobe of a Bharatanatyam dancer.

This gorgeous silk saree can be ordered from sareego.com for ₹1,299.

An Indian classical dancer has to wear the traditional style of saree and jewellery along with bold makeup. So, you can gift his beautiful travel vanity bag in which the Bharatnatyam dancer can store all his or her make up items. The exterior is gender neutral and has a subtle design so it's suitbale for both men and women. They can easily carry all their make up stuff in this vanity bag and can quickly apply makeup before their performance.

It is a designer travel vanity bag with easy to carry features. It is going to be very useful gift for the dancer's graduation ceremony as it has numerous pockets to store small makeup items.

You can order this Sephora collection vanity bag from nnnow.com for ₹4,320.

If you are a bit confused or running out of time to select the perfect gift for a dancer, then you can quickly get this exclusive food basket. It is a very unique and refreshing fruit basket. In this basket, you will get fresh fruits, like two varieties of pears, two varieties of apples, oranges, and mandarins, and fruits in season. Moreover, this basket has delicious cheddar cheese and roasted almonds pack as well. Overall, it is a very rich basket and a perfect gift for the graduation ceremony.

This gift basket is presented by Ubuy India for a moderate price of ₹4,068.

If you are looking for something great and healthy for your upcoming performer, then you can gift this rich dry fruit gift pack to the graduate. This is a perfectly designed dry fruit pack which can be gifted on special festival and religious occasions. This basket contains 100 gm of almonds, cashews, raisins, anjeer and walnuts, all highly nutritious snacks.

This delightful gift can be ordered from krushikendra.com for ₹950 only.

It is a traditional gesture to present sweets on special occasions, and if you don't know the debutante's needs well enough to get a more specific gift, this is a very good option. So, if someone in your family or friends circle is participating in Arangetram, then you can wish them good luck by gifting a pack of Athirasam & Rava Laddu. This is a South Indian delicacy and is very delicious.

These traditional sweets can be ordered from orderyourchoice.com for ₹598.

An Arangetram performer has to wear a traditional silk saree with authentic jewelry for their performance. So, you can gift this traditional Laxmi Temple necklace set to the dancer. It is a very beautifully crafted necklace, one high neck, and other long necklace along with the matching earrings. The performer can definitely use this delicate set of jewellery for her next performance.

You can order the authentic Laxmi Temple set from snapdeal.com for ₹1,999.

Ghungroos are a very important part of a Bharatnatyam dancer’s life. They have to wear enchanted bells to make their performance soulful. During the high powered performances, ghungroos get easily damaged or break from the belt. That’s why you can gift a spare pair of ghungroos to the Bharatanatyam performer on the Arangetram ceremony so they can wear them while performing.

You can order a 50-bells ghungroos belt from snapdeal.com for ₹1,399.

If you want to give something spiritual and decorative to the performer, then you can give this beautiful wall mounted sand Ganesha statue. Wall relief Ganesha is a mystic sculpture which is perfect for any wall. It has a striking presence and can convert any space into an art exhibit. This is a beautifully handcrafted statue with a fine quality of fiber. It is applicable to both the indoor and outdoor walls.

This sculpture can be ordered from zufolodesigns.com for ₹6,200.