The Energizing Bharatnatyam & Kathak Dance Recital of Kusum Sharma’s Shri Natraj School of Dance

HOUSTON: On May 21, Kusum Sharma’s Shri Natraj School of Dance presented a captivating afternoon of annual dance recital at University of Houston. The program was conceived and choreographed by school’s artistic director Kusum Sharma with the help of Shri Natraj volunteers and lead teachers Aparna Krishnan, Nithya Ram Krishnan, Runmee Barbara & Tanya Sharma. The students of Shri Natraj School of Dance performed several dance forms including Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Bollywood.

The students varied in age from 4 years old to 40 years old. The audience was filled with friends and family as they watched the students perform. The show started at 3pm with a semi-classical dance as a praise to lord Ganesha. The talented dancers looked fabulous in their red and yellow costumes and they blew the audience away with their talent. Next in the line up was a classical Bharatnatyam dance on Pushpanjali, performed by beginner and intermediate girls and boys. Following this dance, the intermediate Bharatnatyam students performed gracefully on Mooshika Vahan, another tribute song to Ganesh ji. The performance was then followed by a kathak performance by the 1st year students. They showcased their talents and what they had learned in the past year. All the students were wearing traditional attire which looked stunning. The 2nd year students then performed their piece and displayed their footwork with precision leaving the audience wanting more. They wore dazzling beautiful golden Kathak costumes with Ghungroos (foot bells). Both of the kathak performances had live tabla (by Chidanand), Harmonium (by Ram Sharma) & vocal (by Kusum Sharma & Jasoda Sharma).

The next performance was performed by the dance master Kusum Sharma herself.. She performed on two classical songs to showcase her talent in Bharatnatyam and Kathak, a unique combination that few dancers expertise in. Both performances were very much appreciated the audience who gave thundering applause on conclusion of the performances. Next the students of Shri Natraj School of Dance performed to a Bollywood medley. The medley contained various songs strung together and performed by different classes of students. Shyam Moorthy and Nithya Ram-Krishnan emceed the show and kept the audience entertained by asking questions about Ramleela among other things. Kusum Sharma is the director of the annual Ramlelela that takes place in Houston since 2005. This year Ramleela is scheduled for September 24 at VPSS Haveli. No programs can be successful without the tireless volunteers. Special thanks to Padma Ramchandani, Rashmi Narwani , Deepa Kheskhani, Dhawal Nashikkar, Adarsh Menon, Aparna Krishnan, Tanya Rashi Sharma, Gautam Narwani, Jigna, Virendar, Neena and Meena Bansal, Naren Narwani,Vinod Ramchandani,  Aashi Sharma, Mythili Ramchandani, Pravin and Jyoti Vyas for making the recital a success and memorable program for everyone.