Antaryatra - The Journey Within at Esplanade theatre studio

The performance begins with a purely rhythmic invocation piece, Alarippu (blossoming of a flower) and ends with a final dance based on two sufi poems about pure, undulating love. In between, other segments touch on the topics of love, the beautiful complexity of human thoughts and emotions, and duty, featuring poems by classical and contemporary poets. An expressive thillana number also showcases the precision footwork and intricacies of bharatanatyam.
Dr. Janaki Ragarajan is an accomplished dance choreographer who has choreographed numerous bharatanatyam pieces including varnams, pushpanjalis, jathiswarams and thillanas. At 15, she became one of Padma Subrahmanyam’s youngest disciples to be promoted to the rank of faculty at the latter’s school, Nrithyodaya. In 2011, she received the prestigious title of Nadanamamani from Kathik Fine Arts, and has also won the Vasanthalakshmi-Narasimhachari award from Natyarangam (Narada Gana Sabha), Singar Mani from Sur Singar Samsad (Mumbai), and the Strauss Fellowship for Choreography from Arts Council of Fairfax County (U.S.A). She is known for her precision in Nritta, outstanding flexibility and graceful and convincing abhinaya, which reflects a rare depth. She has performed across many national and international platforms to critical acclaim.