Shweta Prachande is one of the most dynamic and accomplished Bharatanatyam artistes of her generation, celebrated for her striking blend of geometric precision, fluid grace, and deep emotional clarity (abhinaya). Trained for over fifteen years under the esteemed maestro Guru Smt. Priyadarsini Govind and mentored in expressional nuances by the legendary Guru Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, she also holds an MFA in Bharatanatyam and a Diploma in Dance Studies from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. Please read a review of her dance by The Hindu.

Philadelphia Ganesh Festival link

Program Notes

Ganesha Mallari

An invocation to lord Ganesha; son of Gauri, the great Lambodara, remover of all obstacles. We bow down to his magnificent form, beginning on an auspicious note.

Music composition – Shri Rajkumar Bharati

Lyrics – Shri G Vijayaraghavan

Ragam – Amritavarshini Natai,

Talam -Adi

Alaripu

Talam – Misra capu

Composition – Aadith Seshadri

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Varnam

The main piece of this presentation is the varnam in ragamalika set to Rupaka Talam, a gem from the Tanjore Quartet. The heroine speaks of her love for Brhadisvara of Tanjapuri and tells him that every moment she thinks of him and no other.

Sami Ninne Kori Naanurai in Ragamalika, Rupaka Talam.

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Pillai Tamil is a classical poetic form in which the poet imagines a deity as a beloved child and sings in praise of them. In this composition, the poet envisions Kanthimathi, the goddess of Tirunelveli, as a young child.Taking on the voice of a loving mother, the poet speaks with tenderness, playfulness, and gentle insistence—much like a parent coaxing a toddler to listen. She pleads, cajoles, and lovingly threatens, using all the child’s favorite comforts and joys to persuade her to come closer.

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Krithi – Adum Chidambaramo

Ragam – Behag

Talam – Adi

Composer – Shri Gopalakrishna Bharati

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Subhashita – he Rambha

Ragamalika, Talamalika

Language- Samskritam

Beautiful verse in which Ganesha and Karthikeya have seem to have a small quarrel and Parvathi enters, and while listening to both of them quietly smiles and get them together to resolve their little fight.

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Thillana Inspired by a composition from the Mridangam Maestro Guru Kaaraikudi Mani’s ensemble, Shruthilaya, this beautiful instrumental work has been reimagined as a vocal composition for dance by Rithvik Raja.