This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Janani Lakshmanan, a PhD student and founding member of Aloha Natyam, an Indian classical dance company based out of Honolulu.
Lakshmanan shared: “Samam: the beginning and the end. The strength in unity. The origin of Sankalpa (intention), Sambhrama (celebration), Samanvaya (togetherness).
In a historic first for the Indian community of Hawaiʻi, Aloha Natyam, the state’s only premier Indian classical performing arts company, presents Samam: A Bharatanatyam Margam.
A margam, literally path or journey, is a traditional sequence of Indian classical dances that showcases both rhythmic and expressive proficiency. This production showcased of accomplished senior performers and spotlights up-and-coming Bharatanatyam dancers on island, several of whom are UH current students, as well as alumna and cooperating scientists. In this picture, you can see current UH Mānoa students Mia Davies (BFA, dance) and S. Janani Lakshmanan (PhD mathematics), UH Mānoa alumna Kavya Bhagawatula (MFA, dance), and John A. Burns School of Medicine affiliates Akshatha and Aarthi Sridhar preparing to give thanks in the Mangalam.
Samam premiered Saturday, January 18, 2025 at Ala Moana Centerstage in Honolulu. Photography by Dave Sonoda and and Mike Choy.”
Previous Images
Boudreaux Smiley
Aeʻo
Cannonball flower
Kīlauea
Aloha President Lassner
All Images of the Week
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