UT Natyam's performance at the UT Hindu Students Association's Diwali 2019. The items featured are the Mallari and the Allaripu. The Mallari is an invocational piece, performed during the procession of a temple deity. The Mallari progresses through a set of increasing tempos, and consists of pure dance with minimal expressive component. The following item, the Allaripu, literally translates to "the blossoming of a flower." The Allaripu symbolizes the blossoming of a dancer in front of an audience, and features movements of the head, neck, and limbs to a rhythmic chant. The mallari is set to Raag Gambeera Nattai, and Adi Taalam, choreographed by Smt. Lavanya Ananth, and sung by M.S. Sukhi. The Allaripu is set to Tala Mallika, and choreographed by the members of Natyam. Performers: Ritvik Bhattacharjee, Manisha Ganesh, Nethra Kaushik, Sanjana Pappu, Uma Reddy, Nethra Subramanian

Bharatanatyam is a 2000 year old Indian Classical Dance form, originating from temple worship in the state of Tamil Nadu. The name Bharatanatyam has four stems in it, which signify the important aspects of the dance. Bha- stands for Bhava, or emotion; Ra- stands for Raagam, or melody; Tha-stands for Taalam, or rhythm; and Natyam means dance. Bharatanatyam features crisp geometric movements, complex footwork, and many facial expressions, used to reenact stories from various Hindu epics. The Pushpanjali is performed at the beginning of a Bharatanatyam recital. "Pushpa" means flower, and "anjali" means to offer with folded hands. In the pushpanjali, the dancers offer flowers to Lord Nataraja, the god of dance, and seek the blessings of the lord, and the audience. This pushpanjali is choregraphed by Madurai R. Muralidharan, and modified for group performance by Natyam. The pushpanjali is in Raag Vijaya Vasantham, set to Adi Taalam.

In a Bharatanatyam repertoire, the thillana is usually the finale of the performance. The thillana features complex footwork, quick movements, and graceful poses, set to various tempos of music. Near the end of the thillana, there is a Sahityam, or a verse that describes a deity to whom the Thillana is dedicated to. This thillana, in Raag Hindolam, is dedicated to goddess Kamakshi. Kamakshi is the presiding deity of Kanchi; tshe meditates under a mango tree, with a Sugar cane and lotus in one hand, and a parrot in the other. This Thillana is in Raag Hindolam, and Adi Taalam; it is the original choreography of Smt. Radha Sridhar. Performed by students at The University of Texas at Austin in the group "Natyam" for Milan 2018.