Press Release: TAGC Ugadi 2008 Celebrations

TAGC (Telugu Association of Greater Chicago) celebrated Sarvadhari Ugadi celebrations with a gamut of cultural events on 12th of April, 2008 at Samarathi Auditorium of the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont. Attendees were received to the function in the most traditional way by offering Kumkum and perfume by nicely dressed young ladies.

Maintaining the Ugadi tradition serving “Ugadi Pachadi” and “Poornaalu” along with dinner comprising of carefully selected mouth watering andhra dishes was only the beginning of a great evening ahead.

More than 600 people witnessed the event with festive fervor and exhilaration on the colorfully decorated stage with Ugadi theme props creatively crafted by Saroja Ravi.

It all began with a prayer song on Lord. Vinayaka by Gampa sisters, Anuhya and Amulya. The items immediately followed are “Panchanga Sravaram” and “Kavita Patanam” to depict the Ugadi tradition. TAGC Secretary, Sundar Dittakavi introduced the Master’s of ceremony for the occasion, Lakshmi Damaraju and Padma Madireddy who conducted the overall program with over 114 participants.

First to hit the audience’s attention is the wonderful “Ugadi Panduga Vachindi” choreographed by Aparna Tata. This came out to be so adorable with participants ages ranging from 5 to 8 years  in traditional dresses dancing to portray the significance of Ugadi. It was really exciting for the parents to watch their loved one’s performance. This item was followed by a classical Bharatanatyam “Pushpanjali” choreographed by Devaki Janakiraman.

Sudhakar and Erramilli sisters invited “Sri Rama Navami” festival in advance, thru the classical dance for song “Uttamudu Evaramma” on Lord Rama, choreographed by Subha Bolisetty.

Another classical in the row is “JatiSwaram” by Sushmita Arunkumar with young girls dressed in colorful and rich silk garments meticulously dancing for the raga and taala.

One of the highly applauded items of the evening was “Peacock Dance” choreographed by Sobha Tammana. One has to see the rich costumes wore by the participants in creating a virtual world of a flock of peacocks dancing with joy. Samhita Tammana, Tanvi Kalidindi, Rithika Muthyala, Anvitha Madhavaram and Poojitha Nettem did a remarkable job as peacocks.

Then comes the much awaited “Vishnu Leela Tarangini” choreographed by Prasuna Vootkur. With a specially made Vishnu Dwaram. This dance item captivated the attention of the audience to the core. It was astonishing to see the wonderful movements from the adults group both from “Brahmamokkate” and “Palumaru Vutla Panduganu” items competing with younger generation. Audience were mesmerized by “Dasavataaralu” with explicit facial expressions from Shalini Vootkur, Nitya Pariti and Sri Bodepudi.

Vani Dittakavi tapped the hidden talent from young boys thru her skit “Tenali Ramalinga” taking the audience back to the 14th century. Nikhil Dittakavi played the lead role of Ramalinga done an extraordinary job throughout the play with his funny movements and pure Telugu dialogues. Vamsi Pisipati as Krishna Devaraya and Sandeep Bharadwaj as Peddana did a great job in their roles. Priest roles played by Srisha Kotlo, Varun Cherukonda, Rohan Parepalli and Naman Priyadarshi did complete justice to their roles.

For those who craved for the movie numbers, Telugu movie song “Kokilamma” choreographed by Jyothi Chintalapani with enthusiastic participants Sahithi & Saketh Madireddy, Sreenidhi Chintalapani and Rakesh Kosuri was a galore.. In the same lines “Nallani Mabbu Chatu Kannula Dongala” song choreographed by Indu Suresh with participants Shruthi Mothkur, Shruthi & Pranithi Mernedi and Samhita Gaddam gave a glimpse of their talent and creativity.

For a change Anusha and Swathi Karri entertained the audience with Kuchipudi dance “Krishna Sabdam” choreographed by Hema Yeddanapudi.

A new entry as an exception into the arena of classical and movie dances is a Magic Show organized by Ahlad Vadrevu was well received by kids and adults with the same nterest.

“God Bless America” a humorous skit written and directed by Sundar Dittakavi literally created a presidential debate atmosphere in the auditorium. Audiences were enchanted to listen to the hilarious debates among the presidential candidates played by Sundar Dittakavi, Ramanamurthy Yedavalli, Kiran Vankayalapati and moderator, Subbarao Jayanthi. Everybody including director himself did an extraordinary job in entertaining the audience.   

“Tali Tarangam” choreographed by Vijayalakshmi Shetty was very well received by the audience though it was played at a late hour.

The program ended with vote of thanks from the secretary, Sundar Dittakavi. TAGC Executive Committee headed by President Sreeram Navuduri did a commendable job in organizing the whole program.

– By Sarada Kasivajjula