An inspired combination of the traditional Bharatanatyam invocation piece Alarippu and the

theme of Lord Krishna. Krishna Alarippu combines the beauty of nritta, or pure rhythmic dance,
with endearing interludes into the folklore of Lord Krishna. Sachhidanand Narayankar and
Mandara B.S. showcase the flowing body movements and the characteristic hand and neck
movements of Alarippu, interspersing these with narratives from the Krishna theme. They depict
child Krishna the mischievous butter thief, Krishna the cowherd frolicking with Gopis and Gopikas
and Krishna as the youthful lover romancing Radha. It was an earlier Krishna-themed dance
production ‘Divine Flautist’ by Sachhidanand Narayankar and Sonam Vora that led to Krishna
Alarippu. Keeping the basic Alarippu format intact, Krishna Alarippu, which is performed in three
parts, has been choreographed to weave in three distinct stages of Krishna’s life. The Alarippu in
Ragamalika is set to Misra Chapu thalam, with its cycle of 7 beats broken in sets of 3 and 4
during recitation, making the execution of the Alarippu interesting and challenging for the
dancers. Melodious sounds of the flute playing ragas Brindavani, Reetigowla and Panthuvarali
accompany the dance steps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAoYywftIaU