Salangai poojai

[pradina]

I know what arangetram is. I thought "salangai poojai" meant the same.

In some cases, I hear of salangai poojai followed by arangetram a year or two later. Can someone please explain what salangai poojai is?

Thanks!

[ardhanariswar]

Its a puja to bless the salangai/bells of the dancer. I think back in the day arangetram and salangai puja were the same since dancers would not perform until their debut and hold off wearing bells until then.

nowadays its informally done before if the dancer wants to perform in public before their arangetram and would like to wear salangai.

I don't think people do a separate performance with the salangai puja on top of an arangetram. They are both practically the same.

[pradina]

Thank you for the clarification.

[Nia Rmohan]

Ok, now i am confused.

Aren't salangai poojais like juniors arangetrams?

I have done a salangai poojai and it was referred to as a junior recital or a dance recital.

But some people called it a junior arangetram which Menakar Thakar started as tradition. And the repertoire is the same for both.

Whats the difference between junior arangetrams and salangai poojais?

[mohan]

Nia did you do a full margam (including a jathiswaram, varnam, tillana)?

[koyaliya]

the salangai poojais i have seen did not include a varnam, but had everything that precedes learning a varnam (kouthuvam, alarippu, jathiswaram, sabdham, other smaller pieces and thillana). my understanding is that a salangai poojai is done before a dancer performs on stage with a group (in a drance drama) but an arangetram indicates that a dancer is able to dance an entire performance on their own.

[Nia Rmohan]

Mohan sir,

I did not do Varnam nor did i do thillana
But i did do Jatheeswaram...