CHENNAI: Indian marriages are no less than a festival with some communities even celebrating it for almost a week. While marriage rituals may differ from state to state or from couple to couple, dance and music form an integral part for all. With South Indian weddings also adopting the concept of sangeet, like their North Indian counterparts, it is only fair that we too have our own choreographers to make the evening a grand success. Enter, The Sangeet Tales.
Launched a month back, The Sangeet Tales brings together a pool of passionate people whose only aim is to popularise the concept of sangeet in the South. “We had our website launched by Pooja Shankar, an actress, model, and close friend who has been a part of many events. She has also selflessly contributed to the team,” says Varsha Jayalakshmi, founder, adding that this move got them the much-needed reach as well. Co-founder Subbulakshmi Sivakumar envisioned The Sangeet Tales in the form it is today.
Passion meets profession
The members of The Sangeet Tales are a bunch of people who have regular day jobs but are also avid dancers, singers, anchors, and event managers. They had spent 100 hours on website development for over three months. “If a timeline had been fixed, then this outcome wouldn’t have been possible. We were not in a hurry nor in a position to cut short ideas. Whenever we were physically and mentally free we would work on our website, even if it meant just two hours a week, five hours a week or even skipping a week,” she says. The entire process was a team effort with each one pitching in ideas.
The journey to make sangeet popular in the south began five years ago when Varsha and her friends performed and conducted events for their close friends and family. “People are in a positive mood when you do the right thing to ensure that the evening goes easy — bring everybody together, create nostalgic moments. Preparation and execution involve a lot of fun and happiness with the family and friends, that is when the whole concept of organising sangeet started,” she shares.
Planning and executing 15 events in the first three years, the team went with the flow. The growth was organic with word-of-mouth publicity. The guests at the weddings they performed at became their potential clients, making the team realise that there is a space for introducing sangeet in the south. “We don’t do anything dreamy but just bring the jumping jack out in everybody. Relatives keep coming and dancing on the stage...it is so lovely to watch. We want this drive to happen from elders to elders and not a push from youngsters to the elders,” explains Varsha, adding, “We become a part of their family, we talk to them and do the function as if we are the cousin of the bride or groom.” This has been in practice since the inception of the team, and now with the launch of the website, it has been formalised.
As you like it
The team of choreographers, trainers, dance masters, fashion designers, businessmen, a journalist, DJs, make-up artists, and IT professionals has learnt the art of juggling their profession and passion. “We have all been associated in one way or the other before. We wanted people who are dedicated, committed, and have a background with us because they know the DNA of the group,” says Varsha.
Since last year, the team has been performing for close friends, family, and couples outside their circles. The team has organised 30 sangeets to date. They don’t believe in offering packages and limiting the scope of the culture. The party is planned as per the family’s needs.
The launch of the website is a milestone for the team, making them enjoy and appreciate the process more. “Thankfully the website has reached everybody well and they are saying that they feel the vibe, energy, the drive on the website,” she says. Their focus lies in being consistent, going with the flow, and involving people in organising events to make it an umbrella for all passionate services.
“Dancing is only a part of The Sangeet Tales, but our bigger focus is to ensure a sangeet evening with a family goes well which will not only involve dancing but also a lot of other aspects like bringing about memory videos, playing games, make-up for the bride and groom, and more,” notes Varsha.
For more details, contact 9176582772