This enthusiastic and sincere dancer began with a traditional Alarippv in tisra nadai. It was followed by a Sabdham in Ragamalika. Krishna's various escapades were described fleetingly in this crisp item.

"Sakhiye inda velaiyil" in Anandabhairavi, a swara jathi by the Tanjore Quartet, was Aarthi's choice for delineation. The Jathi  korvais were neat and the timing was good. The nayika tells her sakhi (friend) not to let her down and begs her to go bring her Rajagopala to her. The dasaavatar poses depicted in the  line 'Endan samiye azhaithodi vaa' were well executed.

Swati Thirunal's kurinji padam 'Aliveni endu Seivu' was a slow paced number. The sakhi despairs over the nayika who is always pining for her Lord. 'Marubari' the kamas javali was next. The nayika is a virahotkhandita nayika, separated from her beloved and suffering the arrows of cupid.

Aarthi would have done well to chose contrastingly different emotions for the padam and javali. As it is, it seemed like one item slipping into the other. The tillana in Hindolam was the concluding piece.

Aarthi shows good potential to blossom into a well rounded dancer. She is restrained and dignified in her abhinaya and has the stamina to keep up the tempo of the programme till the end. In time, her involvement with the art will grow. She will then be able to contribute to her portrayals a little more than what is taught to her. She is also blessed with a face and figure that looks impressive on stage.

Smt. Shantha Dhananjayan conducted the recital with her usual virtuosity. She was ably supported by her vocalist, Smt. Vanathi Raghuram and Sri Ramesh Babu on the mridangam, Sri Kalai Arasan on the violin and Sri Sunil Kumar on the flute.