For those not familiar with the term, 'Arangetram' is the name given within the South Indian dance tradition Bharatanatyam to a dancer's debut performance. The word comes from two Tamil words: Arangam and Erru, which together mean 'to ascend the stage'. There are equivalents for the other classical Indian dance traditions - for example, the rangapravesh for Kathak or arangmanchpravesh for Odissi, but the practice is most established and most popular in connection with bharatanatyam.