Ajith Bhaskaran Dass’s Suvarana’s Dance Company sparkling production Ujjwala

Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and his group of dancers from the Suvarna Dance Company presented the “Ujjwala- Awakening of the Inner Flame” at Dewan Tuanku Abdul Rahman Auditorium in Malaysia Tourist Centre, KL on Aug 30^th . Ajith has an impressive lineage of Gurus including Smt Bhanaumathi Krishnan, Smt. Shanta Ponnudurai, Ramli Ibrahim, Smt. Shantha Bhaskar, Adyar.K. Lakshmanan, Guru Gajendar Kumar panda,  Sri. Dhananjayan and  Smt. Shantha Dhanajayan. He is the artistic Director of Suvarana Fine Arts ansd has performed extensively all over SE asia, Indai, USA, Canada and Europe. he has worked with several internationally renowned dancers .. Dhananjayans(Sangamitra), Lakshmi Viswanathan( Caturanga and Banyan Tree), Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar (Pancha Mahabootha) and Padma Subrahmanyam(Ritu Mahatmayam). he has an impressive repertoire of professional productions and artistic collaborations both in Malaysia and abroad. He regulary conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations.

The program was scheduled to begin at 7.30pm but started at 8.00pm. It was a ticketed program and there were people who had brought in the tickets and waiting at the lobby. Quite an encouraging sign for artists in KL isn’t it?

Their brochure describes Ujjwala as “a dance feature which explores the element FIRE in its various representations. This dance work attempts to translate into movement and mood, not only the physical nature of fire but also explores the intrinsic nature of this element through human emotions and psychological states.”

The Program itself was divided into 5 sections

Part 1: Aditya Agni- Eternal Flame

Using verses from the Aditya Hridayam and Agni Suktham this piece was conceived as a salutation to the Surya Bhagawan. The strength of group choreography was utilised here to show the eternal flame…

Part 2: Joothisvaroopini- Cosmic Effulgence

This segment presented a new varnam written by Shri.V. Balakrishnun (Bharathaanjali, Singapore). I was told that this was the first time the varnam was being performed. The piece has been musically composed by Sri T.S. Lazar in Ragamalika( Some very rare ragas like Jothisvaroopini, priyadarshini, Bindumalini there). This varanam depicts the Goddess Shakthi as jwalamalini and Jwalamukhi, the inferno of cosmic energy. (Devi closing Shiva’s eyes, birth of Meenakshi and Muruga and the destruction of Bandasura were some of the episodes covered in this composition).

Though I don’t want to get into reviewing any of the performances I attend, it would be unfair if I didn’t mention that this piece was embellished some very well rehearsed and synchronised movement s (The showing of the Arumugam- almost as synchronized as the a few Chinese group dances that I always thought was almost a miracle). Jathis as in a few present choreographies, had some special “sollus” incorporated into it. I recall these- “Ujjwala” and “Natanam” built into the jathis.  The presentation was at a very brisk pace and the choreography had taken into consideration the demands on physical stamina of the dancers and Ajith definitely deserves a mention for all the homework he has done. Ajith had some quick costume changes here. (Did he manage 3 during the varnam?). Some wonderful Gudhitamettis there. During the tattimettis, I noticed the alternate use of samam and usi eduppus.

There was a 20 minute interval after this and I want to tell you there wasn’t an exodus. Rasikas here don’t seem to mind commuting late. This is my second performance here at KL.  I had watched people leave during Sheejith’s Rama Charitham at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Just sayingL The loss wasn’t Sheejith’s thoughJ

The Post Interval session presented 3 segments…

Part 3: Kamagni-Burning desire.

 It was as they described it, “a sensuous conversation of love” to Bharathiyar’s “Vennaiadi nee yenakku”. This piece was musically composed by Shri Deepu Nair, Chennai.

Part 4: “Krodha Jwala”- Fire of Fury saw Panchali Sapatham being used to portray the Draupadi vastrabhaharanam and her wrath and fury and her vow to destroy the Kauravas. The piece had the dayakattum playing and Ajith was the Shakuni and Draupadi. Sollukattus were used every time the dice was rolled. There was one Kantam sequence that I immensely enjoyed. This brought back memories of the Panchali Shapadam by Smt. Chitra Visweswaran (Well I am thinking of her all the time so it is bound to happen!:)

Part 5: The finale… “Ujjwala”, the final awakening of the inner light of spirituality used traditional sufi poetry musically composed by Rajesh Vaidya and T.S. lazar.

The Crew:

·         Nattuvangum: Smt. Usha Ramachandran (daughter of Guruvayoor Durai and artistic director of Laasya Fine Arts). Reminds me of Smt. Indira rajan , her Guru (and incidentally one of my Gurus) in her Nattuvangum style.

·         Vocal: Smt. Bhavani Logeswaran

·         Mridangam: Shri.T. Ramanan

·         Violin: Shri.T.S.Lazar

·         Flute: Shri.G. Nataraj

·         Percussionist: Shri Theban Arumugam

·         Guest artistes:

o   Khairul Shahrin from Maya dance Theatre, Singapore. Khairul is trained in quite a few contemporary and modern dance styles apart from Bharathanatyam and Balinese Dance Forms.

o   Meena Kumaree trained in Kalakshetra Style, was the narrator for the Ujjwala.  Did I tell you that the show had a narrator (who didn’t stand behind the scenes).  She introduced the pieces (in English) and with her excellent diction and theatrical skills providing a setting for the upcoming scene.

PS:

Overheard Ajith saying “  While I do focus on the aspect of story telling, I have to convince myself of the story being told”. Also I saw him walk up to the musicians and thank them personally. (when the audience left after the formal curtain call) . Good signs again! Yes yes I di see Mavin Khoo there… I have a few pictures will soon upload them for you..

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, Institutes, KL, Kalakshetra, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Padma Subrahmanyam, Performing Arts, Rasika, Sheejith Krishna, Singapore, South Asian Dance, Sri Krishna Gana sabha, Suvarna Dance Company, Workshops, artisits, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, experiences, program, review, students, talent , Ajith Bhaskaran Dass

SICA Music and Dance Festival / Hyderabad

South Indian Cultural Association, Hyderabad will hols its annual music and dance festival from March 10 to 16, 2008.
Concerts will be held at Ravindra Bharati auditorium, III.0.28, Lal Bahadur Stadium, Hyderabad.

Schedule of concerts:
March 10 – Kalakrishna and troupe – Andhra Natyam and Perini Thandavam
March 11 – Flute recital by Shashank
March 12 – Vocal concert by Bombay Jayashri
March 13 – Vocal concert by O. S. Arun
March 14 – Violin duet by Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi
March 15 – Vocal concert by Maharajapuram Srinivasan
March 16 – Vocal concert by Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan

For more details, contact phone nos. 98491 24675 / 92461 61420 / 27425374.

Source: kutcheribuzz

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Performing Arts, Rasika, artisits, artists, dance festival, program, upcoming artist , Andhra Natyam, Hyderabad, Perinin Thandavam

Making an aesthetic statement with dance costumes

“What they wear is as important as what they present. So how do dancers make their choices?”,says Kausalya santhanam in her article featured in the Hindu

How much difference does the costume make to the impact of a classical dance performance? What are the factors that influence artists in their choice of colours and designs? Who are their designers? What are the changes that have been witnessed in th e field over the years? Leading dancers share their views with this correspondent: Vyjayantimala BaliWhen I performed my arangetram at the age of 13, I wore the pyjama style of costume. But my grandmother was very keen that I have a small parrot perched on each shoulder like the lovely Deepa Nachiyar (lamp).I still remember gazing at these figures each time I turned my head (laughs). I also remember having a costume where the emblem of the Mysore royals, the two-headed eagle, was embroidered on my blouse against a resplendent blue background. Initially though I had costume stitched by the young Aiyyelu, I later took to draping saris in many graceful ways. I was the first dancer to wear black and gold. I love bright colours and Kanchipurams. I am very adept with the needle and often stitch my own costume, sometimes sewing up to 2 a.m.

V.P.DhananjayanThe inspiration for our costumes is Kalakshetra and Rukmini Devi Arundale. My wife Shanta and I evolve our costumes continually by seeing sculptures not only in the country but also in Thailand and Cambodia and integrating them to the Indian aesthetic. The costume for the male dancer has come quite a long way from the earlier fan costume which used to be rather feminine. I started propagating the self tying one but since there was demand for the male oriented stitched costume, Aiyyelu began tailoring them. My costumes are all made by Aiyyelu and his disciples.

Sudharani Raghupathi One cannot overemphasise the importance of the costume for the success of a production. I get my costumes tailored by Aiyyelu as well as by Alexander of Ranjana Designers. I take many aspects into consideration — what suits me, how the lights play on the colour, the background of the stage and the mood of the item. We have to consider how the Indian skin takes on different hues. Shades of yellows, oranges and rusts suit us. Shot colours with pink are fine. Make up is important too. The first impression is very important and helps carry the performance till the end.

Chitra Visweswaran Chellam Pillai made my arangetram dress when I was a child. Now I give my dresses to his grand nephew Alexander of Ranjana designers in Mylapore to tailor. At the peak of my career, I had two looms running for me. I always wore the sari type of costume, not the skirt or pyjama. The emphasis should be on what suits the dancer. One of my innovations was using the Chinnalampatti art silk for dance. I had it block printed for “Devi Ashta Rasamalika.” Today it is easier to make costumes as so many different materials are available. It is important to be elegant and dignified. The costume should not only suit the dancer but also the item .

Alarmel ValliThe costume per se has become sleek; the pleats have become longer giving more height to the body. My tastes are austere and this is reflected in my costumes. I am very particular about texture, border, weaves, harmony of colours and designs. In the past there was a naturalness but now with “innovation,” the harmony is lost: saris in lovely colour combinations have pallus that don’t jell. Just as in dance, so too in costumes — when you add a new dimension it has to blend into the fabric. I like Kanchipurams and rich colours — peacock blue, deep oranges and reds. I always like narrow borders, now prefer less zari. I still like the pyjama style as I feel I have the figure to carry it off (she smiles). It is much more streamlined and sleek and adds height too. Aiyyelu is the master of masters. His suggestions are very good. When Madhavi Mudgal and I collaborated on this jugalbandhi of Odissi and Bharatanatyam, we worked on the costumes so that they complemented each other.

Anita Ratnam The changes in my costume for dance came about because my dance itself was shifting. The typical traditional Bharatanatyam costume is a reflection of a certain time period in the evolution of the form. The pyjama dress was suited to the time when the Margam was created and was fine for young girls. When we performed A.K..Ramanujam’s poems at the Kalakshetra, Samyukta Ramakrishna and I wore something like the practice costume to suit the mood of the poetry. For “Panchajanyam” (1993), I wore Bengal cottons and for “Gajanana,” with its folk forms and rhythm, we wore Kanchi cottons and polycot. The bangles and elephant mask were made from palm leaf by an NID student. For “Daughters of the Ocean,” Krishna Devanandan worked on an off -white palette; the dhotis and tunics were made by Nanda Devanesen. V.V.Ramani designed lovely costumes in subtle colours for me in “Adhirohana.” When you work with a costume designer it is important to collaborate with him/her; it is not like hiring a tailor. Later I started wearing leotards as they suit my long limbs. The magic for us is in the art of the unstitched costume. In ‘Faces” I looked at different drapes.

Malavika Sarukkai In terms of colour, my costume has changed — from the bright colours with contrasting borders to muted shades. Now since the dance language is prominent, my jewellery and costume are subdued. I mostly wear silk. Sometimes I change the fans to depict different scenes and add a dash of colour. It is like turning the page for a novel — to shift the mood and focus. For “Tejas,” I used a lot of abstract designs for the fans to suit the paintings. It was difficult to design costumes for this production as it was contemporary in flavour. I prefer the pyjama type because it gives room for movement and the sculpting of movement. Saris are graceful for padams or javalis where the focus is on abhinaya. I sometimes get the fans embroidered as I have done for my recent production “Kasi Yatra”.

Priyadarsini Govind The costume should not only be beautiful but also comfortable. The play of lights matters. Sometimes the lights are flat and so you should take that into account. I don’t like too much gold. Double shades are good as they take on sheen on stage. I like pinks, burnt orange and burnished gold. And I like to mix textures — tissue, brocade, silk and silk cotton. I prefer the pyjama style as it outlines the figure. And I like lovely blouses. Aiyyelu has been my costumer since my arangetram.

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Chitra Visweswaran, Dance, Dance Gurus, December season., Dhananjayan, History of Bharathanatyam, Institutes, Introduction, Madras, Madras Music Season, Madras dance Festival, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, Priyadarshini Govind, Rasika, Vijayanthimala Bali, artisits, artists, awards, choreograhers, dance festival, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, promotion, students , Costume, dress, Tailors

Bharathanatyam Talent Promotion Program

This is an attempt by Chidambaram Arts, to generate awareness amongst public and students in general about Bharathanatyam.This blog is exclusively open to all upcoming Bharathanatyam artistes, teachers and students. Please let us know about your learning, Gurus, experiences, concerns, suggestions and queries. You could post your photo, website URL, and links to your performances in You Tube.
You are also welcome to share your thoughts and interesting articles and facts you come across, in this column, if you feel they would be of interest to this community.

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Let the good times begin…

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