Season’s Dance Award Winners (2009-2010)

B. M. Sundaram to be hounoured with Musicologist Award for his contribution to Carnatic Music by Music Academy

N. S Jayalakshmi to be hounoured  with “Sangita Kala Acharya” for her contribution to Bharatanatyam by Music Academy

Pooja Kumar-’Gutti Vasu Memorial Prize’ from Spirit of Youth Competition held at Music Academy

Narthaki Nataraj- ‘Nrithya Choodamani” from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

Vijay Madhavan- ‘Balasaraswathi Endowment Prize’ from Sri. Krishna Gana Sabha

Mythili Prakash -’ Nadana-Maamani’ from Karthik Fine Arts.

Vaishnavi Sainath- ”Natya Chudar “ from Karthik Fine Arts

Sonal Mansingh-’Viswa Kala Bharati’ from Bharat Kalachar

Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar-”Acharya Kala Bharati” from Bharat Kalachar

Aishwarya Dhanush, Yatin Agarwal, Gopukiran, Mridula Anand and Lakshmi Parthasarathi Athreya receive Bharat Kalachar’s Yuva Kala Bharati (Bharatanatyam) and Nagai Sriram (for Mridangam in Bharathanatyam) and Smitha Madhav (all rounder in classical Carnatic and Bharathanatyam)

Ramli Ibrahim-felicitated by Natyanjali Trust during Nartaka dance festival featuring male dancers.

Rajeswari Sainath receives Vani Kala Sudhakara from Sri Thyaga Bramha Gana Sabha

Dr. Padma Subramanhyam receives ” Nrithya Kovida” and Pavithra Srinivasan receives ” Nrithya Sevitha” from Nadabramham Music Journal

Compiled from: The Hindu (Friday Features), saigan.com (where you can see the whole list of awards for musicians too),and Personal communication.

Filed under: Balasaraswathi, Bharat Kalachar, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, December season., Krishna Gana Sabha, Madras, Madras Music Academy, Madras Music Season, Madras dance Festival, Padma Subrahmanyam, Sri Krishna Gana sabha, artists, awards, talent , Mythili Prakash, Pooja Kumar, Vijay Madhavan

Natyarangam’s Lec Dem on Feb 22nd at Chennai

Natyarangam will present a lec-dem titled “Chidambaram, Nataraja and the three composers-Marimuththa Pillai, Gopalakrishna Bharati and Muththu ThaNdavar”"

Date : 22 Feb. 2009  to coincide with Shivarathri

Venue : NGS, Mini Hall at 6.30pm.

The lec- dem will be presented by an interesting couple, Sri.R. Rajendra Kumar and Smt. Manjari Rajendra Kumar.

Mr.Rajendra Kumar: is a multifaceted resource person whose interests and expertise are in the fields of Music and Literature.

Mrs. Manjari Rajendra Kumar: Trained by her parents, Prof .C.V. Chandrasekhar and Mrs. Jaya Chandrasekhar, Manjari performs and teaches at Nrityashree in keeping with the high standards established by her parents.

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Carnatic Music, Chennai, Dance, Literature, Madras, Narada Gana sabha, Natyarangam, Performing Arts, Tamil, Workshops, artists, choreograhers, choreography, experiences, learning, program, students , Composers, lec-dem, Manjari Rajendra Kumar, Rajendra Kumar

Natyakala conference Updates

This year’s Natyakala conference as you may recall had “Ramayana” as its theme and was convened by Ananda Shankar Jayant.

Interviews with the  participants/presenters at Natyakala conference organized this season (Dec 2008) can be read at Narthaki http://www.narthaki.com/iindex.html

A report by Rajee Mani  on the conference posted in Narthaki may be read at http://www.narthaki.com/info/rev08/rev682.html

A detailed report on the procedding on a day to day account by Pratima Sagar may also be read at http://www.narthaki.com/rindex.html. Look for an article titled Natyakala Conference 2008

Leela Venkatraman’s report in The Hindu – http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/01/02/stories/2009010250970300.htm

Filed under: Anita Ratnam, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, December season., Krishna Gana Sabha, Literature, Madras, Madras Music Season, Madras dance Festival, Sri Krishna Gana sabha, artists, choreograhers, choreography, dance drama, experiences, learning, review , Conference, lec-dem

Dance Festival Of India, Carnegie Hall, Sept. 20th, 2008

The dance festival of India will be held to celebrate the 6 Indian performing Art formsof Bharathanatyam, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Kushipudi, Odissi and Kalaripayattu at Carnegie Hall, New York, on Sep20th, 2008. The six troupes, 75 dancers and musicians, are already in preparation for their trip here from India and Malaysia. Nrityasree, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar’s dance group will represent the Bharathanatyam Style.  

 

For more on this event visit http://www.dfi08.org/

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Dance, Dance Gurus, India, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, NRI, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, USA, artists, choreograhers, choreography, dance festival, experiences, program, promotion

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

Sonali Skandan presents Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar’s Choreography

Sampradaya: Celebrating Tradition
A Classical Indian Dance Concert by Sonali Skandan
featuring the choreography, music & nattuvangam by Professor CV Chandrasekhar

at
Hunter College | Lang Recital Hall | Room 424N
69th St. between Park & Lexington Ave. New York, NY

September 14, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets are $15 General Admission/ $12 for students & seniors. They can be reserved by calling 646-251-7463.

More Info:

Jiva Performing Arts presents a solo Bharatanatyam recital by Sonali Skandan, featuring the choreography, live vocals and nattuvangam of the renowned Indian Classical Dance Master, Professor CV Chandrasekhar on September 14, 2008 at Hunter College in New York City.

Sonali will present elegant and powerful works of Bharatanatyam, which has its roots in the temples and courts of South India. Highly structured in nature, Bharatanatyam involves rhythmic footwork, elaborate mime and poses reminiscent of temple carvings. The works that she will present are signature pieces of Professor CVC’s acclaimed choreography and will display the full repertoire of Bharatanatyam, from Pushpanjali to Thillana.

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Dance, Dance Gurus, Institutes, Kalakshetra, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Nattuvangam, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, USA, artists, choreograhers, choreography, learning, program, promotion, students , Sonali Skandan

Professor C V Chandrashekhar awarded the Kalidas Samman

The Madhya Pradesh Government has announced its prestigious national  and state level awards including the Kalidas Samman Award.  Culture Minister Lakshmikant Sharma announced the awards during a press conference on August 10th at Bhopal. He also announced other national and state-level awards.

Kalidas Samman is a  National Level recognition for outstanding acheivement in any of the 4 following fields…Dance, Music, Painting and Theatre . Professor. C.V. Chandrashekhar is among the awardees, receiving the same for his contribution to Bharathanatyam. The award carries a cash award and a citation.

Sources: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200808101759.htm

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080810/1023546.html

According to  Wikipedia, previous awardees include :-

Dr. Kanak Rele, 2005-2006 award for Dance

S.H. Raza, (1981)

Birju Maharaj

Kelucharan Mohapatra

Sonal Mansingh

M.S. Subbulakshmi

Photo Credits: Narthaki.com

Manjari Rajendrakumar, his daughter, shares her joy in this exclusive write-up for http://www.carnaticdarbar.com/news.htm

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, India, Kalakshetra, Madras, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, artists, awards, choreograhers, talent, titles

International Summer Dance School at UK, July 20- 27th

A week long workshop in Bharathanatyam, Kathak and Odissi with legends and leading artists like Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar, Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Aditi Mangaldas, Kumudhini Lakhia,Manjari Rajendra Kumar, Priyadarshini Govind and Sujata Mohapatra.

For venue and other details look at http://www.narthaki.com/hplinks/danceindiabro.pdf

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Britain, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Dance, Dance Gurus, Kalanidhi Narayanan, NRI, Performing Arts, Priyadarshini Govind, South Asian Dance, UK, Workshops, artists, experiences, learning, program, promotion, students, sumukhi rajasekaran memorial foundation

Prof. Chandrasekhar’s workshops in the US.

Dear Readers,

There has been a lot of requests for info on Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar’s performances/workshops in the US.

Performance: 

Professor CV Chandrasekhar will be performing on August 3rd 3:30 PM at the Hindu Temple Auditorium, 143-09 Holly Ave. Flushing, NY 11355.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.sulekha.com/newyork

For more information, please contact Sonali Skandan info@sonaliskandan.com | 646-251-7463 (Source: Sonali Skandan)

Workshops

Dallas Workshop between the 17th and 21st of Aug.

NYC Workshop : from Sept. 8-12 . Sonali Skandan writes “He is also conducting workshop from Sept. 8-12 in NYC, although the workshop is already full!”

He is slated to perform on the East Coast too during his trip to the US. Please check them out.

 

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Dance, Dance Gurus, Kalakshetra, NRI, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, USA, Workshops, artists, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, program, students

Rediscovering the Spirit at Tennangur

Text and Photos by Mr. Rajendra Kumar.

Said the Guru to the student-‘Breathe from your lower abdomen. Feel your breath’.

The student took a breath..

Guru said ‘Deeper .. deeper’.

The student tried hard.

The Guru banged the student’s lower abdomen with his fist and the student was flabbergasted

But there……… the miracle happened.

The student felt very different right from that moment.

The Guru was a German and the student is better known by the name the name Aruna Sairam .

Her journey as a musician is quite interesting.

Gifted with a great voice and with an intellect that could grasp all intricate details with ease, she did succeed in becoming a musician. But what was lacking was that ‘feel’. When she sang ‘sa pa Sa’ she was not feeling free. That is when she decided to take the help of the Guru.

Now she is able to transcend all barriers and feel the music as she sings.

This ‘feel’ is what is needed by an artiste-be it a musician or a dancer.

Smt.Aruna Sairam narrated this to the group of dancers at the Dance Camp in Tennangur.

Could there have been a better place or forum to narrate this journey?

Tennangur, a small and beautiful village near Vandawasi in Tiruvannamalai district in Tamizh Nadu has a magnetic aura.

The first thing that strikes us as soon as we step onto the village is the serenity. We feel relaxed, and the mind is uncluttered.

That is why Natyarangam, the Dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai has been conducting this camp for the last 9 years in this village.

This Camp is different from the other camps/workshops. The participants are not taught anything. They undergo an experience that goes a long way in learning about the finer elements in life.

Art is nothing but the use of imagination to express ideas and feelings in an aesthetic way. The classical art forms of India have a structure but there is lot of scope for creativity and imagination within this structure. This creativity or imagination cannot be taught. It is an experience by itself. This is what is the aim of the camp.

The participants undergo an experience during the camp that finally gets reflected in their works and in their life as well.

Let us take the Aangika sessions for example. Prof.Chandrasekhar- the Convenor of the camp for 9 years now-asked the participants to stand still and express themselves only through their eyes to Questions/Statements like ‘Hello’ ‘How Are you?’ ’Why didn’t you come yesterday?’ etc.

The participants were then asked to perform Allaarippu using only the eyes..

This experience made the dancers feel the importance of eyes in dance.

The ‘Thatti Namaskaram’ that is done before and after any practice session/performance has almost become a ritual and it is a fact that many dancers do this mechanically.

Participants realized this fact only when they did the Namaskaram in the camp.

Balancing ourselves has become an integral part of our fast paced life.

In an art form like Bharathanatyam , balancing plays a very important role. After all, is art not a reflection of life?

Dancers were asked to stand in a single legged posture. It was a revelation for many dancers since they could not hold on to this posture for a long time.

Uddhatha and Sukumara prayogas can be applied to any adavu.But how and where these are applied? The participants danced to the same jathis for both the prayogas..

This way they experienced the difference.

Jathis have emotions. Not just by the way they are rendered…but by the way the syllables are composed.

For example, in Prof.Chandrasekhar’s production ‘Aparajita’ when Devi gets the Astras from Devas, she shows the ‘Attahasam’ and the jathis go like this: Ha Ha Ha Ha…

Innovation within the parameters..

In a similar vein, the seventh thatadavu that is usually performed in Chathushram was performed in Khanda jaathi Dhruva talam.

The participants understood the rhythm better..

While composing a Teermanam, one of the devices that could be used is the stress on one particular adavu. The Kambodi varnam –Naadanai Azhaithu vaadi- composed by Prof.Chandrasekhar has one teermanam that has 23 ‘Talaangus’.When one of the participants performed this, others watched this with awe and admiration.

Aahaarya -–make up and costumes-is important not just during a performance but also when one goes to class/practice. The importance of wearing practice costumes and be presentable was stressed during the session conducted by Prof.Chandrasekhar.

During a performance, dancers must choose the costume as per their body structures.

A short person must not wear costumes with broad borders. Heavily built dancers must not wear stripes. And a strict ‘no’ for stitched costumes for men.

Vaachika-

What is Poetry?

Anything that is beautiful and graceful..

There is poetry in a beautiful dance performance.

Dancers must have the sensitivity to appreciate poetry. This helps them understand and appreciate the dance more.

Dr.Sudha Seshaiyyan made the participants realise this.

There are essentially three levels of understanding in appreciating poetry:

1.Padam-Words

2.Vaakyaartha- Sentence

3.Dhwani-Inherent tone (hidden meaning)

Though the first two are important, one must concentrate on the third part to experience and feel the poetry.

Poetry must be interpreted like how a painting is interpreted.

Some of the participants danced to pieces like ‘Kakkai Chiraginile’ and ’Maitreem Bhajatha’ and the interpretations of each dancer were different.

Is it not true that what one experiences is totally different from that of the other’s?

Music and dance are inseparable.

Smt.Aruna Sairam brought out the Musical aspects in dance wonderfully

An expert in Abhangs, she sang in a voice soaked in devotion and the participants responded..

The Morning sessions of yoga by Anil Kumar and the one session lecture by Dr.Kannan Pugazhendi made the participants realise the importance of the harmony between the mind and the body.

Finally, the spontaneous dancing by the participants during the Dolotsavam and the Garuda Sevai in the Panduranga temple said it all..

What makes an artiste?

Creativity, imagination, expression, communication, passion, aesthetics, spontaneity…

But an artiste is incomplete without the internalization and the ‘feel’…

And this what the German Guru made Aruna Sairam realise..

And this is what the Tennangur camp makes us realise…

About the Author :

Mr. Rajendra Kumar describes himself as a “Fine Arts Enthusiast”. Passionate about Music, Dance and Literature, he regularly attends the Tennangur Camp organized by the Natyarangam wing of the Narada Gana Sabha. An articulate writer himself, he shares his appreciation of music in his blog, http://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/. He resides with his wife Manjari, a Bharathanatyam danseuse, and kids in Chennai.

Filed under: Abhang, Abhinaya, Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, C.V. Chandrashekhar, Chennai, Conference, Dance, Dance Gurus, Madras, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, Workshops, adavus, artists, do's and don'ts for dancers, experiences, learning, students, talent, upcoming artist , Costume, Narada Gana sabha, Natyarangam, tennangur