Soorya Festival at Malaysia- Report

The Soorya Festival of Indian Music and Dance featuring the dance recital by the Dhananjayans was held at 2 locations in Malaysia on the 6th and 7th of November, 2009. I attended the festival on the 7th held at MAS (Malaysian Airlines) auditorium at Kelana Jaya. The proceeds from the tickets for the show went into helping the Malaysian association for the Blind. The tickets were reasonably priced starting at a reasonable rate of RM 30 (approx USD 10). I am thankful to the organizers and sponsors and the artistes who I believe didnt charge for the peformance for making it so.  Some Indian dance performance tickets were priced as high as RM150 , so presumably aiming at helping the charities didn’t target the middle-class Indians.

The program held on 7th, the festival included the following events- a Carnatic Music concert, felicitation of the local artistes and a dance recital. The event started at 7.30pm and was due to finish at around 10.45pm. It was very pleasant since the speeches by the dignitaries consisted of just 2 sentences or less .

The function began with a prayer song by Preeta Prasad, a Malaysian Carnatic vocalist. She sang the Vinayaga sthuthi ”Mudhakaratha Modhakam” which she would easily have done better justice to, had she sung 1/2 kattai less. She was probably involved in a lot of the organizational activities and was breathless. She handled the tambura for the music and dance concert as well.

The Carnatic Music concert by the couple, Trivandrum Krishnakumar and Binny Krishnakumar followed. Binny krishnakumar was introduced as the ” Chandramukhi ra-ra” playback singer. Both of them are currently disciples of Dr.M. Balamuralikrishna. They were accompanied by Malaysian violinist Sri. Achyuthan Sashidharan Nair and Mridangist Sri.  Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundaram .

The couple had interestingly planned their short concert by including songs with a variety of thalams. The concert featured the following songs:-

1. Rakshamam Sharanagatham- Nattai- Adi, a  composition of Meenakshisuthan, tuned by Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. A fiery presentation, though I felt there was a slight hurry for the sharanagathi.
2. This was followed by a pleasing “Gopalaka Pahimam Anisam” in  ragam Bhoopalam and set to Misra chapu.
3. An alapana in Hamsanandhi complete with the application of swarabedham technique showing shades of Hindolam followed . The kriti chosen was Paavana guru (Thalam: Rupakam, Composer: Lalitha Dasa). The violinist did not help much with the neraval here, I was almost at the edge of my seat a couple of times with this uneasy feeling that he was going to touch the absent pa sometime . Somehow choosing Hamsanandhi after Bhoopalam wasnt too easy on my ears, but I aint any expert, though. During the thaniavardhanam, the  mridangist wasnt showing enough of sruthi and then a mridangam can sound like the melam at times!
4. The next song was “Muruganai ninaikadha neramillai” in ragam Bageshri and Adi talam, quite a rare piece.
5. They concluded their recital with a BMK thillana in Ragamalika .

A quick award ceremony to felicitate local artistes followed. The “Kalaseva Award” was given to Bharathanatyam artistes Guru (Smt) Vatsala Sivadas, Guru (Smt) Meena Venugopal (Dis of the Dhananjayans) and Sri. Shankar Kandasamy of TFA who is now quite famous in the Madras dance recital circuit too. I remember reading a review of his performance last year by Ms. Nrithya Pillai at Carnatic Darbar . The ceremony was real quick with no bugging speech concerts from the VIPs. God bless the organizers!

The dance concert started immediately after the awardees cleared the stage. The Dhananjayanas were accompanied by their disciples Dhivya Shiva, Gopukiran, Veena Sashidharan and Lavanya Raghuram (Alapana Arts , Singapore). They were efficiently accompanied by Sri. N. Sashidharan (vocal),  Kalaiarasan Ramanathan(violin) and K. P. Ramesh Babu (mridangam).

The recital presented the evergreen choreographies of the Dhanajayans as per the request of the organizers. The recital began with an Anjali performed by the three girls with Sri. Gopukiran handling the Nattuvangam.

The next item presented excerpts from VPD’s  Raamanaatkam. While introducing the item, VPD said that they had choreographed this way back in 1974 as “Ekaharya Lasyangam Ramayana” meaning that the characterization depended on the body language of the dancers rather than the costume itself. He also pointed out that back then they presented it in simple practice costumes. He said that this choreography of theirs has been staged  for over 500  times. The 3 main characters who appeared in this potryal were Kaikeyi (Dhivya). Mantara/Kooni ( Smt. Shantha Dhananjayan) and King Dasaratha (Sri.VPD). Gopukiran handled the nattuvangam for this piece too. The portrayal went down very well with the audience. The Dhanajayans were able to reach across the audience with their clear, simple and elegant choreography.

En palli Kondeeraiya, a padam that narrates briefly the story of Rama and Krishna was performed at a brisk pace by Veena, Lavanya and Gopukiran. Smt. Shantha took over the nattuvangam at this point and I couldn’t help turning my attention to her at times to watch the quiet confidence and efficiency she brought with her nattuvangam. I was carried back in time  to when I learnt this padam (as a fifth grader) from Smt. Indira Rajan at the home of a co-student, Ms. Alamelu at one those streets tugged behind Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in T- Nagar, Chennai.

After the above mentioned item, VPD appeared on stage and said that it was 10.20pm already and that Nandanaar Charaithram would take a minimum of 20 mins and if it was OK for him to proceed, since he was earlier asked to finish at 10.30pm. The audience were all for it.VPD instructed the vocalist to do away with repetitions and Smt. Shantha, Sri.VPD and Sri. Sashidharan were all taking cues from each other so effectively. That’s the perk of having a regular vocalist, who understands dance and with whom you have an understanding.  Thus began Nandanaar Charitharm with Sri.VPD as Nandanaar and Gopukiran was the  master and later Shiva. The three girls joined in at the end.

The Thillana, Aliveni Padam and Shiva natanam mentioned in the brochure were not performed (But en palli kondeeraiya wasnt mentioned in the brochure either)

The audience gave the artistes a standing ovation and Sri. N. Sashidharan picked a camera from his pocket and clicked a picture of the audience from the stage. Without much ado, the artistes were felicitated and then everyone left for home.

Sri. VPD would have been happy since the  couple Carnatic Musicians stayed back to watch the show. What irked me was that there was a lot of to and fro movement in the front few (VIP and Premier seating) rows. The sound and light management wasn’t totally professional. The squeaking microphones at the beginning of the dance show could have very well been avoided. The show seems to have been sold out. The theatre was filled to its maximum capacity. I was also curious about the Malay security guard who came in for the dance recital and stood throughout near the door with his eyes fixed on the stage!

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathakalanjali, Bharathanatyam, Carnatic Music, Dance Gurus, Dhananjayan, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, NRI, Rasika, Shanta, artists, choreography, dance festival, experiences, program, review , Soorya Festival

Music in and for Bharathanatyam- A Survey report (Part 1)

“Geetham vaadyam tathaa nrityam, trayam sangeetham uchyate” – Sangeetha Ratnakara

What’s the scene and perception today?-  A survey report

Introduction

Asha Ramesh, a carnatic vocalist trained under Sangeeta Kalanidhi D. K. Jayaraman was hosted on Jaya TV’s Kalaimalar, their morning talkshow. Now a part of Smt . Ranganayaki Jayaraman’s (saraswathi Gana Nilayam) family, she accompanies dance kutcheris in Chennai and in US where she currently resides. She described her experiences as a dance musician. She mentioned that her Guru wasn’t very happy when she mentioned to him that she was considering accompanying dancers! She believes dance music dosent deserve the step-child treatment it currently receives and believes singing for dance can be an intellectual challenge.

Sri. V.P. Dhananjayan in his book “Beyond Performing Art and Culture – Politico-Social aspects’ ” vehemently regrets the current compartmentalisation of dancers and musicians. He says,” I have a problem with Carnatic musicians who do not attend any Bharatanaatyam performances.  I do not know whether they have a superiority complex or whether they feel that they cannot enjoy a Bharatanaatyam performance. If a musician cannot understand or enjoy a Bharatanaatyam performance, I am sorry to say that they are not a “Sangeetagna”. He has also in a response to a comment on the article said “since publishing this article a couple of years ago, the situation has improved for better.” (As quoted in Narthaki.com)

Bombay Jayasri in her recent interview to Sruti recalls how her early dance training at Rajarajeswary Natyalaya at Bombay helped her accompany Leela Samson’s dance recital

Objectives of the Survey

Inspired by the above, we set about doing an article about Music in and for Bharathanatyam for BN & WWW. We planned to look at the general perceptions regarding music in and for dance among dancers, musicians, teachers and rasikas.

Methodology

A questionnaire was randomly emailed to few dancers, musicians, teachers and rasikas who had interacted with BN and WWW on previous occassions.Sydhwaney.com also hosted the questionnaire on their website and replies posted as comments on their website was also used for collecting data. It should be said at the outset, this study may at best be considered a pilot study since n (the number of respondents) is small and no systematic attempt was made to correlate the surveyed proportion of musicians/dancers/teachers/rasikas to what would be a general representative of people in attendance of a dance recital. But nevertheless this small survey would reflect existing expectations and perceptions in the group surveyed.

The survey questionnaire included a total of 9 questions relating to:-

1. What qualities are expected of a musician accompanying a dance recital? (4 ques)
2. Dancers need for music knowledge/appreciation-(2 ques)
3. Does an appreciation of dance improve skill sets of a musician?(1 ques)
4. Do professional singers feel comfortable accompanying dancers? (1 ques)
5. CD as a substitute for live orchestra (1 ques)

Most of the answers needed the respondents to ascribe a numerical value in the space provided at the end of the question/statement.The respondents were asked to rate their responses to a question/statemenr on a scale of 0- 10 , with 0 meaning you strongly disagree and 10 meaning you strongly agree 

0________________________________________10

strongly disagree                                      strongly agree

 For eg, if they strongly felt that good music accompaniment was necessary for a dance program they would perform/attend they score it 10

 A few optional open ended questions were included and the respondents were also given an option to add related information as they deemed fit. The questionnaire was sent initially to a dancer, rasika and musician to verify the face and content value and aptness of the survey material. Modifications suggested were incorporated. The data collection was done between Oct 25th and Nov 8th, 2009.

Observations:

The  demographics of the responses

A total of responses from 26 respondents are used in this survey. Their classification as dancers, musicians, dance teachers and rasikas are based on their voluntary recommendation appropriate to their current situation. There are a few who definitely belong to 2 classes and we placed them in what we considered was the most appropriate. 54% of the respondents were either dancers or dance teachers, 34% rasikas and 12% were musicians, which is so because of the nature of visitors to this blog. Nevertheless it should be noted that this may not be very different from the actual attendees of a dance concert itself, where the audience consists mainly of dance students, dance teachers, rasikas (a major component being family and friends of students/dancers) and very few musicians. But we may never see 12% of the audience being comprised of musicians!  Again because of the viewership pattern of this blog 42% of the respondents are from India and the rest of the responses came from subjects in USA, UK, Malaysia and Australia. It was also noted that the categories of musicians, dancers, rasikas and teachers were equally distributed among participants of the survey from India and abroad.

Comparison of responses among dancers, musicians and rasikas

Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

Comparison of responses from within and outside India

Click on the Imarge to see an enlarged version

These pictures might just give you an idea with regards to the responses. I believe they will make more sense along with the discussion that I am currently working on using the remarks from the survey.

Part 2- Discussions

Filed under: Abhinaya, Arts, Australia, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, CD, Carnatic Music, Chennai, Dance, India, KL, Kuala Lumpur, London, Madras, NRI, Performing Arts, Rasika, UK, USA, academics, artists, choreography, do's and don'ts for dancers, learning, leela samson, students , survey

Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muniandy collaborate for Ananda Absolute

Invitation, click to enlarge

A Double Bill Indian Classical Dance Programme

two dancers, two separate performances,

two distinctive windows extending out to the joy of dance and its glory

all under one production.

A double bill Bharatha Natyam, Indian Classical Dance, event is ready to stir emotions and exhilarate the soul.  Bringing exploratory innovativeness and traditional creativity, it extends the joy of Dance……Ananda Absolute!

Two widely acclaimed Malaysian male dancers, Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muniandy have come together to bring you this Ananda Absolute!

As a double bill event, you will get to watch two evocative performances in one evening.

Date : Saturday, 20^th & Sunday, 21^st June 2009

Venue : MTC (MATIC) Auditorium, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Time : 7.30pm

For invitations, please call :

Chelvi : +6012-710 1900

Santha Nantha : +6012-309 6369

Nadarajan : +6012-633 1911

Meena : +6017-331 0609

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Dance Gurus, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, artists, choreograhers, choreography, program, promotion , Ajith Bhaskaran Dass, Nadarajan Muniandy, Subranjali dance Theatre, Suvarna Fine arts

Upcoming Dance Programs

Fri Jun 12 – Ehsaas 2009, Realization through Dance, 7.30pm,
12 Jun- Ehsaas 2009, Realization through Dance, 7.30pm, PST on Fri Jun 12
When: Fri Jun 12, 2009 7.30 pm to 9.30am

Where: Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street) , Seattle, WA
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: Artistic Direction By Dr.Joyce Paul Poursabahian

Fri Jun 13 – Divya Smaranam… Remembering the Lord’s Name
When: Fri Jun 13, 2009 4.00 pm

Where:Gordon Center for Performing Arts 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue Owings Mills, MD 21117
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: Bharathanatyam recital by Anita Sivaraman and Senior students of Nrithyashala (Janaki Sivaraman, Director) .
Accompanied by Live Orchestra from India
Tickets $20 Adults $15 Children under 12 years $60 Family of 4 Advance Purchase Recommended
Contact: Janaki Sivaraman (410) 771-0860 Amita Mehta (410) 531-0199 Murthy Divakaruni (410) 418-5811 Email: nrityanita@gmail.com

Sat Jun 20 – - Ananda Absolute By Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muninady,7.30pm MYT
Sat, Jun 20- Ananda Absolute By Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muninady,7.30pm MYT on Sat Jun 20

When: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10pm to 12am MYT

Where: MTC (MATIC) Auditorium, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Event Status: confirmed

-
Sun Jun 21 – Sun,June 21 – Ananda Absolute by Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muniandy, 7:30pm MYT
Sun,June 21 – Ananda Absolute by Ajith Bhaskaran Dass and Nadarajan Muniandy, 7:30pm MYT on Sun Jun 21
When: Sun Jun 21, 2009 10pm to 12am MYT

Where: MTC (MATIC) Auditorium, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Event Status: confirmed

Sun Jun 28 -  The Dancing Ganesha & The Heroic Hanuman,6.00pm (Los Angeles Time)
June 28, The Dancing Ganesha & The Heroic Hanuman,6.00pm (Los Angeles Time) on Sun Jun 28
When: Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Where: Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: – Unveiling of new works of art by Suresh Iyengar” What: Exhibit Host: Rangoli Foundation for Art and Culture

Sun Jul 12 -  Bharatanatya Arangetram of Sweta Laxmi Devarajan,
July 12, Bharatanatya Arangetram of Sweta Laxmi Devarajan, on Sun Jul 12
When: Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:00pm to 9 pm MYT

Where: Music Academy, Mini Hall, Madras
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: Guru: Kalaimamani, Nadanamamani Smt. Ramya Ramnarayan, NJ, USA.(Nrityanjali Institute of Dance)

Filed under: Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Dance, Dance Gurus, India, Institutes, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Malathi Iyengar, Malaysia, Padma Subrahmanyam, Performing Arts, Rasika, Singapore, Workshops, academics, artists, choreograhers, learning, program, students

Rasa Unmasked by Sutra Dance Theatre

“Rasa Unmasked- Wisdom of India, Invoked and Savoured”

“Rasa Unmasked is a new dance work touring Australia and South-East Asia in March and April 2009. It is a sensuous, vibrant performance and the result of a remarkable collaboration, between:

Rasa Unmasked is a sensuous, contemporary dance work that sheds new light on India’s most vital aesthetic theory. The performance premieres in March in Sydney, Australia – before an international tour to Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Rasa Unmasked is the result of a collaboration between Anandavalli & Australia’s Lingalayam Dance Company, Ramli Ibrahim & Malaysia’s Sutra Dance Theatre and ethnomusicologist / composer, Alex Dea – all pioneers of classical art forms in contemporary contexts.

It is a stunning collaboration, seducing Malaysian dance doyen, Ramli, back to Australian shores after more than 25 years, since his time as dancer and choreographer at the Sydney Dance Company.”, says their Media Publicity pages

To watch a video

Find more videos like this on All Around You

Event Calendar

The Australia shows have concluded

Malaysia
KL :April 7th -12th:  Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, KLPac Website
Penang April 15th: Dewan Sri Penang, Penang, Penang Show Website

Singapore
April 19th: Theatre Studio, The Esplanade
India
April 22nd: Chowdiah Hall, Bangalore,
April 25th: Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Chennai
April 28th: Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

For more details, reviews and to buy tickets visit: http://rasaunmasked.wordpress.com/media-release/

Rasikas vote (watched it- pl vote)

Filed under: Australia, Bangalore, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Chennai, Dance, India, Introduction, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Madras, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, artists, choreograhers, choreography, contemporary, dance drama, experiences, program, promotion , Delhi, Ramli Ibrahim, Sutra Dance Theatre

A sneak peek into “Shanmukha” rehearsals at KL

I was at the final rehearsal of Mr. Nadarajan’s Muniandy’s upcoming show “Shanmukha”- all about Muruga as he says..  The rain and traffic made the journey to the MTC auditorium last an unbearable 1 hour 15 mins from my home… It should have lasted just 15 mins.. But I guess that’s part of KL..

When I reached the hall, a big part of the crew was stuck in the traffic and The Guru was patiently waiting for the members of the orchestra and students to arrive.

So have you put in the “saleable elements”?- I ask him. He just smiles and says he doesn’t believe in those gimmicks. Mr. Nadarajan Muninady is a graduate of the Kalakshetra who wants to pass the unadulterated Kalakshetra style to his students..

After some more waiting the rehearsal began with a Pushpanjali (that tham tham thangita thaka tat ho danga thakutha.. commonly seen among Sri. V. P. Dhananjayan students). 6 of his 8-9 year olds started off with this pushpanjali . Nadarajan , a serious Guru instructed these kids to put away their slippers neatly. They were further instructed about their entry, placement and exit very very carefully…He didn’t want them to doing their “athouthu chalanam” on stage J

His 3 senior students(who had had their arangetrams) started the next piece Kakka kakka kanagavel kakka and If I recall right Mr. Nadarajan joined in the latter half.

The 3rd item I saw was a solo  by Mr. Nadarajan, enna solli padinalum unthanmanum urugavillai” in Neelamani composed by Ayanampatti Adishesha Iyer a totally abhinaya oriented piece..This is a song currently popularised By Smt. Aruna Sairam if I am not wrong. Despite being totally involved in the abhinaya, he turned to correct the singer who worded ”latchiyam” instead of “alatchiyum” in the Charanam.

Then it was the varanam, that started with the usual tha-ritha-ritha –ginajathi which his 3 senior students performed..

Unfortunately it was already too late and I had to leave…

The excellent mridangist, whose name  my aging memory fails to recollect, was the one who accompanied Ajith for Ujjwala too.. Bhavani Logeswaran, who sang for Ajith was also giving her best today…Pathma was the other accompanying vocalist. The Nattuvangum artist had come from India- Vidya Ravi, (not sure of the first name again) who looked very comfortable conducting the orchestra. Meena Kumaree who was the excellent narrator at Ajith Bhaskkar’s show also pitches in here in the same capacity.. She was in her practice costume was probably dancing too.

It was reassuring to see such passion for Bharathanatyam and adherence to tradition.  The kids had good araimandis and the savustavum of the students showed that Shubanjali , Nadarajan’s Dance Academy does take this seriously.. A few kids need to improve their natyarambham and complete their theermanam adavu in the faster speeds.

 But I am sure these kids who look genuinely interested and happy to be dancing, have found a dedicated Guru who can bring out the best in them if they continued to show the same interest and dedication as they did now. It was also a pleasure to see the motivating parents who had driven their wards all the way in the cursed traffic and rain after a day’s hard work for the nth rehearsal.

It’s a pity that I may not get to see this program actually, would have loved to watch the varnam in entirety and the thillana.

The show is to be held at MATIC Auditorium today (Oct.11th) at 8pm. Ticketed at 30 and 50 RM

For More Information contact: 012 633 1911

Filed under: Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Dance Gurus, Institutes, KL, Kalakshetra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, choreograhers, choreography, learning, program, students, upcoming artist , Nadarajan Muniandy, Subranjali dance Theatre

Subraanjali Dance Theatre presents “Shanmukha in KL”

 Date: 11th Oct,2008

Venue:MATIC Auditorium, KL

Time: 8.00pm

For More Information contact: 012 633 1911

About the Artistic Director:  Sri.Nadarajan Muniandy graduated from Kalakshetra Graduate in 1993. He began his learning of the Kalkshetra Style under Guru Krishna Kumari in KL. He has also been under the tutelage of Guru(Smt.) Sharada Hoffman. Since his graduation , Sri. Nadarajan Muniandy has been active in KL as a performer, teacher and choreographer. He established the Subraanjali Dance School in 1997 where he trains his students . The school provides rigorous training to interested students and adheres to the Kalakshetra tradition.

Source: Mrs. Santhakumari,KL

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Dance Gurus, Introduction, KL, Kalakshetra, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, artists, choreograhers, choreography, dance drama, learning, program, promotion, students, talent, upcoming artist , Nadarajan Muniandy

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

Mavin Khoo and O.S. Arun in KL

DEVI: IN ABSOLUTION
23—24 Aug., 8.30pm
Venue: Civic Centre, Petaling Jaya
Admission: RM100, RM50, RM30
Tel: 016–945 1532 / 012–207 2402
After the success of the neo-classical ballet production of 2006, Devi: The Female Principle, renowned UK-based Malaysian dancer and choreographer Mavin Khoo returns to his fascination with the goddess in Devi: In Absolution. A collaboration between Mavin and renowned international vocalist OS Arun, the work is a classical Bharata Natyam offering whereby the goddess is alluded to in three forms; as Meenakshi (the Child), Durga (the Warrior) and Kali (the Destroyer). Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the tradition of goddess worship. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination, remains void. Khoo explores these three manifestations by providing a theatrical compositional landscape within the Bharata Natyam genre. Set against fragments of film installation, the work is as much a celebration of divine female absolution as it is an all-pervading force of innocence, love, energy and destruction.

Source: Astro TV advt. and http://www.visionkl.com/klcalender-hot.asp

Watch Mavin Khoo in a You Tube video titled “AshtaNayika: 8 Kalahantarita”. The video embedding is disabled so please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqlNYXqSlX0&feature=related to watch.

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, Rasika, South Asian Dance, UK, artists, choreograhers, choreography, experiences, program, promotion , Mavin Khoo

Ajith Bhaskaran Dass’s upcoming”Ujjwala” at Malaysia

Suvarna Dance Company presents an exclusive one night performance entitled UJJWALA – AWAKENING THE INNER FLAME, will be staged at the Malaysian Tourist Center, Auditorium Dewan Tuaku Abdul Rahman. 109, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
on 30th August at 7.30pm, by Ajith Bhaskaran Dass

For details and making your reservation visit http://nmadasamy.com/AJIT/ujjwala.html

About Ajith

Ajit Bhaskaran Das: Is a leading exponent of Bharat Natyam and Odissi in Malaysia. He has also received extensive formal training in contemporary dance. His performances, therefore, reflect a unique image of conscious artistry, transcending boundaries between old and new, East and West. Ajit mesmerized audiences in North America with his portrayal of Kothal in the Shakti dance ballet Shyama and as a lead dancer in Bhagavad Gita, which toured the US and Canada in 20002 and 2003.  Ajit is Artistic Director of Suvarna Dance Creations, a well known dance company in Malaysia.

Filed under: Arts, Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Dance, Institutes, Introduction, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Male Bharathanatyam dancer, Performing Arts, South Asian Dance, Suvarna Dance Company, artists, choreograhers, choreography, experiences, program, promotion, talent