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2024   VASANTHA KASINATHAN, one of Singapore's pioneering Bharatanatyam gurus, passed away on September 24, 2024 aged 78. She was popularly known as Miss Vasantha Mani. She was closely associated with the classical arts from as early as the 1950s in Singapore. Her long association with the People’s Association since 1983 garnered her the Long Service Award for conducting dance classes in community centres. Apsaras Dance Company awarded her the title of NATYA AACHARYAMANI in 2013. She inspired the young and old in Singapore, in both the Indian and other communities with her innovative teaching and dance choreography.  Veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher, DR. VAJIRA CHITRASENA, who took Sri Lanka’s traditional dance to international arena, passed away on September 23, 2024 at the age of 92. Wife of legendary artiste Chitrasena, Vajira was instrumental in revolutionizing Sri Lanka’s classical dance forms. She and her husband Chitrasena are known for their close bond with India and for their contributions in strengthening the ties between the two countries in the field of arts. She made her debut as soloist in the role of Prakriti in the ballet ‘Chandali’ in 1952. Her rise to stardom was coupled with unswerving discipline and dedication both as teacher, performer and choreographer, even as she illumined her husband’s career. She was announced as an honorable recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award for her achievement in arts in January 2020 and the award was given by Indian President Ram Nath Govind during the Padma Awards Investiture Ceremony which was held on 8 November 2021. Her contributions as a performer and teacher left an indelible mark on the country’s cultural heritage, inspiring generations of dancers.  Brilliant artist, lights and sets designer for theatre and dance, Koothu-P-Pattarai Foundation's Managing Trustee M NATESH passed away on September 20, 2024 in Chennai.  PT. SUNIL KUMAR DUBEY passed away on September 17, 2024 at Seraikella at the age of 64. He was a music composer, dancer and director of Trinetra Chhau Dance Centre, Seraikella. He led the internationally acclaimed team of Chhau dancers and musicians of Trinetra founded by his elder brother, Late Guru Pt. Gopal Dubey. More info  Japanese Bharatanatyam dancer KIMIKO OHTANI passed away on August 25, 2024. She received her M.A. in Dance Ethnology from the University of Hawaii and her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Queen’s University of Belfast. Her specializations were in Okinawan dance and Indian classical dance. More details  SUVERNA ASHOK DESAI (16 April 1935 - 13 August 2024) was a distinguished Manipuri exponent. She was one of the eminent Jhaveri sisters, who brought tremendous recognition to Manipuri.  YAMINI KRISHNAMURTHY (Dec 20, 1940 - August 3, 2024) Iconic classical dance diva Yamini Krishnamurthy passed away in Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, on August 3, 2024 aged 84. She was suffering from age related medical issues and had been in the ICU for 7 months according to her manager. Born in Madanapalli in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, Yamini trained in Bharatanatyam at Rukmini Devi Arundale’s Kalakshetra under the mentorship of eminent gurus Kanchipuram Elappa Pillai, Thanjavur Kittappa Pillai, Dhandayudhapani Pillai and Mylapore Gowri Ammal. She gave her debut Bnaratanatyam performance in 1957. She also trained in Kuchipudi under gurus Vedantam Lakshminarayana Shastri, Chinta Krishnamurthi and Pasumarthy Venugopal Krishna Sharma. In addition, she learnt Odissi from gurus Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra. She learnt Carnatic music from M. D. Ramanathan and veena from Kalpakkam Swaminathan but her focus was more on Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She was one of the earliest dancers to bring about a dramatic change in the field of dance. Greatly supported by her family, especially her father, and her gurus, she attained immeasurable name and fame for her dazzling performances. She had the honour of being Asthana Narthaki (resident dancer) of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam. She attained worldwide fame for her performances in both art forms as a trailblazer, serving as inspiration for more youngsters to take up dance. She opened her own dance school, Yamini School of Dance, in Delhi in 1990 helping popularize the dance form in the North. Yamini released her autobiography, ‘A Passion for Dance’ in Nov 1995. She spent her entire life dedicated to her passion for dance and never married. A classical dance icon, she won many awards, including the Padma Shri (1968), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award(1977), Padma Bhushan (2001), and the Padma Vibhushan (2016). Her passing away is an irreplaceable loss to the whole Indian dance community. She is survived by two sisters. More info: Yamini: The enigma - Leela Venkataraman Words fail me even as I try hard to capture in writing, the magic of that meteor, streaking across the skies and illuminating the dance world - adding a different texture to Indian dance history. Dance was her life: Yamini Krishnamurthy (1940-2024) - Ashish Mohan Khokar Purna Tilakam was her real middle name. Her art symbolised it. Whispers of divinity: Yamini Krishnamurthy's dance odyssey - Navina Jafa Yamini Krishnamurthy carved her place in the history of classical Indian dance from the 1950s to the 1970s, when India saw the emergence of the first generation of non-hereditary female performers take the centre of the stage. Yamini Krishnamurthy made the rules as she danced, owning the stage - Leela Samson Yamini performed Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi, having learnt from masters like Kittappa Pillai, Gowri Ammal and Guru Pankaj Charan Das. And what a performer she was!  Dancer KOUSHIK DAS expired on 18th July 2024 at a Kolkata hospital succumbing to lungs infection (pneumonia). He joined Sapphire Creations dance Company in 2006 and performed in major productions like Rituranga, Parivahitam, Ekonama & Sapphirescope. He toured extensively in major countries with Sapphire like Nepal, Kazaksthan, USA, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Singapore & Sri Lanka. He assisted Founder Director Sudarshan Chakravorty and co-choreographed productions, including leading workshops in University of Guwahati under National School of Drama and with Chorus Repertory of iconic theatre director Ratan Thiyyam & Geetanjali Dance Academy in Shillong. He was a recipient of Junior CCERT Scholarship in Kathak and studied under Ashim Bandhu Bhattacharya and creative dance under Kohinoor Sen Barat.  Guru DR. MAMATA NIYOGI-NAKRA passed away on July 6, 2024. She was the disciple of Gurus U.S. Krishna Rao and U.K. Chandrabhaga Devi and performed extensively in India, U.K. and Europe, but an accident in 1969, soon after her arrival in Canada, left her with a permanent injury, which abruptly cut her off from performing. She founded Kala Bharati in Montreal, Quebec in 1981 and was one of the pioneers who taught Bharatanatyam in alien soil. Mamata created a new repertoire of classical items designed for children and choreographed a series of vignettes in Bharatanatyam style to capture Haiku moments. In Montreal, she presented her work regularly with La Troupe Kala Bharati, independently and in collaboration with various other organizations. She was co-author with Vincent Warren “Crafting Dance: Two Voices” (in preparation) and published many articles on Indian classical dance. She created Shishu Sadhana, a child friendly Bharatanatyam repertoire, book with a DVD (2005). In recognition of her contribution to Indian classical dance and Bharatanatyam, Mamata Niyogi-Nakra has been mentioned under the section Guru Parampara in the book Bharatanatyam, published by Marg Publications, Bombay (1997). She was the recipient of the Medal of Honor by the National Assembly of Quebec in 2016. To all those that crossed her path, she enriched their lives by infusing her love for dance, as a Guru, a teacher, a speaker, and a mentor. Her passion for dance, contribution at a scholarly level, and unceasing endeavors in the field of dance has left an indelible mark on many individuals and on the dance community.  Bharatanatyam dancer HAMSA MOILY, daughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily, passed away on June 30, 2024. She was 46. She has acted in Tamil feature film ‘Shringaram’ based on the lives of hereditary artistes of the 1920’s, and a short film ‘A portrait of a dancer’ directed by Ruchi Bakshi. More info  GURU C.V. CHANDRASEKHAR (22 May 1935 - 19 June 2024) A legendary dance exponent, Prof. C.V. CHANDRASEKHAR fondly known as Chandru Anna and "Chandrasekhar Sir," specialized in Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam under the able guidance of Rukmini Devi Arundale. He imbibed from his mentor the best of Indian art, culture and aesthetics. He served the Benaras Hindu University and MS University of Baroda and retired as the Head and Dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts of MS University of Baroda. C.V. Chandrasekhar was a multi-faceted personality being a dancer, choreographer, researcher, musician, academician, composer and highly acclaimed teacher of Bharatanatyam. His presentation of Bharatanatyam technique was at its finest and an inspiration for all dancers. He has a number of music and dance compositions to his credit and his dance dramas have been highly acclaimed for their individuality and innovative approach. He was the artistic director of his dance institution Nrityashree in Chennai, along with his wife Jaya. Documentary filmmaker Vinu Vasudevan and Kuchipudi exponent Madhavi Mallampalli have made a film titled NRITHYA GANDHARVA: PROF. C. V. CHANDRASEKHAR, HIS ART & LIFE that was released on Jan 24, 2021 on YouTube. He received the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Kalidas Samman and Padma Bhushan (2011). Sincere condolences to his near and dear ones and the extended artiste family. FINAL RITES ON JUNE 20 AT 10AM AT BESANT NAGAR CREMATORIUM, CHENNAI. More info: Guru CV Chandrasekhar - Ashish Mohan Khokar Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar - Anjana Anand  DR.PAPPU VENUGOPAL RAO passed away on April 7, 2024. Born on 30 June 1948, he was a well-known Indian educationist and musicologist. He specialized in Telugu and Sanskrit literature. He has written on varied subjects such as music, culture and spirituality. Dr Rao had three masters in Telugu, Sanskrit, English, a PhD in Sanskrit and Telugu and D.Litt in Indology. He worked with the American Institute of Indian Studies from 1978-2010 and retired as Associate Director General. He was a committee member of the Music Academy Chennai for two decades and also one of its Secretaries. He has translated five volumes of Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini. The SVBC TV channel of Tirupathi produced and telecast a program entitled Annamayya Samkeertanarchana, with compositions of Annamacharya in 52 episodes each of 30 minutes duration with Dr.Rao’s detailed live commentary for all the 150 compositions and Dr.Balamurali Krishna’s lyrical guidance.  Dr.C Radhakrishna, last of the nattuvanars from traditional Naidu families of Karnataka, who propagated the Kolar Sampradaya of Karnataka Nritya Parampara (Mysore school of Bharatanatyam), passed away on 30th March 2024 after a brief illness. He was 96 years old. He has left a worthy legacy of his relentless work of 80 years to the field of Bharatanatyam.  Traditional Manipuri dance GURU SAGOLSHEM KIRTI SINGH expired on 6th March 2024 at his residence. He joined Banasthali Vidyapith as Guru and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy as a visiting Guru. He became one of the founder members and Asst. Guru of Progressive Artiste Laboratory. As a dancer, he played many roles in dance drama productions of Progressive Artiste Laboratory. As dance Guru, he mentored more than 30 students of classical Manipuri dance in Manipur and Bangladesh. As Raasdhari, he conducted numerous Raas Lilas organised by PAL, JNMDA, NGOs of Bangladesh and the government of Manipur. He received the Manipur State Kala Akademi Award in 2013.  Young Bharatanatyam (an alumnus of Kalakshetra) and Kuchipudi (disciple of Guru Vempati Chinna Sathyam and Srimayi Venkat) dancer AMARNATH GHOSH was shot multiple times on 27th February 2024, when he was said to be taking an evening walk in the St Louis Academy where he was pursuing higher studies. He was about 34.  Film director and screen writer KUMAR SHAHANI, whose complex and deeply-layered works such as Maya Darpan, Tarang, Khayal Gatha and Char Adhyay enriched and expanded the creative language of arthouse cinema, passed away at a Kolkata hospital on February 24, 2024. He was 83. Khayal Gatha (1989) explored the classical music form using legends, poetry and dance featuring Pt Birju Maharaj. Bhavantarana (1991) is a documentary on Odissi Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and received the National Film Award for best biographical film, and Alarmel Valli featured in Bamboo Flute (2000).  Emma Gladstone, dancer and former artistic director of Dance Umbrella, passed away at the age of 63 on January 22, 2024. |
