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December 2004
Dec 1:
Kartik Fine Arts conferred the title NADANAMAMANI on dancer Priya Jayaraman at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai, on the inaugural day of its annual festival of music and dance.

Dec 1 – 7:
The Park's THE OTHER FESTIVAL organized by Anita Ratnam (Arangham Trust) and Ranvir Shah (Prakriti Foundation) completed its 7th successful year.

Dec 1 – 7:
Prathibha Prahlad performed at the INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE 2004 cultural festival that took place at Tel Aviv, Israel.

Dec 3:
On the inaugural day of the Third December Art Festival, Brahma Gana Sabha conferred the title NATYA PADMAM on Sonal Mansingh at the Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, Chennai.

Dec 4:
Anita Ratnam received the NRITYA KALA SIROMANI award conferred by the Nungambakkam Cultural Academy at Sri Rama Rao Kala Mandap, Chennai.

Dec 9:
For her latest production Amritasya Putra, Mamata Shankar received the prestigious UDAY SHANKAR AWARD of the Govt. of West Bengal, from Budhhadev Bhattacharya (Chief Minister of West Bengal), at Kolkata.

Dec 9:
In Chennai, the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha conferred NRITYA CHOODAMANI title on Odissi dancer Madhvi Mudgal and ACHARYA CHOODAMANI title on Bharatanatyam guru Indira Rajan.

Dec 9:
'Contraposition', a new work choreographed by Astad Deboo featuring Astad and students of the Clarke School for the Deaf (Chennai) was premiered in Chennai, after which it was presented at Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. It was chosen to be a part of the opening ceremony and cultural festival of the 20th DEAF OLYMPICS GAMES at Melbourne, Australia, from the 5th Jan 2005.

Dec 10:
At the 18th Margazhi Mahotsav, Chennai based organization Bharat Kalachar conferred the KALA SEVA BHARATHI AWARD on Nandini Ramani (Bharatanatyam dancer and critic). 12 young artistes were honored with the YUVA KALA BHARATHI AWARD in recognition of their talent in dance and music - Anusha Narendra and Renjith Babu (Bharatanatyam), Sukanya Ravindhar (all rounder in Bharatanatyam, nattuvangam, choreography), B Muthukumar (flute), T Bhavani Prasad (veena), Madurai T N S Krishna (vocal), Charulatha Mani (vocal), U P Raju (mandolin), Delhi Sairam (mridangam), U N Giridhar Uduppa (ghatam), T J Sourirajan (thavil) and Absar (dramatics).

Dec 10 – 16:
Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe, along with the WDA-AP, organised a workshop on Contemporary dance and a two day seminar CONTEMPORARY DANCE IN ASIA- TRADITION AND CHANGE: TIME AND SPACE IN ASIAN PERFORMANCE on the 11th and 12th.

Dec 14 – 20:
Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, presented the 24th Natya Kala Conference, convened by dance gurus Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi. Titled Pibare Natya Rasam meaning, 'relish the nectar of Natya,' the conference was dedicated to late Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. As he has been doing for every year of the Natya Kala Conference since its inception, scholar V A K Ranga Rao, announced his choice of the best lec-dem. His criteria - a lec-dem should be useful not only to dancers, but to one and all. Dr. Krishna Raman's 'Pose and counter pose - Yoga therapy for dancers' won hands down.

Dec 13 - 18:
THE WORK OF DIDIK NINI THOWOK, an art exhibition of photographs, paintings, costumes and dance props opened on 13th at Taman Budaya Socitet, Yogyakarta. On 14th, CROSS GENDER & BIOGRAPHY of Didik Nini Thowok was launched at the same venue. Dec 17 & 18 witnessed TRANCEFORMATION, a presentation of 'cross gender' performances by male and female performers from Japan, China, India and Indonesia. Chennai based dancers Sangeeta Isvaran and Srikanth participated in the festival. This production and other supporting activities commemorated Didik Nini Thowok's 50th birthday and his career in the arts. He is a performance artist, choreographer, dancer, teacher, mime, actor, make-up artist, comedian and singer. Combining classical, folk, modern and comedic dance forms, he is one of the few artistes who continues a traditional cross gender performance style and in his talent in impersonating female characters as well as his incredible skill in various dance traditions such as topeng (mask dance), Sundanese, Cirebon, Balinese, and of course Central Javanese. He has on many occasions dumbfounded the audience in determining the gender of the artist.

Dec 14:
For preserving, propagating and enriching the traditional Bharatanatyam dance form, Sri Kapali Fine Arts, Chennai, awarded NATYA KALA JYOTHI to dancer Shylaja Ramji at their 35th annual festival.

Dec 18 - 20:
NATYA DARSHAN IV - a seminar on dance titled 'Extensions to Tradition', organized by Kartik Fine Arts and convened by Radhika Shurajit, took place at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai. Dance gurus Sudharani Raghupathy and Chitra Visweswaran were the advisors.

Dec 19:
Kathak duo Nalini-Kamalini were decorated with FILM MEDIA AWARD for their outstanding services in the promotion of Fine Arts around the globe by U P Films Society.

Dec 21:
Bharatanatyam guru K J Sarasa received the ISAI PERARINGNAR award from Tamil Isai Sangam at the inauguration of the 62nd annual Tamil music festival at Raja Annamalai Hall, Chennai.

Dec 26:
In the Plain Dealer dated December 26, 2004, columnist Wilma Salisbury wrote on 'Masterworks, fresh artists among year's dance highlights,' listing the top 10 dance events of 2004 in the US, dividing equally, performances of masterworks by major choreographers (Nos. 1-5: Miami City Ballet, Verb Ballets, American Ballet Theatre, Mather Dance Ensemble, Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company) and premieres of pieces by fresh creative voices (Nos. 6-10: Avigna Dance Ensemble, GroundWorks Dancetheater, Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre, Ohio Ballet, Verlezza Dance).
Featured sixth on the list are dancer/choreographer G Narendra and the Avigna Dance Ensemble. To quote: The group from Madras, India, made a stunning impact in choreographer G Narendra's dramatic interpretation of the ancient Tamil epic "Silappadhikaaram" at the Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus Auditorium.
November 2004
Nov 3 - 7:
The18th World Congress on Dance Research titled "The preservation of diversity" took place at Argos, Greece.

Nov 5:

On the 9th year Annual Day of SaRiGaMaPaDhaNi Foundation, conducted at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Kuchipudi dancer Sailaja was awarded the title NRITYASRI, and Sruti Janaki VIDYASRI.

Nov 8:
For the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Natyanajali Trust founded by the late Jayalakshmi Sadagopan, 92-year-old Bharatanatyam guru Pandanallur C Subbaraya Pillai was honored. He was presented with a cheque for Rs.25, 000 by Nalli Kuppusami Chetty who presided over the function.

Nov 14:
Kalairani Natya Saalai Bharatanatyam school in Maryland celebrated its 20th anniversary with two shows, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and folk items by Natyanjali from Bangalore, India. What was unique about this group was four of the 7 dancers in the troupe were blind. Recorded in the Limca Records, this troupe has traveled extensively, but was touring USA for the first time. The second half of the celebration was a gala presentation of Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book in Bharatanatyam style by KNS students.

Nov 25 - 30:
Prathibha Prahlad performed at the WORLD PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL 2004 in Pakistan. She had choreographed 2 special items based on Sufi music.
October 2004
Oct 8 - 10:
The Anila Sinha Foundation, in collaboration with International House at the University of Chicago, hosted the International Kathak Festival, featuring prominent Kathak dancers based in the US and some eminent names in Kathak from India such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Kumudini Lakhia, Saswati Sen, Jayant Kastuar, Abhay Shankar Mishra from London and Sunil Kothari.
The purpose of the event was to
- Provide a forum in Chicago for convocation of Kathak scholars, musicians, choreographers, and critics to discuss, debate, clarify and critique.
- Educate the public and the community at large about the diversity and excellence of Kathak Dance.
- Uphold the artistic levels of Kathak dance in North America; preserve traditional values and inspire new and innovative directions.
- Establish the highest expression of Kathak performance as a template in the minds and hearts of the younger generation of dancers and students.

Oct 20:
A disciple of guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guwahati based dancer Swagata Das received the VISHNU DIGAMBAR PALUSHKAR AWARD for excellence in Odissi, at the Nadabrahma Mandir Auditorium, Mumbai.

Oct 23:
The Michigan Dance Council along with the National Dance Educators Organization awarded a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to Bharatanatyam guru Sudha Chandra Sekhar and fifteen other Michigan based dancers on Vijayadasami Day. It was presented at a special Awards ceremony held at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan State University, East Lansing. This award was "in recognition of continuing outstanding and dedicated services to the arts through untiring dance efforts to the community."

The same day Miindia.com also presented their recognition Award for outstanding services to the community along with Narendra Sheth who has run his very popular Radio program for the past twenty-five plus years in Michigan. This was held at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan as part of their 'Colors of Asia' program.

Oct 25, 27 & 28:
Sonal Mansingh and Centre for Indian Classical Dance, presented the 7th Jiwan Pani Memorial Festival. The theme of the festival was a solo dancer's journey into creative space from where emerge internalized images and interpretation. Performances included Odissi by Sonal Mansingh, Bharatanatyam by Nandini Ramani and Nangiarkoothu by Margi Sathi.

Oct 26:
Called the 'Kuchipudi ambassador of Andhra Pradesh,' 66-year-old dance guru Uma Rama Rao was honored with the SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARD at New Delhi.

Indians for Collective Action gave their HONOUR AWARD 2004 to Mallika Sarabhai for her commitment to humanity and the arts, at a ceremony in San Francisco in Oct 2004.
September 2004
Sept 9 - 12:
The GURU KELUCHARAN MOHAPATRA AWARD for 2004 went to 4 artistes – Pandit Damodar Hota (classical vocalist/scholar), Bhubaneswar Mohapatra (playwright), Parbati Ghosh (cine personality) and Gopikrushna Behera (dancer-composer). The awards were conferred at the 10th annual Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival held at Bhubaneswar.

Sept 10:
Director K Subrahmanyam Memorial Trust celebrated the birth centenary and released a Commemorative Postage Stamp and First Day Cover by the Department of Posts, Govt. of India in honour of Director K Subrahmanyam (father of Padma Subrahmanyam) at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai. Padmini Ramachandran and other dignitaries offered tributes. Eminent personalities received the album containing the Commemorative Postage Stamp & First Day Cover. DIRECTOR K SUBRAHMANYAM BIRTH CENTENARY AWARD was conferred on D S Aiyaloo (Costumer), Keezhpadam Kumaran Asan (Kathakali Guru, Kerala), R Krishnaswami (Cultural Organiser), S N Chandrasekhar (Art Critic, Karnataka), Anusuya Devi & Sita Devi (Vinjimuri Sisters, artistes - Folk Music, Andhra Pradesh), S Janaki (Playback Singer), M Saroja (Cine Artiste), Sembanarkoil S R D Vaidhyanathan (Nadaswara Vidwan), T H Vinayakaram (Ghatam Vidwan), and Sambhu (Production Assistant of KS).

Sept 30:

California based Kathak dancer Anjani Ambegaokar was awarded the prestigious NATIONAL HERITAGE AWARD by the National Endowment for the Arts for $20,000 for 2004. This is the first time that the award has been given to an Indian dancer/choreographer/teacher in the 22 years of history of the award. This the highest award for traditional and folk artistes in the USA and is given by nomination. 12 artistes received the award at a special Capitol Hill ceremony in Washington, DC.

Roehampton University, London, appointed Avanthi Meduri as Reader, Dance Studies Program, starting Autumn 2004. Meduri, who is trained in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, is the first person of South Asian origin to be appointed to a post of academic stature and influence in the UK.
August 2004
Aug 1:
At Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore, Heritage India presented a seminar, which took an insight into an imperative analysis of prevalent SIGNIFICANCE OF CONTENTS. Views were expressed on the issue of content through an artist's perspective and audience perspective. The seminar also attempted to provide glimpses of the transitional changes in the forms of dances.

August 5 - 7:
The 2004 Chinese Culture University and Dance Notation Bureau International Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, dealt with 'Application of Labanotation, motif writing and Laban movement analysis for education, with technology as a tool for cultural study.'

August 8 - 10:
The INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR DANCE MEDICINE took place at Taipei Physical Education College. Sponsored by Polestar Education and Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei, the conference content was 'Dance medicine and dance injury rehabilitation.'

During the Laya Bharatam festival organized by Natyarangam wing of Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai in the last week of August, 83-year-old Bharatanatyam guru Acharya Parvati Kumar (Mumbai) was honored for his contribution in the dance field. Other artistes who received recognition were senior flautist A V Unnikrishnan (SUDHARANI RAGHUPATHY AWARD), Bharatanatyam dancer Manjari Rajendra Kumar (P OBUL REDDY AWARD) and Bharatanatyam dancer Adith Narayan (VASANTHALAKHMI NARASIMHACHARI AWARD).
July 2004
July 3:
Ratna Kumar, Artistic director of Anjali Centre for Indian Performing arts, Houston, TX, received an award for OUTSTANDING PERFORMING ARTIST from the America Telugu Association at its National Convention in Chicago.

Malathi Iyengar and Lakshmi Iyengar were selected as Master Teacher and Apprentice by the ACTA (Alliance for California Traditional Artists) in the south Indian Bharatanatyam dance tradition. In July 2004, ACTA awarded 14 teams of master folk and traditional artists and dedicated apprentices in artistic genres representing the richness of California's cultural landscape. These contracts support a period of intensive learning for individuals who have shown a commitment to, and talent for, a specific artistic tradition. The National Endowment for the Arts and the James Irvine Foundation provide funding for this program. This is the fifth consecutive year that such awards to perpetuate traditional arts in California have been awarded through the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
2004-2005 ACTA Some of the Apprenticeship Recipients
- Malathi Iyengar, Bharata Natyam Dance, Sherman Oaks
- Lakshmi Iyengar, apprentice, Sherman Oaks
- Asako Takami, Odissi Dance, Oakland
- Chaitee Sengupta, apprentice, Oakland
- Asha Ramesh, South Indian Carnatic Vocal Music, San Jose
- Karthik Chandran, apprentice, Saratoga
- Parasuraman Sunderrajan, South Indian Carnatic Violin Music, Lake Forest
- Arun Ramamurthi, apprentice, Rancho Santa Margarita.
June 2004
June 2:
Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri felicitated a host of artistes with SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARD during a glittering function at the Ganna Sansthan Auditorium, Lucknow. Awardees included Kathak duo Nalini-Kamalini and theatre personality Nadira Zaheer Babbar, Dhrupad Singer Ritwik Sanyal, Yugantar Sindoor and Vinu Kalsi. Nalini-Kamalini were acknowledged for their outstanding presentation and popularising pre-Mughal concerts around the globe. Recently they set a record, dancing at Kailash Mansarovar Peak at the height of 18,000 feet.

June 12:
Kamala Narayan was honored at Scotch Plains, NJ, with the SANGEETHA SAGARA AWARD by CMANA - Carnatic Music Association of North America.

June 28:
The DORA MAVOR MOORE 2003-2004 AWARD ceremony was held in Toronto where Thok, choreographed by artistic director, Roger Sinha was nominated in the category as BEST NEW CHOREOGRAPHY. Tom Casey, one of Thok's dancers walked away with the award for OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE in the dance category.
The duet, Loha, featuring Roger Sinha and Natasha Bakht, obtained a nomination for the prize DÉFI DE L'EXCELLENCE MONDOR, at the Festival Danse Encore de Trois-Rivières on June 4th. These two distinctions highlight Sinha Danse's quality of artistic productions and recent achievements during its remarkable 2003 - 2004 season, with more than 25 shows presented in Quebec and throughout Canada.

June 30:
Bharatanatyam dancer Priyadarshini Govind was the only Indian artiste to perform at the MONTPELLIER DANCE FESTIVAL, France.

June 30:
In New Delhi, President APJ Abdul Kalam conferred the Padma Awards on 86 eminent personalities from various walks of life - PADMA BHUSHAN for Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli, PADMA SHRI for Mohiniattam dancer Bharati Shivaji, Kuchipudi dancer Jayarama Rao, Kathakali dancer K R Kumaran Nair, Odissi dancer Maguni Charan Das and Heisnam Kanhailal for theatre.
May 2004
May 17 - 26:
Melattur Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanti Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam presented the all night 64th BHAGAVATA MELA NATAKA MAHOTSAV 2004 at Sri Varadaraja Perumal Sannidhi, Melattur, Tamilnadu.

May 20:
Airtel, India's premier mobile service provider, presented the LEGENDS OF INDIA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD for excellence in the field of music and art to Pt Birju Maharaj, at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi. Sanjay Nandrajog, Director and CEO, North Central region, Airtel, presented the award along with sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. In its sixth year of inception, the Legends of India festival aims to promote Indian art and culture. Birju Maharaj belongs to the Lucknow gharana and is also a versatile vocalist, painter and percussionist.

May 22:
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Akademi, in collaboration with the ICA, brought together leading international thinkers in a one day symposium NO MAN'S LAND – EXPLORING SOUTH ASIANNESS. Together they examined the complex terrain of South Asian identity politics, deconstructing the origin, development, relevance and implications of 'South Asianness' from their very different perspectives. Sunil Khilnani (Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC), Shobana Jeyasingh (acclaimed choreographer and founder of Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company), Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (The Independent), Jeevan Deol (St John's College, Cambridge), Daoud Ali (School of Oriental and African Studies), Pavan Varma (Nehru Centre), Andrée Grau (Roehampton University of Surrey), Keith Khan (Moti Roti), Parminder Vir (Carlton TV), Sanjoy Roy (The Guardian), and Sanjay Sharma (University of East London) participated.

May 29:
Bharatanatyam dancer S Mathevi of Gopeng, Perak, performed bare feet for 30 minutes on a floor of about 10,000 nails in Ipoh, Malaysia.
April 2004
Apr 1:
Richard C Holbrooke, Chairman of the Asia Society Board of Trustees, announced the selection of Vishakha N Desai as the Society's sixth president. Desai became the first woman and first Asian American to lead the educational nonprofit institution, founded in 1956 by John D Rockefeller 3rd, to foster understanding between Asia and America. She succeeded Nicholas Platt who retired in summer.
Apr 17:

Ananda Shankar Jayant (Hyderabad) was awarded her Doctorate at the convocation of Osmania University. Her topic of research was Promotion of Tourism and Culture in India - Role of Railways.

Apr 18:

The Dhananjayans were conferred the SWATI-RATNAM award instituted by the Malayalee Club of Madras, for their outstanding contributions to the propagation of the compositions of Maharaja Swati Thirunal. Prof. S P Thyagarajan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras presented the Puraskaar to the Dhananjayans.


To add new textures into its academic discipline, the prestigious Birla Institute for Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani invited Delhi based classical dancer Geeta Chandran to be Adjunct Professor for 2004-2006. In nominating Geeta, BITS seeks to add inputs from the world of contemporary creativity to its famed academic pursuits. It is a rare honour for a classical dancer.

Apr 24:
A seminar on TRADITION AND MODERNITY organised by Anurekha Ghosh & Company (Birmingham, UK), explored issues around terms such as 'Tradition', 'Modernity', and 'Contemporary Arts'/ 'Interdisciplinary arts', with special emphasis on South Asian and African dance. The seminar included discussions on key themes along with presentations of traditional and modern pieces. Focus on discussion and panel consisted of key Asian and African choreographers and dancers.

Apr 29:
Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi celebrated DANCE FOR PEACE on World Dance Day at Rabindra Bhavan lawns and Meghdoot Complex, New Delhi from 5 - 10pm. There was a demo of folk, classical, contemporary and martial dances by disciples of Sonal Mansingh, Saroja Vaidyanathan, Kanaka Srinivasan, Leela Omcherry, Swapnasundari, Jayarama Rao & Vanashree Rao, Deepti Omcherry Bhalla, Jamuna Krishnan, Sashadhar Acharya, Santosh Nair, Geeta Chandran, Saswati Sen, Prerna Shrimali and Jayalakshmi Eshwar among others. There were video films on dance from Akademi archives.
March 2004
March 5:
American Immigration Law Foundation presented The 9th Annual Washington Immigrant Achievement Awards to honor outstanding immigrants whose contributions have enriched the nation. Musician and composer Babu Parameswaran, director of Keerthana School of Indian Music in Maryland, was awarded the WASHINGTON IMMIGRANT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2004. He's the first South Indian musician to receive this honor. Babu is a versatile artist who can sing both the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of music and a Keyboard artist who can create great music on the newly developed synthesizers.

March 8:
Shanta Dhananjayan was honored by PKR Arts college for women, Gopbichettipalayam, on the occasion of International Women's Day.

March 9:
Sapphire Creations at Kolkata conferred the SUBINOY CHAKRAVORTY AND BIJOYA CHAKRAVORTY SMRITI PURASHKAR for the years 2003 and 2004 on Astad Deboo, Shuvaprasanna, Bijoyluxmi Burman and Russi Mody on the inaugural day of Interface 2004, a festival of contemporary expressions.

March 17 - 19:
A 3-day seminar titled CREATIVE EDGE: 21ST CENTURY PARTNERSHIPS FOR BUSINESS AND THE ARTS took place at the NCPA, Mumbai. The first phase of the project was coordinated by the British Council in association with the Confederation of Indian industry and supported by Jindal Steel and Taj Group of Hotels. The seminar explored the relationship between the corporate and cultural sectors, and provided an open forum for arts managers and senior business representatives to explore opportunities for new liaisons between arts, community and corporate sectors. The speakers included Colin Tweedy (chairman of CEREC, chief executive of arts and business), Graham Devlin (arts expert), Jane Mariott (Head of corporate development), Andrew Mcilroy (cultural policy adviser), Clare Cooper (Director of Policy and Communications, Arts & Business, London).

March 19:

Sujata Mohanty received the 10th MAHARI AWARD from M M Rajendran, the Hon'ble Governor of Orissa, at a function organised by Guru Pankaj Charan Odissi Research Foundation, Bhubaneswar.

March 23 - 28:
Kala Nidhi Fine Arts of Canada celebrated its tenth anniversary with a major two-phase festival. Its 7th International Dance Festival and Conference, entitled A CENTURY OF INDIAN DANCE - PHASE I featured traditional to contemporary to fusion choreography. There were five evenings of performances by some of the leading artists and practitioners of Kathak, Manipuri, Kathakali, Mohiniattam and Rabindranath Tagore's creative dance style. Artists from India, France, the U.S and Canada highlighted the vitality of these dance styles and their continuing evolution around the world.
A five-day conference featuring leading practitioners, scholars and dance enthusiasts complemented the evening festival performances. It traced the evolution of the featured styles within the context of broader socio-political developments and celebrated the achievements of the outstanding pioneers. On March 25, writer/scholar Sunil Kothari was honored for his contribution to dance.
Artistic Director Sudha Khandwani has developed the theme and traces the story of the resurgence and growth of India's classical dance styles in their traditional and contemporary frameworks. The second phase of Kala Nidhi's two-part festival: A Century of Indian Dance, will deal with Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Sattriya and several contemporary explorations in Indian Dance.
February 2004
Feb 3:

Devayani was awarded the 2004 IMM TOP CULTURAL AMBASSADOR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE for her artistic achievements and outstanding contribution in the field of Bharatanatyam, in the presence of L K Advani, the Deputy Prime Minister of India.

Feb 3 - 9:
Following the success of the first package of films on dance presented during MIFF 2002, a new series of DANCE WITH THE CAMERA was presented. The series was curated by Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi.

Feb 7:
For his contribution as a music and dance critic, Sangam Kala Group honored well-known composer-flautist-arts administrator GS Rajan with the BEST CRITIC AWARD at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, by Shiv Shankar Prasad - Minister of Information & Broadcasting. Rajan launched the first Indian website on classical performing arts in 1988 and has organized innumerable national and international festivals of music and dance. Rajan has composed music for films, documentaries, plays, dance dramas, musicals, sound and light shows etc.

Feb 7:
A record 40,000 people attended the all night Vasantahabba festival of dance and music conducted by Nrityagram, off Bangalore.

Feb 10:
10-year-old Kuchipudi exponent Vamshee Krishna Mogudala of Hyderabad, received the national BAL SHREE AWARD from President APJ Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Delhi.

Feb 20:
Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha conferred NATYA RATNA on Bharatanatyam guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai and Mohiniattam dancer Bharati Shivaji at the Ambedkar Auditorium, A P Bhavan, Delhi. Bharatanatyam/Kuchipudi dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant and Kuchipudi dancer S Sailaja received the title NATYA ILAVARASI.
January 2004
Jan 1:
At its `Sadas' held in Chennai, the Music Academy conferred the title SANGITA KALACHARYA on Bharatanatyam guru Adyar Lakshman. He received a gold medal and Rs.5, 000.

Jan 4:
The Indian Fine Arts Society conferred NATYA KALASIKHAMANI on Adyar Lakshman at the Balamandir German Hall, Chennai.

Jan 14:
Ramaa Bharadvaj, the Director of Angahara Dance Ensemble, was one of 11 recipients to be honored by the California Arts Council with its prestigious DIRECTORS AWARD FOR 2003. This annual award recognizes outstanding leaders in the California arts field for their extraordinary commitment to, and dedicated support for the arts in the state. She was the only performing artist to be honored with this award this year at a public ceremony in San Francisco. The awardees are not selected by a nomination process, but by unanimous choice by the council members.
The California Arts Council is a state government agency, which was slated for elimination by the government in 2003. Ramaa initiated a grassroots campaign in May 2003. She organized the first public "aRTS aLIVE" Rally in Santa Monica, gathering together the community of leaders, artists and arts advocates. She raised great media awareness and spearheaded a campaign to save the Arts Council even speaking at a public Rally in Sacramento in front of the Capitol building.

Jan 17:
Pondicherry based musicologist B M Sundaram received the ITC SANGEETH RESEARCH ACADEMY AWARD in Mumbai. On Jan 18, he presented a paper on "Tradition and modernity in Carnatic music."

Jan 25:
At the 28th annual music festival of the Muthamizh Pervai at Chennai, the NATIYA SELVAM AWARD was conferred on Bharatanatyam dancer Srekala Bharath.

Highlights - Yearwise listing