Report

Nritarutya perform for first time in the US

October 26, 2006

Performances, workshops and choreography was the itinerary that led the group of four from Nritarutya - Indian contemporary dance company - from Bangalore to USA. The artistes who traveled to US were Mayuri Upadhya, Sathya BG, Madhuri Upadhya and Geetha Ballal.

A tour that was adventurous, hard work and at the same time fun filled - in a land so different in culture and expectation. A tour that was the first for Nritarutya to that country which saw a plethora of encouragement for its work.

The performances were for Telugu Association, Bharatiya Temple - Delaware, Baltimore Convention Centre, Gunston Theatre - Virginia. The first performance marked the first for Nritarutya on the soils of USA and also started with the blessings of Lord Ganesha. An awestruck niche audience of 300 witnessed the performance for the Telugu Association at the Bharatiya Temple, Delaware.

Moving on to the performance that was for AKKA – World Kannada Conference '06, the auditorium resounded with the thundering applause of 3000 and more viewers who were left wanting for more. Rated as the best program in the 3-day event, Nritarutya was the most sought after group by many.

IDEA Youth festival, a platform that showcased talented, promising, young artistes in USA, featured Nritarutya as the guest performers. The artistic director of Nritarutya, Mayuri Upadhya, was invited for a panel discussion on the topic 'Rasothpatti' along with veteran artistes from different styles of dance. The performance was well received and brought a new dimension to the festival.

Nritarutya's workshops known for its precision and fun involvement saw great encouragement and participants in each of its sessions held in different parts of the country. For AKKA Youth Forum, Baltimore, the workshop was held for the children of the participating dignitaries. Children of ages 5-15 were able to learn, lead and choreograph movements that they previously viewed only on stage. In Desi Dancercise workshop, the locals of Virginia were introduced to new ways of moving and made aware of their own creativity.

The Ladies Express was a workshop for the locals of Gaithersburg, for learning techniques of rhythm and movement. Nritarutya also conducted a workshop at Swarthmore College, Philadelphia, for the students of dance in this unique university of arts.

Sathya B G, the Associate director of Nritarutya, was invited to choreograph an exclusive sequence for the selected dancers. 15 members of Naach Company, California, underwent a vigorous session of pure movement and choreography.