December 2021
ANITA SAYS.....
Dance is the healing treasure within your spirit
That only movements of passion can set free
Sometimes in life confusion tends to arise
And only dialogue of dance seems to make sense
- Shah Asad Rizvi, author
In my very last message of 2021, I look forward to writing about
watching dance. In person. Not on the small screen. Night after night,
seeking those moments of being in the same space as the artiste,
watching a moving body instead of an ant size blip, flattened by a
digital device and bleached of rasa. Breathing the same air, though
masked, applauding and savouring the sound of multiple palms coming
together at the end.
Read on...
ROVING EYE 
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The Creative Toolbox featuring Diya Naidu, Contemporary Dancer & Choreographer
What goes on inside an artist's mind? How does a choreography take
shape? Which part of the creative process do dancers find most exciting?
NeoNarthaki's The Creative Toolbox is a series that delves into the
dancer’s mind to explore how they approach their artistic work. In this
feature we have Diya Naidu, a performance maker, choreographer,
contemporary dancer and performer based in Bangalore, India.
Her work traverses into gender divides, feminism and patriarchal
invasions - how they somatically penetrate our beings and how ‘intimacy’
is a way to heal from them. ‘Intimacy’ is also her tool of resistance
against divisive and binary forces. She has performed in festivals and
events all over India, as well as in Germany, The Netherlands, France,
Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Kenya and Tanzania
both in her own pieces and in works of other companies and directors.
youtu.be/KekJYQLfAdM
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QUOTE
Dance writers provide a unique service to the field, generating the
first draft of an essential history. It seems wildly counterproductive
for producers to hamstring potential reviewers with lists of conditions
and expectations. If such policies are closely followed, if dance
artists turn on the critics who take the trouble to notice them and
journalism migrates online where photos are primary and critics usually
unpaid and unedited, artists will have an even harder time trying to
connect with audiences. They will wind up alone in the dark, surrounded
by empty chairs, talking to themselves.
- Elizabeth Zimmer
('Mourning my profession' by Elizabeth Zimmer, The Village Voice, Oct 29, 2021)
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TAKITATOM
Paying tribute to ASTAD DEBOO on the first
anniversary of his passing away, a program featuring a slide show on
him and presentation of Manipuri dances will be held on Dec 10, 2021 at
JNMDA, Imphal.
The university ITM in Gwalior has conferred the degree of Doctor of
Letters (D Litt) on Kathak Guru KUMUDINI LAKHIA for her contribution to
the field of dance on Nov 20, 2021.
The book INDIAN CANVAS OF PERFORMING ARTS authored by DR. UTPAL K
BANERJEE and published by Shubhi Publication, Gurugram, Haryana, was
released on November 12, 2021 at ICCR, Kolkata.
After a hiatus of over 18 months ADITI MANGALDAS-Drishtikon Dance
Foundation will resume work on FORBIDDEN, a solo contemporary dance
presentation based on Kathak, now rescheduled for a 2022 premiere at the
NCPA, Mumbai.
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AWARDS
KALIDAS SAMMAN for 2019-2020 conferred by
Cultural Ministry of Madhya Pradesh goes to Shanta and VP
Dhananjayan (Chennai) and Sunaina Hazarilal (Mumbai). It carries a purse
of Rs.2 lakhs.
The Padma awards for 2020 have been conferred on November 8, 2021 by the
President of India. The PADMA SHRI for dance goes to Shashadhar Acharya
(Chhau), Indira PP Bora (Sattriya), Vajira Chitrasena (Kandyan dance,
Srilanka), Purushottam Dadheech (Kathak), and 70 year old Moozhikkal
Pankajakshi, the only practitioner of Nokkuvidhya Pavakalli, a
traditional puppetry art of Kerala.
Nupur Arts' Artistic Director, SMITA VADNERKAR is this year's recipient
of the One Dance UK Lifetime Achivement Award in South Asian Dance.
Kartik Fine Arts confers the following awards at the inauguration of its
47th Year Art Festival 2021 on digital platform on Dec 1, 2021 - NRITYA
PEROLI for Sudharani Raghupathy, NADANAMAMANI for Jagyaseni
Chatterjee and NATYA CHUDAR for Akshaya Arunkumar. KARTIK RAJAGOPAL
ENDOWMENT AWARD for best cultural organiser goes to R. Nagarajan,
secretary of R.R. Sabha.
SANTHA BHASKAR, Artistic Director of Bhaskar's Art Academy was conferred
the PINGAT JASA GEMILANG (Meritorious Service Medal) on November 28,
2021 in Singapore. She received the award from President Halimah
Yacob. Founder KP Bhaskar was bestowed the same award in the late
60s from then President Yusof Ishak. The Medal is awarded to any person
who has performed service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource
and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional
ability, merit and exemplary conduct.
In honor of Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval, legendary Kathakali maestro and founder of Kalasagar.
- KALASAGAR AWARDEES FOR 2020
Kathakali: Vesham - Kalamandalam Chambakara Vijayakumar, Music -
Kalanilayam Rajeevan, Chenda - Kalamandalam Balasundaran, Maddalam -
Sadanam Devadas and Chutty- Kalanilayam Padmanabhan.
Bharatanatyam - Kalamandalam Sarojini, Mohiniattam - Vinitha Nedungadi,
Ottenthullal - Kalamandalam Parameswaran, Chakyarkoothu - Kalamandalam
Jishnu Prathap, Koodiyattam - Margi Ramachakyar, Thayambaka - Porur
Haridas
Panchavadyam: Thimila - Vaikkom Chandran Marar, Maddalam - Kalamandalam
Nataraja Warriar, Edakka - Dr.Balusseri Krishnadas, Ilathalam - Mattanur
Ajith Marar and Kombu - Peramangalam Vijayan.
- KALASAGAR AWARDEES FOR 2021
Kathakali Vesham: Kalamandalam Manoj, Sangeetham - Kalamandalam
Balachandran, Chenda - Dr. Mankulam Krishnan Namboodiri, Maddalam -
Kalamandalam Venukuttan, Chutty - Neelamperur Jayan, Ottenthullal - Punnasseri Prabhakaran,
Koodiyattam - Sooraj Nambiar, Mohiniattam - Sandhya Rajan, Bharatanatyam
- Saritha Ramanathan, Thayambaka - Dr. Sukhapuram Dileep
Panchavadhyam: Thimila - Peruvaram Mohanan Marar, Maddalam - Kavil
Peethambara Marar, Edakka - Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan, Ilathalam -
Peruvaram Soman (posthumous), Kombu - Cherai Sunil
This year, the awards for 2020 and 2021 will be presented on Dec 5, 2021 at Badhani School, Kunnamkulam, Thrissur.
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 Chennakesava temple, Belur, Karnataka (Photo: Lalitha Venkat)
TAALAM: COLUMN BY LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Dance expressions built round manifestations of divinised female and male energies
Trust arts activist and fierce advocate for the rights of women, Dr.
Anita Ratnam, founder and managing editor of Narthaki.com, to conceive
of dance built round the theme of the 'Devi'- as the ideal expression
for Navaratri celebration.
Bewildering variety in Narthaki's Devi Diaries continues
After such a varied impression of deified manifestations witnessed in
Devi Diaries, how can one forget the everyday woman in real life, whose
lot, to say the least, leaves much to be desired? Narthaki, very rightly
felt that sans this realistic touch, the project on the feminine
mystique would be incomplete.
THE EASTERN EYE: COLUMN BY DR.UTPAL K BANERJEE
'Online Culture': The idea whose time has come
The idea of 'online culture' should embrace all the domains: plastic
arts, graphic arts, performing arts (dance, music, theatre, cinema and
puppetry) and handicrafts.
CHOREOGRAPHING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS - INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES: COLUMN BY JANAKI PATRIK
Dance Criticism - A few principles for writing about Indian classical dance
I
have many thoughts about excellence in technical execution,
choreographic clarity and conceptual creativity in the many groups and
soloists whom I have seen on American and Indian stages, and most
recently on virtual platforms. But I do not write dance criticism -
I do not critique my colleagues.
SOCH: COLUMN BY DR. ARSHIYA SETHI
An Honorary Degree for Kumudini Lakhia: An opportunity for us to think of how hard work leads to honour, which begets honour
Let us talk today about honorary degrees given to artistes. This is
not coming from the discourse in the country about dubious degrees,
misleading titles, and unheard-of domains of study. Instead, it comes
from the fact that Kumudini Lakhia, the grande dame of Kathak, was
awarded an Honorary degree, of Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.), by the ITM
University, Gwalior, on 20th Nov 2021.
DANCE MATTERS: COLUMN BY ASHISH MOHAN KHOKAR
Cultural (il)literacy
When
a diva of dance, an MP of the Upper House no less, takes upon herself
the task of retelling the tale of Ram Sita - Katha Siyah-Ram ki - for
the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, it is heartening to see
passion meets education; beauty meets brains, Sanskrit meets Queen's
English…
Power and what it does
- Paramita Saha
In our recent Arts & the Law sessions organized by Unmute.help, one
question returned often: 'If the person on the other side is a really
powerful one, what should we do?'
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ATMA SHANTI
Bharatanatyam dancer and historian based in Amsterdam, Dr. Liesbeth
Pankaja Bennink passed away on November 4, 2021. She was 66.
More info
Kavita Nagpal, theatre critic at Asian Age daily newspaper published from London and New Delhi, is no more.
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LOOK OUT FOR
An original choreography by Sadeck Waff
French dancer, choreographer and artistic director Sadeck Waff is known
for his limb-centric performances. As part of the farewell ceremony for
the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, he choreographed a beautiful, precise
geometric, synchronised work with 128 performers seated in wheelchairs.
The dramatic music composition that accompanied the performance was
created by Woodkid.
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