December 2022
ANITA SAYS.....
Dance there upon the shore
What need have you to care
For wind or water’s roar?
And tumble out your hair
That the salt drops have wet;
Being young you have not known
The fool’s triumph, nor yet
Love lost as soon as won,.
And he, the best warrior, dead
And all the sheaves to bind!
What need that you should dread
The monstrous crying of wind?
- A CHILD DANCING UPON THE SHORE
William Butler Yeats
In the last month of 2022, much has happened. And I share my thoughts..
Read on...
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Lata
Pada, Founder & Artistic Director Emerita, Sampradaya Dance
Creations, Toronto, Canada, has been a member of Narthaki since 2001
 When
NARTHAKI, the first national directory of Indian dance was released in
1992, the excitement was infectious; imagine, this pocket-sized handbook
was going to be THE ready reckoner for the dance fraternity across the
globe. It took the ever intrepid, imaginative Anita Ratnam to create and
produce this vital resource which has now, in its online avatar, become
a veritable, unstoppable expansion of ideas, writings, forums, guest
columns...
Through her writing, Anita advocates for open discourse, a critical look
at issues of dance in society such as - dwindling audiences and apathy
for dance, professionalism on the part of artistes and presenters,
absence of private and government support for the arts, ill equipped
theatres with unsafe stages and unacceptable toilet facilities... Subjects
that should matter to each of us who care about our dance careers!!
NARTHAKI is a champion for Indian dance. Support it. Pay your annual membership.
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TAKITATOM
Sravan Selvan and Dhinesh Kumar have been selected as recipients of
the ATTAKKALARI - INLAKS INDIA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP 2022. Both the
recipients have been performing since their childhood. While Sravan is a
dancer, Dhinesh has a background in theatre. They are currently
pursuing the Certificate Program in Movement Arts and Pedagogy at
Attakkalari.
Prathiba Batley has been chosen as one of the 30 Dance/USA fellows for
her work in addressing caste, gender, and religious hegemonies in
Bharatanatyam. DFA is a program of Dance/USA, the national service
organization for dance.
International Festival of Learning (IFL.2)
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AWARDS
The awardees for 2019, 2020 and 2021 for Performing
Arts have been selected by the General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi
in its meeting held on 8 November 2022 at The Ashok, New Delhi. The
honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rupees three lakhs
while the Akademi Award carries a purse money of Rupees one lakh,
besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. The SNA Awards will be conferred
by the President of India in a special investiture ceremony. The dance
awardees are:
- SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI FELLOWSHIP
Saroja Vaidyanathan, Sadanam Krishnan Kutty, Darshana Jhaveri, Channu Lal Mishra, Bharat Gupt
- SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS (AKADEMI PURASKAR) for 2019
Vasundhara Doraswamy (Bharatanatyam), Raghav Raj Bhatt & Mangala
Bhatt (Kathak), Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair (Kathakali), Manju Barggavee
(Kuchipudi), Sutapa Talukdar (Odissi), Ranjumoni Saikia (Sattriya),
Nirmala Paniker (Mohiniattam), Mamta Shankar (Contemporary
Dance/Overall), Brajendra Kumar Pattnaik (Chhau)
- FIELD OF OVERALL CONTRIBUTION / SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2019)
Dr. Utpal K. Banerjee, Reetha Rajan
- SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS (AKADEMI PURASKAR) for 2020
Meenakshi Chitharanjan (Bharatanatyam), Kumkum Dhar (Kathak), Sruti
Bandopadhay (Manipuri), Pasumarthy Vithal & Bharathi Vithal
(Kuchipudi-Joint Award), Rabindra Atibudhi (Odissi), Trilochan Mohanta
(Chhau), Bhushan Lakhandri (Contemporary Dance), Prema Ramamurthy (Music
for dance), Arambam Tombinou Devi (Music for dance)
- FIELD OF OVERALL CONTRIBUTION / SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2020)
Nandkishore Kapote, Mahesh Champaklal
- SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS (AKADEMI PURASKAR) for 2021
Jayalakshmi Eshwar (Bharatanatyam), Shama Bhate (Kathak), Inchakkattu
Ramachandran Pillai (Kathakali), Thokchom Ibemubi Devi (Manipuri), N.
Sailaja (Kuchipudi), Neena Prasad (Mohiniattam), Bhuvan Kumar (Chhau),
Kalamandalam Girija (Kutiyattam), Bijay Kumar Jena (Music for dance)
- FIELD OF OVERALL CONTRIBUTION / SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2021)
Vibha Dadheech, Premchand Hombal
Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a
purse money of Rs. 25,000 and will be presented at a special ceremony by
the Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi. The dance awardees are:
- USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN YUVA PURASKAR (2019)
Sudipa Ghosh (Bharatanatyam), Swati Sinha (Kathak), Okram Jelen Singh
(Manipuri), Sreelakshmy Govardhanan (Kuchipudi), Swapnakalpa Dasgupta
(Odissi), Prabhat Kakoti (Sattriya), Anupama Menon (Mohiniattam),
Bishwanath Kumbhakar (Chhau)
- OVERALL CONTRIBUTION/SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2019)
Arupa Lahiry (Bharatanatyam)
- USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN YUVA PURASKAR (2020)
Mithun Shyam (Bharatanatyam), Trina Roy (Kathak), Khagembam Khoni
(Manipuri), Vasanth Kiran (Kuchipudi), Pravat Kumar Swain (Odissi),
Jollymoni Saikia (Sattriya), Dharavath Raj Kumar (Perini Natyam),
Kalamandalam Vineesh (Music for dance)
- OVERALL CONTRIBUTION/SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2020)
Rekha Raju (Mohiniattam)
- USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN YUVA PURASKAR (2021)
Pavitra Krishna Bhat (Bharatanatyam), Rudra Shankar Mishra (Kathak),
Kalamandalam Adityan (Kathakali), Avijit Das (Kuchipudi), Vinod Kevin
Bachan (Odissi), Dipjyoti Das and Dipankar Arandhara (Sattriya-Joint),
V. Durgadevi (Karakattam), Ahsan Ali (Music for dance)
- OVERALL CONTRIBUTION/SCHOLARSHIP IN PERFORMING ARTS (2021)
Sunil Sunkara (Kathak)
The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, at its meeting
held from 6-8 November 2022 at The Ashok, New Delhi unanimously selected
75 artistes, who are above the age of 75 years and haven't been
accorded any national honour in their career so far, from the field of
the Performing Arts of India for the one-time SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI
AMRIT AWARD under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorating 75 years of
India's independence. The SNA Amrit Award carries a purse money of
Rupees one lakh, besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. The dance
awardees are:
Mahankali Srimannarayana Murthy (Kuchipudi), Hori Bora Barbayan
(Sattriya), Kumkum Lal (Odissi), Charan Girdhar Chand (Kathak), Smita
Rajeshbhai Shastri (Kuchipudi), Lalitha Srinivasan (Bharatanatyam), N.
Appunni Tharakan (Makeup for Kathakali), Kalakshetra Vilasini
(Bharatanatyam), Kalamandalam Prabhakaran (Ottanthullal), Padma Sharma
(Kathak), Hijam Tombi Singh (Manipuri), Siba Prasad Das (Chhau), Gobinda
Chandra Pal (Odissi-Gotipua), Girdhari Maharaj (Kathak), V.A.K Ranga
Rao (scholar & documentation), Purnima Pande (Kathak), Susmita Misra
(Kathak), Thankamani Kutty (Bharatanatyam), Bhagabandas Kumar (Chhau),
H. Bishwaroop Singh (Thang Ta)
Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali was conferred the ADITYA VIKRAM BIRLA
KALASHIKHAR PURASKAR by the Sangit Kala Kendra on November 20, 2022.
Sattriya dancer Anwesa Mahanta of Assam and Kathakali exponent
Kalamandalam Adithyan of Kerala received the ADITYA VIKRAM BIRLA
KALAKIRAN PURASKAR.
Sampradaya Dance Creations' Founder and Artistic Director Lata Pada and
Executive Director Jasmine Sawant were awarded the CULTURAL HERITAGE
MISSISSAUGA AWARDS by The Credits for their invaluable contribution to
performing arts in the City of Mississauga on November 3, 2022.
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra presented the SUMITRA CHARAT RAM AWARD for
Lifetime Achievement (2022) to Dr. Uma Sharma (Kathak exponent) on
November 17, 2022 at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi.
Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan received the Golconda Festival's LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at Hyderabad in the last week of November 2022.
Kartik Fine Arts presents the following awards during its 48th year art festival in December in Chennai.
NATYA PEROLI: Chitra Visweswaran, NADANAMAMANI: Aishwarya Ananth
Karthik, NATYA CHUDAR: Bhavya Kumaran, NADHA SWAROOPAM: Rajkumar Bharati
Krishna Gana Sabha presents NRITHYA CHOODAMANI award to Vidhya
Subramanian on the inauguration of the 66th Margazhi Mela on Dec 14,
2022 in Chennai.
The Indian Fine Arts Society presents NATYA KALASIKHAMANI award to Geeta
Chandran, at its 90th Music Conference and Festival, in Chennai.
KALA PRADARSHINI GHANTASALA PURASKAR will be awarded to Prof. Sudharani
Raghupathy, Nandini Ramani, playback singer LR Eswari, violinist A
Kanyakumari, drummer Shivamani, art director Thota Tharani and music
director Thayanban, on December 4, 2022 at Music Academy, Chennai.
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 Pattadakkal, Karnataka, 7th to 8th C
Photo: Seetha Ratnakar
ATMA SHANTI
KSHETRIMAYUM
IBETOMBI DEVI (popularly known as dancer Ibetombi) passed away on
October 20, 2022. Born on March 17, 1936 in Imphal (Manipur),
Kshetrimayum Ibetombi was a well-known artiste and founded Ibetombi
Dance Centre in Manipur in 1956. Her contribution in the field of
Manipuri dance is immense. Her Maibi Jagoi/Maibi dance of Lai Haraoba is
known worldwide. She brought the traditional ritual Maibi dance for the
first time on the proscenium stage. She was dance lecturer at
Banasthali Vidyapith University from 1964 - 2000 and introduced 8 years
Manipuri dance course.
More info
Seraikella Chhau artiste and guru Pt. Gopal Prasad Dubey (June 25, 1957 -
Nov 14, 2022) has passed away aged 65. Born in Seraikella, a small town
in Jharkhand, Gopal P. Dubey started training in the art form at the
early age of 9 years. His grandfather Shashi Bhushan Dubey, who
initiated him to the dance form was an actor in the Royal court of
Seraikella. The young Dubey had his formal dance training under Guru
Banbihari Pattanayak for several years before being accepted by Guru
Kedarnath Sahoo as his disciple. Later he came under the guidance of
Guru Suddendra Narayan Singh Deo. He trained in Modern Dance in New York
in 1986 with a fellowship from the US based Asian Cultural Council.
He founded Trinetra Chhau Dance Centre in Seraikella, Jharkhand, in
1985. He has worked as the faculty member in the department of Indian
theatre at the Punjab University, Chandigarh. Apart from conducting
workshops in India, he has taught at Kansas University, Indian
University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Chungang University of
Seoul, Institute of Dramatic Arts in Seoul, Theatre Group in Incheon
City in S. Korea, etc. Dubey presented two classic plays, Antigone
in 1984 in New York and Shakuntalam in 1987 at the Volos Theatre in
Greece. His compositions were included in Bharat ek Khoj, a TV series
produced by renowned film maker Shyam Benegal.
He was a Padmashri (2012) and SNA awardee (2016). He received the
Jharkhand State Award in 2007 for his contributions in promoting Chhau
dance. He has passed on his passion for Chhau and supporting the artists
of Seraikella, Mayurbhanj and Purulia to his talented musician brother
Sunil Dubey to carry the legacy forward.
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TAALAM: COLUMN BY LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Remembering Rohini Bhate
Coinciding with the year of India's Amrit Mahotsav,
Nrityabharati Kathak Dance Academy established by Kathak legend Rohini
Bhate (1924-2008) at Pune in the year 1947, also observed its seventy
fifth year of existence.
Young talent played its part too
While much of my writing surrounds high profile events held in the
capital, one tends to forget the part played by young talent.
Sparkling Spanda synergy
Choreographies of Leela Samson presented by her group Spanda, at the
Kamani, Delhi, showed how group energy can be an experience of immersive
joy in the dancers, while executing within the same space,
relationships both reciprocal and distancing.
Parampara Festival features changing face of inheritance in dance
A Pariwar Parampara, at least over two generations, the Reddy family of
Raja, Radha and Kaushalya, have diligently passed on the Kuchipudi
heritage to daughters Yamini and Bhavana, at a time when children taking
to the parents' profession, particularly in dance, is not very common.
DANCE MATTERS: COLUMN BY ASHISH MOHAN KHOKAR
P3 - Panchavaktram, Purvajanmam, Prabhu
Rarely, if ever, there's one production that leaves one mesmerized for
its complete artistry. Rarely, if ever, a group of 25 dance equally well
on stage. R for rarely and R for Reva University on outskirts of
Bangalore, just 10 years old. Its Performing Arts and Indic Studies
Dept. has put up this all-students production Panchavaktram and thereby
hangs a tale.
Josh and Joshi; Shruti and Smriti
It was nice to return to NSD after years. The occasion was Shruti, a
master lecture series NSD revived post Corona days. There was a lot of
josh as Joshi ji (theatre man, story-teller, writer, thinker and second
term boss of IGNCA) spoke on the inter-connectedness of the arts.
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NEW RELEASE
GURU GOPINATH: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND by Tapati Chowdhurie
Publisher: Shubhi Publications (1 January 2022)
Hardcover: 188 pages
ISBN-10: 9394797181
ISBN-13: 978-9394797185
Price: Rs.1345
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