December 2025
ANITA SAYS.....
If your heart is a volcano
Then how can flowers bloom?
- Rumi
The month of November has gone by and we are at the end of the year!
It's December and all of India is buzzing with so much dance, theatre,
music, visual art, installation and outdoor events - this is really the
time to be in this country. Not just Chennai, but every city is dressed
up and throbbing with multiple events every single day.
For dancers, it feels like we need a 360 degree spiral of our head on a
stick. Everywhere we turn there are performances and premieres.
Festivals, conclaves, conferences - name them whatever you choose to but
the energy is there - vibrant and hopeful. It is a wonderful time to be
a young and ambitious dancer. So many opportunities and so many
openings for collaborations and cross cultural understanding. It is
totally up to the individual artiste to seize the moment.
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TAKITATOM
The Joyce Theater, a
leading dance stage in Manhattan, has received a $15 million gift from
dance philanthropist and acclaimed dancer RAJIKA PURI and her late husband ANUPAM PURI
(Tino). The money will help the dance-dedicated theater in a time of
uncertainty for organizations in the field. It is one of the largest in
the history of the Joyce, which operates out of a former movie theater
in Chelsea. The Joyce said it would rename the auditorium in its
theater, on Eighth Avenue, the TINO AND RAJIKA PURI AUDITORIUM.
(New York Times)
The Indian Embassy in Paris, France, hosted a special event to mark the
25th issue of ATTENDANCE, the annual yearbook on Indian dance by ASHISH
MOHAN KHOKAR titled 'Indian dance in France.' During the occasion,
Ambassador Sanjeev Singla underlined the key role of culture as a major
pillar of India-France bilateral ties and commended the 'attendance'
team for bringing out a special edition of the publication spotlighting
the journey of French artistes who have embraced Indian dance
traditions.
Costume designer SANDHYA RAMAN has achieved an incredible feat. Hundreds
of costumes, with her keen aesthetic eye, were featured on the historic
EKTA DIVAS celebrating 150 years of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at
Kevadia, Gujarat - a grand cultural tribute organised by the Ministry of
Home Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi. With
800 classical dancers from across India, the performance reflected
Sardar Patel's vision of unity, strength, and national integration
through concept, lyrics, music, movement and costume.
DEVOTION THROUGH SONG, a biography of noted composer AMBUJAM KRISHNA
written by historian V SRIRAM, was released on November 14, 2025 at
Music Academy, Chennai.
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AWARDS
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 The 9TH NRUTYA NAIBEDYA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD was conferred on Odissi's best known violin exponent RAMESH CHANDRA DAS on September 30, 2025 at Bhubaneswar.
GURU SANKAR BEHERA, eminent Odissi guru of Mumbai
was honoured with the ODISSI INTERNATIONAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD during the Mumbai Odissi Utsav on October 26, 2025.
Kathak dancer SONIA SABRI was honoured with an MBE for her
Services to Dance as part of His Majesty's King Charles III birthday
honours on 12 November 2025 at Windsor Castle.
On November 14, 2025 JAI GOVINDA (Mandala Arts and Culture) received the DRISHTI AWARD
for innovation in the Arts at the 11th Drishti gala event in Vancouver.
RATIKANT MOHAPATRA was honoured with the BHARATI NRUTYA SAMMAN 2025 by Bharati Nrutya Mandir of Bharat Charan Giri, on November 14, 2025 at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar.
SUMITRA CHARATRAM AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT was awarded to the late theatre legend RATAN THIYAM
on November 17, 2025 at New Delhi.
Dhwani conferred the inaugural DHWANI SHAMBHU SMRITI PURASKAR 2025 award for Dance posthumously upon late Kathak Guru DR. MAYA RAO, and for Music upon USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN,
on November 18, 2025 at Delhi.
VR DEVIKA received the LAADLI MEDIA AND ADVERTISING AWARD FOR GENDER SENSITIVITY 2025
for her book 'Rukmini Devi Arundale: Arts Revivalist and Institution
Builder' on November 19, 2025.
Movement therapist and dance educator TRIPURA KASHYAP received the INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR WORKING WOMEN 2025
at Marwah Studios, Film City, Noida on 22nd November 2025.
VYJAYANTHIMALA BALI received the DR. MRS YGP AWARD FOR CULTURAL EXCELLENCE
from actor Rajnikanth at the birth centenary celebration of
educationist Dr. YGP organized by Bharat Kalachar on 26th November 2025
at Chennai.
The ODISHA SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI AWARDS were given on November
26, 2025 at a special ceremony held at the convention centre of Lok Seva
Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, for 2023, 2024 & 2025.
Trinity Arts Festival conferred awards for Bharatanatyam on November 19, 2025 at Chennai.
On December 4, 2025 the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bengaluru) presents the BHAVAN-ZAKIA SHANKAR PATHAK AWARD 2024 to writer and artiste V.R. DEVIKA at BVB, Bangalore.
ILEANA CITARISTI will be conferred with the NAATYACHARYA MAHANKALI NATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2025 by Sri Kirthi Nrithya Akademi at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad on December 5, 2025.
On December 7, 2025 Ambalam presents NRITYA ARADHAKA award to Guru USHA DATAR and KALA ARADHAKA award to lighting designer T RAVI at Seva Sadan, Bangalore.
Kartik Fine Arts confers the title NRITHYA PEROLI on THE DHANANJAYANS
on 12th December 2025.
 
Krishna Gana Sabha confers the NRITHYA CHOODAMANI award on acharya G NARENDRA
at the inauguration of the 69th Margazhi Mela on December 12, 2025 at
Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. SANGEETHA CHOODAMANI award goes to mridanga vidwan K.V. PRASAD.
Mumbai based Guru LATA RAMAN, a teacher in Bharatanatyam and
classical Carnatic music, has been selected for the 'Honorary Doctorate
Award (Honoris Causa) in Performing Arts' from Trinity Crest University,
Panther Creek, Texas, USA.
ILEANA CITARISTI will be conferred with the CHOUSATHI YOGINI NRUTYA PRATIVA SAMMAN 2025
at the 20th International Chausathi Yogini Mahotsav organised by Nrutya
Prativa at Chausathi Temple on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on
December 25, 2025.
This year's KERALA KALAMANDALAM KATHAKALI MUSIC AWARD will be awarded to KALAMANDALAM MOHANAKRISHNAN,
a distinguished musician and torchbearer of the Kathakali music
tradition.
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ATMA SHANTI
KAMALA LAKSHMINARAYANAN (June 16, 1934 - November 24, 2025)
Bharatanatyam dance icon Kamala Lakshminarayanan (Kumari Kamala as she
was popularly known) passed away in the early hours of November 24, 2025
(IST) in California at her son's place. She was 91. A torch bearer of
the Vazhuvoor bani, Kumari Kamala was the reason why many started
learning Bharatanatyam. She brought respect to the profession and
inspired a whole generation of women to make their daughters
Bharatanatyam dancers ...Read more
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Bollywood Kathak
- Shama Bhate
I always have wondered and thought about this newly coined phrase 'Bollywood Kathak'.
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