February 2023
ANITA SAYS.....
I use Dance to give expression to my inner vision
It is not mere exercise nor as escape to get away
From the harsh realities of life.
Its significance goes much deeper.
The physical exercise and the mental discipline
Are means to realising the highest experience given to man
This is the real meaning of dance.
- Sri Lankan cultural icon GURU CHITRASENA
And we quietly slip into the year of the Rabbit.
After much tumult, I welcome the leaping out of the year of the Tiger as
the Rabbit hops its way in! The Tiger definitely roared, pounced,
clawed (and occasionally purred) its way through 2022. After the last
several months of daring adventures, we are more than ready for the kind
hearted rabbit to get going.
Read on...
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Hema Rajagopalan, Artistic Director, Natya Dance Theatre, Chicago, has been a member of Narthaki since 2006.
 In
the early eighties when dancers all over the world struggled to be
connected to resources much needed, Narthaki appeared as a treasure in
the form of a simple directory of artistes and support resource people.
This was the only worldwide directory which was consistently updated by
Anita and team. Today it has developed into the ONLY online portal for
every kind of resource, news, reviews and notes from stalwarts and
announcements of performances. Narthaki is a complete platform which
satisfies every need of a dancer whether it be resources or visibility!
Congratulations to Anita Ratnam and Team Narthaki for this unique gift to the dance world!
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TAKITATOM
Bharatanatyam exponent Geeta Chandran was bestowed with love and
reverence by her students in the form of 'A to Z+ OF GEETA CHANDRAN', a
volume published by Natya Vriksha on January 15, 2023. Enriched with
wonderful photographs, the articles in the book are both an analysis of
the unique pedagogical processes that Geeta Chandran employs at Natya
Vriksha and also the impact that Natya Vriksha has had on students (both
past and present), parents and others. Many of the tributes are in the
form of paintings, drawings, and poems. The book has been aesthetically
designed and printed by Niyogi Books.
UK based dance practitioner DIVYA KASTURI is the winner of South East
Dance's bursary for the 2023 Doing Dramaturgy program, led by Lou Cope
of the Centre for Applied Dramaturgy, which is designed to bring
together choreographers and dramaturgs to dig deep into the why, where, how and who of their practice.
Natyacharya V.P. DHANANJAYAN's project 'Nava Karana' or 'Noothana
Karana' - one of the 18 Karana panels was unveiled by Governor of
Tamilnadu on the 30th Dec 2022 during the Bharata Kalanjali
Sangeethotsavam.
NYC based THRESH headed by Preeti Vasudevan, has been approved by the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts
Projects award. This grant is one of the 1,251 Grants for Arts
Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the
NEA as part of its first round of the fiscal year 2023 grants.
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AWARDS
Veteran Bharatanatyam Guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai receives the PADMA SHRI award for 2023.
The annual NEILA SATHYALINGAM MEMORIAL ENDOWMENT AWARD 2023 goes to
Bharatanatyam dancer Nithiyasree Nadeson. The award was instituted in
2019 and is presented annually at the Remembering Neila Sathyalingam
Festival presented by Apsaras Arts Dance Company, Singapore.
Nalanda Dance Research Centre's NALANDA KANAKA NARTANA PURASKAAR were
given on January 15, 2023 in Mumbai during the Nrityotsava.
For 2020-2021: Madhuri Deshmukh (Mohiniattam), KNP Nambisan
(percussion), Mysore B Nagaraj (Kathak), Usha RK (Arts promoter) and Pt
Rajendra Gangani (Kathak)
For 2021-22: Debi Basu (Odissi), Helen Acharya (Arts promoter),
Meenakshi Iyer-Gangopdhyay (BN), Rajashri Shirke (Kathak) and Sandhya
Purecha (BN)
For 2022-23: Sathyanarayana Raju (BN), Shubhada Varadkar (Odissi), Pt
Kalinath Mishra (tabla), Lata Surendra (BN) and Bhawana Somaya (film
historian, critic)
The annual NALANDA-BHARATA MUNI SAMMAN for 2022 was given to Guru Saroja
Vaidyanathan for dance, Rohini Hattangadi for theater and Purushottam
Upadhyaya for music on January 15, 2023 in Mumbai.
With effect from 26 January 2023, NARMATHA RAVICHANDHIRA is awarded OAM
of the Order of Australia for "service to the arts in music and dance".
She is the founder and artistic director of Bharatha Choodamani
(Australia), School of Indian Classical Dance and Sruthi-Laya Kendra
(Australia), School of Indian Classical Music.
Saraswati Educational Cultural and Charitable Trust presents the
KASHINATH GHARIYALI AWARD to Dr. Raghavendra (managing trustee, Ananya)
and the INDIRA GHARIYALI AWARD to Smitha Rajan (Mohiniattam), Padmini
Ravi and Aarathy Shetty (Bharatanatyam) on Feb 1, 2023 at Seva Sadan,
Bangalore.
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ARTICLES
The twain shall meet
- Aniruddha Knight
Tradition, in the context of hereditary dance and its music, is riddled with more questions than answers.
Notes on the photograph of Rajalakshmi and Jeevaratnam, c. 1933
- Donovan Roebert
The photograph of the Kalyani daughters, Rajalakshmi and Jeevaratnam,
which was produced sometime between 1931 and 1933, is as well known as
it is usually unaccompanied by any documented insights into the lives
and art of these sisters.
Actor on the Lights
- Parshathy J Nath
This is first of a three part series of my experience being mentored for
a year at Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research in Puducherry
through the Inlaks Theatre Award scholarship.
One woman's search for the Kathak dancers who were relegated to the background by Bollywood
- Malini Nair
Who were the extras in early Hindi cinema? And whatever happened to
them? Researcher Siddhi Goel found some troubling answers to these
questions in her work.
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QUOTE
I perform very rarely in proscenium and as a presenter, I do not use
proscenium stages due to varied reasons. Dance was never historically
presented in auditoriums, especially in this country. One way of moving
closer to the audiences is when a dancer realises they need to move
beyond the sanctified space and perform in spaces where a blurring
between the artist and the audiences can occur. The other reason is also
that auditoriums are often unaffordable in our country given that dance
doesn't pay here. The other reason is an artistic reason which I am
very encouraged by that dance is a visual medium. So for dance,
interacting with different spaces is natural to it. It isn't just
because of its aesthetic value but because it opens up avenues to
actually communicate with each other.
- Vikram Iyengar
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 Hampi, Karnataka, 14th c
Photo: Seetha Ratnakar
ATMA SHANTI
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LAKSHMI VISWANATHAN (27 Jan 1944 - 19 Jan 2023)
Renowned dancer, scholar and writer Lakshmi Viswanathan, passed away in Chennai on the morning of January 19, 2023. She was 79.
A prime disciple of Guru Kanjeevaram Elappa Pillai, Lakshmi Viswanathan
was an exponent of the Thanjavur style of Bharatanatyam. Her dance
arangetram in 1952 was presided over by E Krishna Iyer. She was
especially known for her creative abhinaya presentations that have been
described as visual music. She was also a trained vocalist and learnt
padams from T. Mukta. She received training in Kuchipudi dance from Guru
Vempati Chinna Satyam. Often described as a poetic dancer, she combined
tradition with innovation without diluting the classicism.
A gold medalist in English Literature, she was the author of several
acclaimed books: Bharatanatyam - the Tamil Heritage, Kunjamma - Ode to a
Nightingale, Kapaleeswara Temple, Women of Pride -The Devadasi
Heritage. Her film 'The Poetry of Dance' was commissioned by the
Festival of India. The Mamallapuram Dance Festival started in 1991 was
Lakshmi's brainchild. She served on several arts committees and was
twice elected as vice-president of the executive committee of Music
Academy Madras. She was the editor of Kalakshetra Journal.
As a cultural ambassador of India, she has performed extensively abroad
in important festivals and earned the admiration of dancers and
choreographers. Prestigious research fellowships enabled her to research
the history and ethos of dance. Her scholarly lectures and
demonstrations have been showcased in both Indian and international
academic forums.
She has received the Tamilnadu state award Kalaimamani, the Central
Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Nritya Kalanidhi award from Music Academy
Madras, among numerous others.
A recipient of the Nritya Choodamani, Lakshmi was convenor of Krishna
Gana Sabha's Natya Kala Conference in Chennai for two years.
Passion, wit, humour and intelligence were braided in her persona.
Atma Shanti to her soul.
A wholesome vision
- Gayathri Iyer
Lakshmi Viswanathan, who passed away recently, strengthened her bond with BN through performance, research and writing.
*
SHYAMALA NARAYANAN, a respected and loved Bharatanatyam teacher in Temple of Fine Arts, Kuala Lumpur, is no more (July 15, 1955 - Jan 27, 2023).
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