November 2023
ANITA SAYS.....
WORDS WHISPERED TO A CHILD UNDER SIEGE
(An excerpt)
No, we are not going to die
The sounds your hear
Knocking the windows and
Chipping the paint from the ceiling
That is a game
The world is playing
Our task is to crouch in the dark as long as we can
And count the beats of our own hearts
Sing. Sing louder
Those aren't boot steps
Those aren't sirens
Those aren't flames
Close your eyes.
Like chess. Like hide and seek
When this game is done you get another life.
By Joseph Fasano
It is a strange time to be talking and thinking about dance and art. But
it is never a wrong time to reinforce our belief in the power of the
creative soul to illuminate the darkest corner's hate.
We are smack in the midst of colourful festivals, filled social
calendars, busy travel schedules and of course, the inevitable
rehearsals and preparations for the annual cultural season in India and
everywhere. The colours of autumn are at their glorious peak in North
America and temperatures in India are beginning their downward dip. I am
not including the Southern Hemisphere countries who are readying for
SUMMER! (I still find it hard to adjust to that state of mind and body!)
It is the best time of the year and our international colleagues are
beginning to arrive - now a trickle, but the momentum will gather steam
in the coming weeks. Prepare for the deluge!
Read on....
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NARTHAKI RECOMMENDS
Each month we wish to recommend something for you to watch, read or someone to follow.
| This month we have an incredibly moving short research film by Farooq
Chaudhry, the architect of Akram Khan's mega success. After reading an
article about a Chinese woman in the New York Times in 2017, Farooq was
so moved that he went on to create an international collaboration called
SHE DANCES IN APRIL. The woman, Yu Xihua, was born with cerebral palsy
and took to writing poetry to combat her affliction and an unhappy
marriage. The poetry has been woven into the dance and movement work
with two dancers and an actor. You can watch the film here.
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WATCH
Stem Dance Kampni performs PALIMPSEST and SANJOG in Kathak &
Contemporary styles at the Studio Theatre, NMACC, Mumbai, on Nov 4.
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READ
COURTING HINDUSTAN by dancer/scholar Madhur Gupta.
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MORNING INSPIRATION
Change your mornings, change your life
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TAKITATOM
Anita Ratnam and
Arangham Trust conduct the 25th edition of the ritual theatre KAISIKA
NATAKAM at temple town of Tirukurungudi, near Thirunelveli in southern
Tamilnadu, from 6pm to 2am on Nov 23, 2023.
KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION, Chennai, seeks applications for post of new director.
On October 24, 2023, 1038 dancers from the South Zone Cultural
Centre in Thanjavur performed Bharatanatyam at the Brihadeeswara Temple
to mark the 1038TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF EMPEROR RAJARAJA CHOLA.
KALAMANDALAM SARASWATHY's Nrityalaya School for Classical Dances, Kozhikode, celebrates 50 years this October.
Bharatanatyam dancer VIDHYA SUBRAMANIAN has started a trust in her
father K.S.Subramanian's memory called Sparsha Arts Foundation. He was
an ardent supporter of the arts in various capacities.
Dancer DANIEL SINGH is now the Executive Director at Metro Arts: Nashville Office of Arts + Culture.
Bharatanatyam dancers SHIJITH NAMBIAR and PARVATHY MENON have started a
new initiative Sakhi on Chennai's East Coast Rd (40 minutes from
Mahabalipuram) with the aim to provide space for the arts, artistes and
artistic experiences.
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya presents a 2-day festival of music to celebrate
PT. KUMAR GANDHARVA's birth centenary, on 4th and 5th November 2023 at
Stein auditorium, New Delhi.
ASAMANA ANASUYA, a documentary by Seetha Ratnakar on her mother
Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi, singer and music composer, was premiered in
October in Chennai and Delhi. Anasuya Devi used her classical music
training to elevate and embellish Telugu folk songs.
ADITI MANGALDAS continues her global tour of FORBIDDEN in Singapore's
Esplanade Theatres as part of Kalaa Utsavam on Nov 24 & 25, 2023.
MADHU NATARAJ and her NATYA STEM DANCE KAMPNI mount a site specific
double bill outdoor work at the same venue / same day titled SANJOG and
PALIMPSEST.
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AWARDS
 Urise
Vedic Sangeetha Academy honoured Guru G. Venu with the title URISE
NRUTHYA PITAMAHA on 28th October 2023 at Natanakairali, Irinjalakuda.
 Kala
Pradarshini's GHANTASALA PURASKAR was awarded to Kuchipudi guru Bala
Kondala Rao, Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry and actor/director Meegada
Ramalinga Swamy at the Ghantasala 100 centenary celebrations on October
7, 2023 at Vishakapatnam.
Kuchipudi dancer MVN Murthy received the DR VEMPATI CHINNA SATYAM
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD on October 15, 2023 at Kuchipudi village. Oct
15 is the birth date of Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam and is celebrated as
World Kuchipudi Day.
Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala received LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD from
Sunaada Trust in association with Narada Gana Sabha on 5th October 2023
at Chennai.
Sai Arts International confers lifetime achievement award NRITYA KALA
RATNA on Roja Kannan on November 1, 2023 at JSS Rangamandira, Bangalore.
TARANGA NRUTHYA KALA RATNA 2023 will be awarded to Bragha Bessell on Nov
26, 2023 by URise Vedic Sangeetha Academy at Viveka Auditorium,
Bangalore.
 Hari
Hara Fine Arts, Hyderabad, has instituted Lifetime Achievement awards
in the names and memory of Rukmini Devi and Dr.Vempati Chinna Satyam.
The award with a cash prize of Rs.one lakh each were given to the
Dhananjayans (for Bharatanatyam) and Rathna Kumar (for Kuchipudi) on
October 22, 2023 at Narada Gana Sabha hall, Chennai.
 Annamacharya Bhavana Vahini conferred the DHAIRYA AWARD on Ananda Shankar Jayant on October 22, 2023 at Hyderabad.
 Vadodara
based Mohiniattam dancer Dr. Ayswaria Wariar to receive the GUJARAT
GAURAV PURASKAR 2018-2019 from the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Akademi, Dept
of Sports, Youth and Culture, Govt. of Gujarat.
 On
December 3, 2023 Kathakali artiste and Guru Sadanam Harikumar will be
bestowed with the title KALAA BHAASKARA by Bharata Kalanjali at Chennai
for his contribution to the art world as master craftsman -
Kathakali actor, teacher, Malayalam poet, sculptor, painter, musician,
composer and choreographer par excellence.
At Indradhanush Dilli 2023 presented by S.U.N.A.INA, the following awards will be given at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi.
Nov 3: GURU SAMMAN for Kuchipudi dancers Pasumarthy Vithal and Bharathi
Vithal, PARAS MANI SAMMAN for Sanjay Arya (CEO Shubhi Publications)
Nov 4: GURU SAMMAN for Sharon Lowen (Odissi) & Shashidharan Nair (Indian Ballet)
At the five day 17th Guru Debaprasad Award festival, Tridhara
presented the GURU DEBAPRASAD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2023 to Jatin
Das, legendary painter, sculptor and muralist, on October 26, 2023 at
Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar. GURU DEBAPRASAD AWARD 2023 was given to
Ileana Citaristi (Odissi dance), Kamalini Asthana & Nalini Asthana
(Kathak), Prathibha Prahlad (Bharatanatyam) and Guru Ramakrishna
Talukdar (Sattriya dance) on October 30. GURU DEBAPRASAD YUVA PRATIVA
AWARD 2023 was conferred on Sonali Mohapatra (Odissi dance) and Dipika
Priyadarsini (Odissi dance).
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QUOTE
Dance is truly the longest and most stable relationship I've ever
had. She has been there for me during my highest of highs and my lowest
of lows. She can make me cry or make me laugh, and I truly feel like I
was put on this earth to learn as much as I can from her. For that, I am
forever grateful. I cannot stop learning, I cannot stop moving, and I
cannot stop dancing. That is why I dance. Period.
(Ellenore Scott in 'Ellenore Scott, Choreographer, Director, and Content
Creator, shares her lifelong relationship with dance,' Dance Magazine,
Oct 12, 2023)
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Mental health and well-being in classical dance - An inquiry
- Ramaa Venugopalan
A recent article in a world dance magazine addressed the mental health
of dancers in ballet companies. The article had a deep impact on me, and
I could not resist from a similar inquiry into the world of Indian
classical dance.
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