September 2021
ANITA SAYS.....
 "It's time to put our paranoia about the virus on a leash and take it for a walk."
- Shared over a telephone call with Madhu Nataraj
The festival season is upon us and with it come several moments to smile
as we all attempt to open up our homes and lives to the outside world.
Now that the imprint of baby feet have been drawn in the courtyards and
altars of several homes across the world to mark the birth day of Lord
Krishna, we can prepare for the arrival of beloved Ganesha and onwards
to more and more days that will remind us of the importance of ritual
and the cyclical spiral of life. No matter which faith one belongs to,
the onset of cooler weather and the sun’s winter descent always signals
more celebrations, prayers and gatherings. Despite the threat of a third
wave, people seem determined to find ways to share experiences and the
small joys of life.
Read on... |
NeoNarthaki turned one on August 15th! We launched NeoNarthaki as an
initiative that provides a safe and brave space for young dancers to
navigate the world of performing arts, understand the nuances of the
modern world, whilst staying in touch with their respective art forms.
Like every other art form, dance continues to evolve along with those
who practice it. Every dancer, despite level, age, experience or
nationality, contributes to its growth.
This past year has been nothing short of an incredible learning
experience for Team NeoNarthaki. We have featured some of the most
talented and learned arts practitioners in interactions that proved to
be insightful, enlightening and fulfilling. Be it the 'Decode' campaign
that addressed current issues in the sector, or the Ampersand
discussions that highlighted artists who toggled dual careers, or the
Kutty Kahani series by our little champs, or the Instagram Takeovers by
some of the exceptional artistic talents, it has been a truly wonderful
journey.
We would like to thank our artists, partners, followers, readers and
well-wishers who have been an integral part of this first year journey.
As we step into another year, we will continue to present unique
interactions with artists, create innovative learning spaces, provide
opportunities to speak about the issues in the arts, while maintaining a
safe and brave space for the arts community to come together, learn and
grow.
Here's a short video re-cap of NeoNarthaki's initiatives this past year: youtu.be/zLoT2y8uwvc
Do follow us on Instagram @neonarthaki
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JHALAK-A first glance - Episode 01 - Amor Rati
We are delighted to present 'Jhalak' a first glance, a series of
conversations about all new creative works in the field of dance, music,
art, theatre, literature and so on. The first episode features a
wonderful conversation about the journey of a new production, a
collaboration between Kathak and Flamenco, based in Singapore called
'Amor Rati.' Anita R Ratnam in conversation with the brilliant team of
Amor Rati - Anthonio Vargas, Toshiaki Konno, Sonia Ponnamma Devaiah and
Daphne Huang Vargas.
youtu.be/lMoBa4pLJPY
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TAKITATOM
PARAMITA SAHA has started an online platform
called CONTINEW which concentrates on professional training for
contemporary dancers in India. In a hybrid presentation of two day
intensives, many of India's emerging choreographers and dance creators
are converting onto this Instagram handle.
The delayed MAYA RAO CONFERENCE is scheduled for September 18 and 19 at the Bangalore International Centre.
On Aug 26, 2021 FICCI Flo Bangalore & The House of Angadi
hosted an evening to honour performing artistes of Karnataka - Madhu
Nataraj, Anuradha Vikranth, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Shama Krishna etc -
towards their contribution to the realms of artistry, education and
social enterprise.
Rukmini Vijaykumar, the Internet sensation with her own dance style, has
launched a brand of ready to wear saris and perfume called RUKS
COLLECTION. The perfumes were created by her late father and the
collection was launched on his birth anniversary.
The most people performing a choreographed dance online simultaneously
is 698 and was achieved by MADURAI R MURALIDHARAN in Chennai on Aug 1,
2021. This online attempt was attended by over 800 participants from all
over the world. This is the third successful Guinness World Record
title attempt by Muralidharan and his team.
SUDARSHAN CHAKRAVORTY, The Founder Director of Sapphire, did his second
stint in Bollywood movies and this time with popular star Kajal Agarrwal
in a film titled 'Uma.' The film revolves around a family wedding and
Sudarshan with a team of 25 dancers from Sapphire choreographed two
songs.
The recipient of this year's Shiva-Saroja Sangeetha Natya Scholarship,
offered by Bharata Kalanjali and Mrudani School of Performing Arts, is
dancer SANATH KUMAR S.
The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park has announced a new
experience: The Boston Activation Project. Dancer SUJATHA SRINIVASAN is
one of the artists bringing this project to life through creating a
dance story of the Cuyahoga River.
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Ramappa temple, Telangana (Photo: Veejay Sai)
Our new column UNMUTE
Unmute.help is the performers' guide to speaking up - and lets you
know about Laws, Rights, Resources and Networks. This is a much needed
portal for information on all areas where the Arts intersect with the
Law. Unmute.help is an open access resource - a website in the commons.
Use it to empower yourself as an artist and an arts leader.
It has been set up for the creative community by Kri Foundation,
Artsforward and Sruti Performing Troupe. Each month, the Unmute.help
column will shine the light on some aspect of Arts and the law.
'Unmute. Help': A Performers Guide to speaking up about Rights and Responsibilities of artists and Arts leaders
- Dr. Arshiya Sethi
On 11th August this year, a group of three people committed to the Arts
took a step that had never been taken before, though there was a
palpable need for it. The group of three were Somabha Bandopadhyay,
Paramita Saha, and me.
THE EASTERN EYE: COLUMN BY DR.UTPAL K BANERJEE
Dance at dawn
Bandish Arts, a recent non-profit organization set up for artists'
welfare and assured payment for performance founded by Swati Athmanathan
curated 'Bandish Arts - Season 2 for Kolkata Chapter'...
The Immanent and Immaculate One
'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' was a thematic Kuchipudi solo performance
presented online by Dilip Diwakar, a Kuchipudi artist from Chennai and
the senior disciple of Guru Sailaja.
DANCE MATTERS: COLUMN BY ASHISH MOHAN KHOKAR
Teach India
Our first and natural teachers are our parents... Then my third but a real teacher was Dr. Mandlik Prahladray Chhaya, our school principal at Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi Kendra.
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ATMA SHANTI / TRIBUTES
Singer KALYANI MENON passed away on August 2, 2021 aged 80.
More info:
A tribute to Kalyani Menon
- VP Dhananjayan
Kuchipudi Guru VEDANTAM RAMU passed away on August 6, 2021. He was born
into a traditional Kuchipudi dance family to Vedantam Raghavaiah (cinema
director and producer) and Ramalakshmi at Kuchipudi Village. He learnt
from eminent gurus at Siddendra Kala Kshetram in Kuchipudi Village and
later from Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai. He
will be remembered for his virtuosity in Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam
Parampara.
More info:
Vedantam Ramachandra Vara Prasad
- Vijay Shanker
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QUOTE
Unlike the world of digital technology on which we now binge, Arts and
Culture are not about consumption of information. It is about
transformation. Unlike in the world of Artificial Intelligence or AI,
Art invites you to ponder the nature of the Authentic instead of the
Artificial. So, just as we are taught to nourish our physical, we must
also be taught to nourish our souls. And this is possible through the
inculcation of positive, universal values in our education system.
- Ramli Ibrahim
('Arts and culture as nourishment for life,'TheVibes.com, Aug 27, 2021)
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