MUSIC ACADEMY- Stalwarts impress with rich repertoire

A Review by Anjana Ranjan in The Hindu...

The lecture-demonstration series of The Music Academy’s Dance Festival got off to an auspicious start on January 4, if the morning’s tempestuous rain could be hailed as a traditional harbinger of good things. However, happy crowds and some fine performances by veterans notwithstanding, it was difficult to see how some of the sessions billed as lecture demonstrations were any different from normal performances.

Despite the wet weather and traffic jams, the opening session by Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi attracted a sizeable audience.

“I like to do things differently, within the parameters of the form,” was the defining statement made by Narasimhachari. Illustrating the concept, the duo demonstrated various Bharatanatyam pieces they have choreographed using the Natya Sastra as textual material.

The demanding composition “Paravasam Tharum Kalai” presented the Natya Sastra in a nutshell. Starting from the concept of lasya and tandava, the lyrics, written by the poet Isai Amudan, went on to describe the different facets and ingredients of a dance production, such as the rasas, the bhavas, vibhavas, and so on, and the different types of abhinaya — angika, subdivided into facial expression, postures and dance movements, apart from vachika, aharya, and satvika.

The dramatic approach of lokadharmi and natyadharmi, the role of rhythm in portraying moods and also the effect of the production on the audience, according to the theories propounded in the Natya Sastra, were all dwelt on through the medium of dance and music.

Choreographed in the early 1970s, this piece must have been a pioneering work at the time.

The couple also performed a tillana, which Narasimhachari said was his first full-fledged music composition.

A verse from the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeswara — Yato hastastato drishtih — made up the sahitya portion of the tillana, and Narasimhachari noted that he had used verses from the shastras of dance in all his tillanas. Inspired by the late shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan’s Malkauns, he said he based the pallavi of this tillana, set to the corresponding Carnatic raga Hindolam, on the mukhra of the tarana played by the ustad.

Earlier, Vasanthalakshmi presented a Kshetragna padam, “Aligithe” in which a nayika out of patience with her lover complains about him. She explained the angry (khandita) nayika in detail: she is sweeya (married and loyal to her lover), and a soundarya garvita (conscious of her beauty). She speaks out sarcastically and yet is diffident in expressing herself. Ever a charmer, Vasanthalakshmi then shed didacticism to enact the nayika.

The orchestra consisted of M.S.Sukhi (nattuvangam), Radha Badri (vocal), Nagai Narayanan (mridangam), D. Muthukumar (flute), Bhavani Prasad (veena) and Parthasarathy on the edakka.

Intriguing piece

The following day’s lecture-demonstration was by Sudharani Raghupathy, who began the proceedings with “Pallandu,” a divya prabanda pasuram of Periazhwar. This was an intriguing piece inspired by the Araiyar Sevai performed at Srivalliputtur. Mentioning that she had researched this ancient Vaishnavite temple ritual at the behest of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Sudharani explained that in the traditional songs, each word has a mudra.

Sudharani then went on to other compositions. “Dhooranadem,” based on a song by D.V.Gundappa, addressed to a sculpture at Halebid, was evocative. She brought out different aspects of a nayika in her chosen presentations: naughtily innocent in the Kshetragna padam “Evvade,” anguished and angry in the Ashtapadi “Yahi Madhava” and at a loss in the javali “Geyliyaai.”

Educational morning
On the third morning, Vyjayantimala Bali presented Navasandhi kauthuvam. The veteran, who learnt the compositions from her guru Kittappa Pillai, gave a detailed explanation of each kauthuvam. Before these compositions became part of temple ritual, she said, they had been dedicated to entities like the sun, the moon and the four varnas.

The Navasandhi kauthuvams, dedicated to the guardians of the nine directions (the eight direction plus the centre), were considered the foremost in that genre. Providing details of each deity, such as the mount (vahana), the preferred tala, the hastas used, the consort, etc., Vyjayantimala went on to give an uninterrupted demonstration of the nine kauthuvams, each with a distinct structure and interspersing abhinaya and nritta. It was an educational morning, and with friends and fans making a beeline for the dancer afterwards, there was a ‘chakka jam’ of sorts in the wings.

Standing ovation

Monday morning belonged to C.V.Chandrasekhar, who, like last year at the same venue, drew a moist-eyed standing ovation. The veteran dancer, musician and guru began by sharing his experience over the last 60 years as a male performer in the one scenario dominated by women.

As a male dancer, he said, he had suffered “brickbats” as well as “atrocious reviews” by writers who criticised not his dance but his gender. Saying he was happy he had finally been accepted, he pointed out that there should be no gender bias in the art, as, first, if a woman could dance as the Nataraja, or take up any role in a play, there was no reason why a man could not. Also, dance had been traditionally in the hands of men, who had contributed immeasurably to the development of every branch of the art, be it Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam or others.

But it was not just what he said that moved the audience. It was the conviction and sheer dedication of every moment of six decades and more of dancing, which showed in his polished movements, his uncompromising postures and his mandi and sarukkal adavus that would put far younger dancers to shame.

Barring a fleeting moment here and there, the only place his age showed was in the mature treatment of the abhinaya. Take the majestic stance representing Gaganasadrisham in his opening sloka, Shantaakaaram Bhujagashayanam. With no overt attempt at depicting the firmament, he became magnificence personified.

In the Nattakurinji varnam “Chalamela”, as he explained, the dancer depicted the poet’s voice both as a devotee and as a nayika.

Some of the situations, such as the nayika ready with her thali of welcome, ignored and forlorn, or the bhakta rushing into the chamber and falling at the feet of the Lord, remained lingering images. And while each short jati drew applause, the mood never seemed disturbed, since the dancer remained immersed.

In the Ashtapadi “Maam Iyam Chalita Vilokya”, he depicted the searing sorrow of Krishna the repentant lover pining for Radha yet not able to face her.

At the end of the verse, he sank to the ground, listlessly moving his finger on the floor. It was an example of that essential shot of realism that gives life to stylised bhava. The music composition was his own, set to raga Ahir Bhairav.

The Sivashtapadi from the Siva Geethimala of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, set to music by Bhagavatulu Seetharama Sarma, was a stunning work, embroidered with stories from Siva lore — the swallowing of poison, the destruction of Kamadeva, etc. — and gems of jatis.

The orchestra was on par with the veteran’s calibre. Mridangam by the London-based stalwart Karaikkudi Krishnamurthy was a lesson in dance percussion. Enhancing the mood, he never distracted from the dancer’s work, whether in nritta or abhinaya, and yet provided delightful rhythmic effects in the appropriate spaces.

Vocalist Hariprasad is always a delight. Besides his melody, he takes care to break up the words in the right place during niraval singing. He sang Ahir Bhairav with beautiful inflexions. Shaji Lal on the nattuvangam was clear and spirited. Sikhamani’s violin produced some moving alaps.

Vijayanthi Mala's rich tapestry of emotions

" The performance, by Vyjayantimala, who touched upon the miracles of Krishna, retained an old world charm."writes Rupa Srikanth In the Hindu

In the background, a violin pours forth a hauntingly beautiful Madhyamavathi melody while young, excited Gopis take centre stage.

One of them cautiously tests the temperature of the water with her toes before she calls out to her friends and steps in. It feels deliciously cold and they quickly submerge themselves.

Another Gopi holds her breath in the water for a count of 10 and challenges the others to do the same. Ablutions done, the Gopis come out of the water shivering, they find their clothes missing, and look up to see the prankster, it is none other than Krishna.

‘Irumen Saayal Nudanga Nudangi’ was one of many warm anecdotes describing the glory of ‘Tirumal’ in ‘Aiychiyar Kuravaik Kooththu.’ Taken from the Madurai Kandam of Ilango Adigal’s Silappadikaaram, the original kooththu had seven cowherd women who dance to ward off evil omens in the shepherdess Madhari’s home. This was choreographed and presented by Vyjayantimala Bali as a solo show.

The performance, though tailored for a proscenium and a limited timeframe, retained an old world charm because of the informal air the dancer maintained. The draped-not-stitched sari, the simple props and the largely unstructured style of presentation were some points of reference. For example, in the opening scene when Madhari and her daughter go to the cowshed to find the cows restless and the milk not set as curds, Vyjayantimala’s props were a humble wooden buttermilk churner and a rope. It was the simple things that made the greatest impact.

The music and the dance were however not so simple. Researched by M.A.Venkatakrishnan, Bhuma Venkatakrishnan and Prof. S.Raghuraman with the music composed by S.Ramanathan, the verses were presented with respect for its authentic reference. The seven dancers named according to the seven notes of the musical scale with each given a characterisation like Krishna, Balaram, etc. were details that were laid out clearly, as were the original pann and the adapted ragam for each verse.

The dancer wove a rich tapestry of emotions with bold colours and deft strokes. She touched upon the miracles of Krishna always leaving behind a trail of wonderment and devotion. There were many tales to tell and not always connected or in a chronological order, but it was in the simple telling that Vyjayantimala scored. From the mischief of the ‘Gopi vastra haran,’ the mood changed gears to the Kurukshetra battle field and Arjuna avenging Abhimanyu’s death. The dancer was as effective as a hapless father on a bloodied battlefield grieving over his son’s unfair killing. As involved in the rendering were Vyjayantimala’s musicians. Kandadevi S.Vijayaraghavan’s (violin) participation was most enthusiastic, while Vanathy Raghuraman (vocal) and C.K.Patanjali (flute) maintained strong melody. S.S.R. Krishnan (mridangam) and Jayashree Ramanathan (nattuvangam) kept unobtrusive yet effective rhythm.

Neat portrayal on Annamacharya by Padma Subrahmanyam.

It is a fact that Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam is a complete entertainer. It is also a fact that though she is an accomplished dancer, musician, scholar and dramatist, these qualifications are only incidental to the larger picture. She takes culture to the common man by breaking down its stylistic and sophisticated barriers and bringing it to its lowest common denominator, within the framework of aesthetic art. Her presentations address the basic concerns of good music and good drama. No less, no more.

‘Annamayya Pratibha’ was no different. Padma strung a garland from the aromatic ‘flower offerings’ of the pre-Trinity saint composer, Annamacharya, and gave each of the devotional padas a visual dimension. For a part of the recital, it was biographical and for the rest, it was devotional and spiritual.

Vivid sketch

Her sketch of Annamacharya’s dream, his pilgrimage to Tirumala and his encounter with Goddess Alamelu Manga in ‘Ippuditu Kalaganti’ (Bowli) and in ‘Ammaku Talapakkam’ was warm and vivid, sometimes light hearted and sometimes poignant, but always made an impact.

There is also a hint of tongue-in-cheek irreverence in her characterisations that she is able to pull off simply because she is willing to laugh at herself as well. The bhajan group (abhang) on their way to the Seven Hills was one such vignette. The pilgrims being overawed by the imposing mountains and the ritual breaking of the coconut before the climb were not spared either.

Annamacharya is unable to keep up with the group and falls behind. Exhausted, he breaks down. A woman comes to him and offers him a laddu. Eating it, he feels refreshed and looks around to thank her but she is gone. He realises that the woman was none other than Alamelu Mangai Thayar. With the chanting of the Sri Venkatesa Prapatti in the background, the sensitive role play created a very powerful moment.

One can see that Padma choreographs the music as she does for dance. Not only are there other texts like the Venkatesa Suprabhatham interwoven into the score, but the treatment of the sankeertans themselves is unusual. She not only chooses ragas to suit the portrayals but incorporates a strong rhythmic component within the melody. Well-orchestrated pauses in the music are also used to good effect.

Padma had the able support of Gayathri Kannan (vocal) who masterminded the effort in the wings along with B. Kannan (veena), Vijayalakshmi Krishnamurthy (vocal), Nagai Sriram (mridangam), N. Sundar (morsing, tabla), Devaraj (flute), Thanjavur Subba Rao (violin) and Shyamakrishnan (dholak). Her resource persons were scholars Pappu Venugopala Rao and V.A.K.Ranga Rao.

To continue with the story, Annamcharya reaches Tirumala and sees the Lord being taken out in a procession in ‘Veedhula veedhula’ (Gambhira Nattai). It was a glorious sight to behold; for twenty-five minutes, Padma brought the grand spectacle alive — isn’t this what art is all about?

Source:The Hindu

Amour by Shamuga Sundaram

"The love for Bharatanatyam makes Shanmuga Sundaram explore new themes for his performances.
A senior disciple of guru K. J. Sarasa, Shanmuga Sundaram got inspired by the sculptures of the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Amour, which means love in French, is an attempt by dancer Shanmuga Sundaram, to explore the delicate nuances of love as portrayed by sculptor Rodin. He will express his perceptions of the sculptor through Bharatanatyam.
This thematic dance performance was staged earlier for Alliance Francaise, Pondicherry and Madras in August this year.
Shanmugha Sundaram will present this again this season at the Bharat Kalachar on Jan. 11, 2008"
Source: KutcheriBuzz

Anita Ratnam stirs the intellect

Here is review of Anita Ratnam's new production , "“Faces – Blessed Unrest,”

One cannot assess a performance by Anita Ratnam like any other Bharatanatyam recital. If broken into its separate parts — the selected themes, the songs danced to, the use of the Bharatanatyam technique — it might seem no different generically from the kutcheri format. Surely, a deviation in the cut of the costumes alone would not suffice. So what makes her performances different? Perhaps the very fact that they make one think.

Most Bharatanatyam performances taking place today that are worthy of evaluation tend to fall into the category of devotional, spiritual, technically impressive, or plain entertaining. But few stir the intellectual faculties. Anita Ratnam succeeds in doing this, with her holistic approach to choreography, the spoken word, sets, lighting design and costumes.

Another way of categorising those concerns would be angika, vachika and aharya. Is it then, old wine in a new bottle? Yes, but with an honesty not associated with the phrase. Because the wine has been filtered every time. And it is the filter that gives a taste of freshness. So it was with her latest production “Faces – Blessed Unrest,” premiered at the Krishna Gana Sabha this past Friday.

“Faces” is a collection of five of the most well known and beloved compositions from the devotional-classical tradition of Carnatic music. After a poetic introduction that was part of the soundtrack, the dancer began with ‘The Face of Compassion,’ introduced by the hymn to Annapurna, Nityanandakari, Varabhayakari, Soundaryaratnakari. Images of generosity represented by dance postures as well as literal actions like pouring of rice conveyed the spirit.

The dancer did not shy away from performing in complete silence at times — refreshing but all too rare in the contemporary classical dance scenario. The highlight of the piece was the beautifully sung Sama raga kriti “Annapurne Vishalakshi.”

The female voice rendering the Dikshitar composition was all that it should have been in terms of emotion and melody. The only jarring factor was the singer’s repeatedly pronouncing Vishalakshi as “Visalakshi”, which became an irritant, especially in a programme where attention to detail was high.

Another high point of the evening was ‘The Forgotten Face,’ represented by “Asai Mugam,” a Subramania Bharathi composition that melts the heart of the romantic and blurs the line between love and devotion. Here, seated on the floor, the dancer conveyed the wrenching lyrics with almost no mudras. It was a triumph of abhinaya, and of the seamless blending of dance, lighting and music. The English text, here and throughout the programme, by Aparna, was beautiful.

In ‘Timeless Faces’ the dancer told the entire Ramayana (“Tell me the story of infinite faces…”) against a voice alap and no lyrics, in the opposite approach to the previous song. It was a series of allusive images. The finale, ‘The Face of Blissful Surrender,’ was based on a Meera bhajan. The final image of an ecstatic Meera rising from the floor in an attitude of blissful expectation was effective.

Credit for the attractiveness of the package goes also to the soothing music score composed and arranged by pianist Anil Srinivasan, (assisted by associate music director Vedanth Bharadwaj). Srinivasan’s piano chords, fused unobtrusively with Carnatic classical, provided a moving ambience. Vocalists on the soundtrack included O.S.Arun, Sikkil Gurucharan, Revathy Sankkaran, Subhiksha Rangarajan. Light design was by Mithran Devanesan.

Costumes by Sandhya Raman were aesthetic, and, with the exception of the last, which resembled a gown, did credit to the trimmed down Anita. The last costume did not seem to gel with the movement vocabulary, and so neither did justice to the other.

Overall, the production, which could not rely on convention — a cushion available to standard format Bharatanatyam performances — may not have been comprehensible to an audience not at home with the songs. But it created some wonderful sound and light images and engendered a feeling of serenity.

From The Hindu review by Anjana Ranjan

Rajeswari Sainath’s performance.

" Clear footwork, energy and pleasing rhythmic patterns were the hallmarks of Rajeswari Sainath’s performance.", says Rupa Srikanth in her review in The Hindu.

There is a perceptible change in Rajeswari Sainath’s dance style –it is to do with the ratio between mathematics and mime. The dancer has a penchant for laya and this preoccupation usually dominates her recitals, but this time there was more balance. Both areas were given their due notwithstanding the disparity in the expertise- for, her mime is not as polished as her sense of rhythm.

Clear footwork, good energy, pleasing rhythmic patterns and a good range of adavus were the hallmarks of the performance. The dance by itself could do with more geometry and a tauter body.

On the musical side, Murali Parthasarthy (vocal) was not always on track, but Kandadevi S.Vijayaraghavan (violin) and Saravanan (flute) were alert enough to take over and ensure the smooth flow of melody. Srinivas (nattuvangam) and Nellai D.Kannan (mridangam) kept rhythm with precision through the hills and dales of varying speeds.

The recital commenced with a beautiful ‘Laya Kavidhai- Anbe Sivam’ (Priyadarshini ragam, misram) conceived by veteran mridangist Karaikudi Mani, penned by Su Ravi and composed by Balasai, that lived up to its claim of ‘poetry in rhythm.’ The verse and mnemonic syllables (Adit Narayanan) resonated in perfect harmony. While the vilamba and madhayama kaalam sollus were straightforward counts of seven, the dhurita kaalam was manipulated to include a third speed tisram sequence and a fourth speed misram section. In reverse order, the sequence turned a full circle and came back to a slow vilamba kaalam count-this descent was one of the most beautiful moments that evening. The Siva Tandava was both an aural and a visual treat.

The same technique of symbolism in nritta that worked in the opening composition was not as effective to espouse the theory of the three deities being one in ‘Trimurthi Tatvam’ (ragamalika, panchatalam, written by Kavi Kannan, tuned by Balasai). This was despite the liberal dose of spirituality provided by vedic chants compiled by Seshadri Ganapadigal and recited by G.K.Srinivasan.

The only composition that presented abhinaya without a framework of tala was the varnam, ‘Adiyarthanai’ (ragamalika, Adi, written by Rajkumar Bharathi and Kavi Kannan) on Vittala of Pandarpur. Karaikudi Mani composed the theermanams for this vibrant composition as well. Rajeswari portrayed the stories of Vittala’s devotees- Namadeva, Janabai and Chokkamela- with warmth and involvement. She was equally focused in the nritta portions as well; her fast paced ‘tha tai thams’ that featured in the second half of the 45-minute varnam said it all.

What's your kind of Bharathanatyam?

I have always been amazed at how each person looks for their own thing in Bharathanatyam. While some enjoy vigorous Nritta, others savor Abhinaya. Some succumb to the pleasures of heart racing tempo generated by incessant vocabulary movement strewn around in the choreography, others look for peace and rest that make higher realizations possible. Bharathanatyam isn’t authentic if one doesn’t perform at least a few of the 108 karanas to some, while others detest having to watch it.

Here is a compilation of various views expressed at various forums:-

“People pay money if they really need and really want it.People are willing to pay for cinema if the film is made professionally. People do not pay to go do the cinema to watch amateurish films.People go to restaurants if the food is professionally cooked there. Why some restaurants charge 100 times more for the same dish than others, is up to you to answer.People go to parties because these are not boring, unlike most classical dance programs.But then if some “professional” classical indian dancers start complaining that nobody is willing to pay them, hmmmmm…. Here is the checklist for such dancers:

- look in the mirror: if you do not look beautiful for other people, they will not come to watch your dance

- try to fine a trace of a waistline: if there is none, don’t expect anyone to turn up for your programme

- look at how many karanas out of 108 you can perform: if you cannot bend in any direction, start teaching dance

- look at how fast your jatis are: if any 12-year-old can do it twice faster, it is a sign for you to retire

- look at your expressions at the end of your jatishwaram: if your face looks miserable, so do the rasikas feel

- look at your choreography: if it looks like a bad copy of Bollywood dance, better start a modern dance career ” J. Hemamalini, India

“As Natya Shastra states the qualities required of a female dancer, “Women who have beautiful limbs, are conversant with the sixty-four arts and crafts (kala), are clever, courteous in behaviour, free from female diseases, always bold, free from indolence, inured to hard work, capable of practising various arts and crafts, skilled in dancing and songs, who excel by their beauty, youthfulness, brilliance and other qualities all other women standing by, are known as female dancers (narthaki)” Lila,???

“Dear Hemamalini,
Good points you have raised here.
But most of the points in the checklist are with respect to the initial visual perceptions. A person may have all these and still not give you any rasanubhava. The other day in the Bharathanatyam orkut there was one group talking about the fact that spritual satisfaction/rasa comes from watching slightly mature performers performing abhinaya pieces. Personally for me, rasanubhava arises when watching mature performers, a few of whom might even be just miming the songs out. There was a time when nritta appealed to me -not so much anymore… I can never compare this with how I am moved when watching Sri.Dhanajayan as Nandanar, or Smt.Chitra do Srinivasan Perumai, or When Sri.Kelucharan Mahapatra did his astapathis…
I would love to hear from more people as to whether they like such Abhinaya rich slow pieces without much nritta too… Or am I so alone in this fast track world..In fact the youngsters are so good technically, no doubt about that. But I am sure there are times when you look for much more than techincal perfection and visual excellence, isn’t it? ” Response from Sangeetha, Indonesia (that’s me).

“True sangeeta. i have a perfromance cd of priyadarshini’s varnam and one of anitha’s asthapati and one of sudha’s madurai n krishnan’s margam, in which priya murle has performed a varnam. now, when i compere these three, definately priyadarshini is very ttechnically perfect, the poses are so good, watching it, i just get up and dance- thats the feeling, but when i watch anitha’s asthapati or priya murle’s varnam, iam so engrossed in it- the rasa anubhava, i abosluetely enjoy it and start feeling the same feelings that r presented. if thats what u mean… ” Mallika from Australia

“You know, there are still crazy people who read such bad books like Abhinayadarpanam and others, where those ancient idiots write that natya has to do with the beauty of the body expression, and you know, those ancient idiots even wrote all those boring lists of the qualities that disqualify one from performing natya!

Shame on Bharata Muni for describing some of those unnecessary 108 karanas! I cannot do many of them!
Let’s forget all those stupid books! Of course, visual perceptions are not necessary to give you rasanubhava. My friend once told me that he once experienced rasanubhava while watching an old lady walking across a road with a walking stick.

Politically well-connected people do not need good nritta or good karanas. They give you rasanubhava just like Smt.Jalayalitha does the Abhinaya rich slow pieces. She is the greatest dancer who gives rasanubhava and some cash to thousands of the AIDMK activists!

Personally, I prefer watching Charlie Chaplin. Everybody says his abhinaya is far better than Kalanidhi Narayanan’s.

If you look for much more than technical perfection and visual excellence, you will enjoy watching this (mature bharatanatyam dancer?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylmeqm_S_Sk” A.Harish from???

Like this article??? Want to contribute your own??? Visit our parallel blog Bharathanatyam and WWW

Ashta nayikas on the 'Naadhabrahmam' opening day

Naadhabrahmam, a monthly music journal, conferred the title 'Naada Kovida' on violin maestro M. Chandra Sekaran and 'Abinaya Kovida' on Kalanidhi Narayanan, guru of abhinaya, at the inauguration of its sixth annual music festival on Dec. 5, 2007

Conferring the honour, V.Ramasubramanian, Judge, Madras High Court, said nowhere in the world were music and dance accorded such importance as in India. It was the only country where Saptabrahmam and Naadhabrahmam were worshipped. God was moved by music, and the same divine music gave joy to human beings.

Musicologist Dr. V.V. Srivatsa and N. Subramanian, Editor, Naadhabrahmam, felicitated the artists.

What followed the inaugural function was an aural treat. A dance ballet by eight leading dancers - 'Ashta nayika of Sangam Age'. Priyadarshini Govind, Bragha Bessel, Jayanthi Subramaniam, Roja Kannan, Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, Radhika Shurajit, Shobhan Bhalchandra and Lakshmi Ramaswamy. Each dancer brought the emotions of one nayika each on stage!

Source: Kuthcheribuzz

Dance conference to discuss sensuality in Indian dance

Indian culture has never shunned sexuality as an undesirable facet of life. The myriad art forms of India in general and Bharatanatyam in particular have wholly accepted the sensuous, sensual and the erotic in life without any hint of moral censure. However, there must be clarity as to what is aesthetic in art and what is not.

A performing artiste has to tread carefully between two extremes- be prudent as to not to stray into the prurient or foray into the crass! Either way, she/he may make the audience wince for different reasons.

- Are there are any parameters for sensuality in art forms?
- If yes, what is the level up to which it is permissible?
- Does it depend on the individual dancer / dance style / guru and of course the taste of the audience?

The 3-day Seminar on 'Sensuality in Indian Dance' sets out to find answers to these questions. You have a galaxy of distinguished scholars and dancers sharing their perceptions.

And you can contribute to the event and make it meaningful by mailing your views / comments and even full - length articles to contact@natyadarshan.org.

Who's who?
Organisor : Kartik Fine arts
Chairman : Shri.L.Sabaretnam
President : Shri.A.V.S.Raja
Secretaries' : Shri.R.Rajagopal
Shri.D.S.Ramanujam

Advisors for the Natya Darshan Conference:
Prof.Sudharani Raghupathy
Prof.Chitra Visweswaran


Convenor :
Smt.Priyadarsini Govind


Schedule:

Theme : 'Sensuality in Indian Dance'
	Day 1	22nd Dec, 2007
	10.00 a.m.	The inauguration is by Dr.Mrs.Y.G.Parthasarathy, Chairman, Bharat Kalachar Keynote address - Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Honouring eminent artists Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, Shri. Adyar K.Lakshmanan and Smt. Leela Venkatraman
	10.30 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Smt. Leela Samson
	11.30 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Shri. T.M.Krishna Moderator: Smt. Ratna Papa Kumar
	Day 2	23rd Dec, 2007
	09.30 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Chitra Sundaram
	10.30 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Shri. Sadanam Balakrishnan
	11.30 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy (Nrityagram) Moderator: Smt. Hema Rajagopalan
	Day 3	24th Dec, 2007
	09.00 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Smt. Vidya Rao
	10.00 a.m.	Lecture demonstration - Dr. Prof. Raghuraman
For more Information: Natyadarshan		Moderato r: Smt. V.R.Devika Valedictory address - Smt. V.R.Devika, Managing Trustee, The Aseema Trust Vote of thanks - Smt. Priyadarsini Govind

Madras and Mudras

Here is an article by Anita R Ratnam which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did:-

"As a teenager, I would stagger out of bed bleary-eyed and face another day of school and dance classes with Rajee Narayan. My Arangetram in 1964 was at the Abbotsbury marriage hall (now the site of an abandoned hotel complex). The occasion was my uncle’s wedding reception.

The performance was two hours long and I was eight years old. Just five days earlier I had slipped down the stairs and hurt my back and could not bend like Kumari Kamala (an inspiration for an entire generation to learn Bharatanatyam) in the snake dance! I was crushed but tried to make it up with my Ava Gardener smile. After five costume changes applause, my father rushed backstage and scolded my guru for making me sweat so much!

I remember tailor Aiyyelu coming to our present home on Cenotaph Road to take measurements. My sister Pritha and I danced together whenever she decided she could divert her mind from her first rank in class exams. My mother Leela was an innovator in colours and costume design and created several outfits that Aiyyelu understood with his quicksilver mind.

Performances were always exciting. An assortment of celebrities sat in the front row . My mother or one of my gurus, Adyar K Lakshman and Madurai N Krishnan, would pop in informing me about the various VIPs who arrived but all I wanted to know was ‘‘Has Subbudu come? Has NMN come?’’ The two dreaded dance critics of Indian Express and The Hindu.

December 1971. The greats MS and Bala in the audience and me backstage. The occasion. The opening session of the annual Music Academy Conference and a dancer appearing after several years to open the session. Years later. The morning prayer under the banyan tree at Kalakshetra with Atthai (Rukmini Arundale) and Sankara Menon attending. Dreaded 'araimandi’ sessions with Sarada Hoffman and lovely dance classes with Neila Sathyalingam and Jayalakshmi teacher. A stern Atthai summoning me and asking me to take part in one of the famed Ramayana dance dramas as Kausalya — mother to Janardhan sir’s famous Sri Rama. Heart fluttering each time I had to repeat a movement and Sarada teacher barking “innum ukkaaranum ( you have to sit lower)” until my long legs could hardly make it out of the class sessions.

Dance means Madras. Sweat. Heat. Sound of wood on wood. Tamil, English and Malayalam melting in the sweltering heat. Paint, lights, applause or walk outs. Reviews and gossip sessions with Sruti magazine’s Janaki. Mylapore, North Mada Street, checking out new costume jewellery at Sukra.

Today. New costumes planned for a new production on the Lotus. The land phone and the mobile ring simultaneously. My kids yell their annual mantra, “Amma! Please leave your dance for one December and come with us on a holiday.” My mother looks at my wall filled with awards and honours and calmly declares, “All okay, but when are you getting your Padma Shri?” "

Source: New Indian Express (Click for more)