Meera Das, senior disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
based in Cuttack assiduously continues Odissi training at
Cuttack, though the dance scene has shifted to the
capital Bhubaneswar in a big way. Kala Vikash Kendra,
the premier institution started training of Odissi dance at
Cuttack, where Kelucharan Mohapatra taught Odissi to several
young dancers, including Kum Kum Mohanty (nee Das),
conducted workshops when dancers from different parts of
India and some from abroad came to study Odissi. Later,
Odissi Research Centre was established at Bhubaneswar and
many Odiya dancers studied there under Kelubabu, including
Meera Das, who did not settle down in Bhubaneswar. She chose
to open her institution Gunjan Dance Academy at Cuttack in
1995 and has trained more than 200 young dancers at her
academy. Last year I had attended its 16th annual festival
and was impressed by her dedication and determination to
carry on the legacy of her guru in Cuttack. Once upon a time
it was Kala Vikash Kendra which drew many to its portals to
study Odissi. Today, Meera Das with her dynamism and
catholic outlook has succeeded in keeping the interest among
people in Cuttack alive in Odissi through her academy and
several events she organizes.
The three day dance and music festival she conducts features
well known dancers practicing different classical dance
forms and provides platform to young up and coming talented
dancers as well. With a band of her dedicated supporters,
including her President Gayatri Das, local committee
members, her senior students, some of whom with thorough
training under her, also take classes, teach and perform,
and poet and critic Kedar Mishra, Meera Das continues to run
her academy successfully.
Read the review in the site
Discovery of India, dance drama choreographed by Dr. Sandhya
Purecha was staged at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai on 21st
November. Based on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision it was
choreographed first by Shanti Bardhan in 1947 and was later
choreographed by Guru Acharya Parvatikumar in the 1950s both
of which were produced by the Indian National Theatre. More
than fifty years later, the Nehru Centre produced this dance
drama. Sandhya Purecha, a senior disciple of Acharya
Parvatikumar conceived this timeless saga of Indian history
and evolution on the occasion of Nehru’s 125th birth
anniversary and the first death anniversary of Acharya
Parvatikumar.
The audience response was overwhelming. The leading lights
of the city including artistes, scholars, government
officials including Ashutosh Ghorpade, Director, Directorate
of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra, Dr. Uma Vaidya,
Vice- Chancellor Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University,
Ramtek, late Guru Parvatikumar’s wife Sumati Parvatikumar
were present. The music score composed by Manoj Desai and
arranged by Mandar Parkhi resonated in the hall. The music
with catchy tunes, beats and blending of eclectic musical
instruments unfolded every era of human history right from
the Stone Age to the post-independence period of India.
Read the review in the site
Esplanade on Bay at Singapore wore a festive look for ten
days from 15th November with Kalaa Utsav, Indian Festival of
Arts as a part of various festivals Esplanade organizes for
celebrating New Year of various communities, to strengthen
the community harmony among the multicultural population.
Now in its 10th year, Kalaa Utsav has grown in its dimension
ranging from classical dance performances, vocal and
instrumental music, theatre and three day fest to ten days
bonanza of multiple arts and several venues embracing
literary, visual, performing arts and popular arts including
free outdoor performances at concourse and outdoor
auditorium, some events with free admission, drawing a
continuous stream of visitors, aficionados, artists,
musicians, literary figures, authors, writers, workshops,
exhibitions of photographs, textile installations,
discussion on Ayurveda, the science of life and what have
you. Like its counterparts in USA, London, Avignon, Perth
and Adelaide, Esplanade on the Bay in Singapore consists of
venues right from the Grand Theatre to Library esplanade,
including Concert Hall, Recital Studio, Theatre Studio,
Rehearsal Studio, Outdoor Theatre and Concourse. Mind
boggling events are scheduled bringing international
artistes from near and far with a clever mix of local
talent.
The most fascinating event that I witnessed was a
collaborative work sponsored by Esplanade as a co-production
‘Angkor: An Untold Story,’ a dance-drama, with Apsaras Arts,
a Singapore based reputed institute offering training in
classical Bharatanatyam and allied arts, under the
supervision and direction of Neila Sathyalingam, Founder,
Artistic Director and mentor. She and her late husband S
Sathyalingam have lived and taught dance and arts at Apsaras
Arts since 1975. Neila reiterates the fact that
Singapore’s relentless pursuit of excellence in all aspects
keeps focus on National Arts Council’s (NAC) aim of
nurturing artists, musicians, dancers, painters and
sculptors.
Read the review in the site
Two key events - poles and miles apart – one in Madras and
the other in Bhubaneswar, in October, made me delve into the
concept and context of banis and gharanas. Both, rather
commonly used but easily misunderstood words. The one event
in Madras was ‘50 years of Alarmel Valli’s dancing career’
which she had the class to celebrate by not dancing
herself (as dancers often generally do!) but she platformed
others (with help of upcoming journal and impresario
Aalaap). The other event was in Odisha, where the guru
bhakti of Guru Gajendra Panda made him mount the 7th
Debaprasad Das Award with a 3-day music and dance festival.
Both events were miles apart in content and context but both
celebrated the concept of gurus and banis – one in
Bharatanatyam and the other in Odissi. Both platformed the
art of their gurus, as handed down to them: Alarmel Valli, a
star legatee of the Pandanallur bani and Gajendra Panda, the
solid legatee of Guru Debaprasad Das. Both didn’t dance
themselves but platformed other artistes instead, whom they
thought fit for the occasion. Alarmel Valli presented the
current music flavor of Madras sabhas, TM Krishna, and the
Delhi Odissi diva, Madhavi Mudgal with her niece
Arushi. Gajendra Panda presented and awarded Delhi’s
best known Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran; Chennai’s
activist-artiste Anita Ratnam; Seraikella
Chhau’s Shashadhar Acharya and senior Odissi Guru
Sudhakar Sahoo. The Governor of Odisha did the honours, no
less. And in Madras, film-maker Rajiv Menon gave the keynote
address.
Read the article in the site
In Bharatanatyam as in Odissi or Kathak, the costume is a
distinct statement of identity. Looking at the costume one
need not have any doubts about the style of dance. When I
danced Kuchipudi, I made that costume which had a particular
design with a ‘Kachan’ visible at the back, indicating a
distinct Telugu style....an echo of the nine yards saree
worn by the rural women. Suddenly, Bharatanatyam dancers
also started wearing this ‘Kachan’ type of costume, except
that the front fan was the one commonly seen in
Bharatanatyam. I don’t think this innovation was necessary
for the success of the dance.
The hugely popular Yamini Krishnamurthy raised the hemline
of the regular costume in her heydays to show more legs, and
wore blouses with what was known as an attached ‘Kachai’
dispensing with the ‘davani.’ It suited her dance and her
personality. Rukmini Devi also wore a draped ‘Kachai’ in her
early costumes which suited her personality.
Read the article in the site
Nritarutya’s principal dancer Vishwa Kiran talks about
his experience working with choreographer Madhuri
Upadhya on the piece ‘Trishanku’ for the company’s
production ‘Prayog 4.’
‘Want and Need,’
‘Angry and Reckless,’ ‘Failure and perseverance.’
Trishanku has been a very personal and emotional process
for Madhuri Upadhya and me. It has moved beyond a space of
a mere dance performance to a space where I am living the
dance. Initially, when we began discussing the piece and
its structure, Madhuri decided to construct the piece in a
manner that it leaves the audience in a different state of
mind from the one they were in when it began. To achieve
that, I had to be in a different mental space to generate
a desired emotion in a confined space to a very specific
speed. So the sessions used to be very quiet and extremely
productive, where one instructed and the other executed
with utmost honesty, while the other observed and
interrupted only if required.
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Visiting Mumbai and participating in the Nakshatra Dance
Festival at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
(NCPA) was like coming back home. Since its inception, NCPA
was our familiar ground, our comfort zone. We would attend
all the events, felt very ’high’ and were full of dreams.
Seniors and elders, encouraged us. Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, Dr.
Narayan Menon, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Soli Batlivala at
Akashganga Building at Bhulabhai Desai Road (former Warden
Road, where NCPA started), were icons we looked up to. The
dream of Dr. Jamshed Bhabha to have a Centre comparable to
Lincoln Centre in New York, at Nariman Point indeed came
true. The Tata Theatre, the Little Theatre, the Experimental
Theatre, the Godrej Dance Theatre, the Sunken Garden, the
Dr. Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium, the Library, the Guest House,
the Piramal Gallery, the (former Rangoli ) resturant / cafe
invariably drew us like magnet. At NCPA, legendary dancers,
musicians and actors gave memorable performances. The
archive, systematically built up over the years, is a
treasure trove. And the present management under the
leadership and guidance of the Chairman, Khushroo N Santook
is proud to carry on the legacy enriching the life of the
nation.
Read the review in the site
The world of
Bharatanatyam has been a preserve of women. There is a
welcome change in the scenario as we start seeing the
emergence of the male dancer. It is a known fact that the
stage for classical dancers is itself limited and not much
material is available in the public domain to understand
classical dancers.
Just when classical dance enthusiasts are looking forward
to learn more about male dancers, Tulsi Badrinath writes
about them in her aptly titled ‘Master of Arts: A Life in
Dance’ (Hachette India publication). The attractive cover
has Guru VP Dhananjayan looking into the mirror at his own
younger picture (in the form of his son CP Satyajit). It
comes as no surprise that the work should be coming from a
classical dancer as others may find the context, content
and the very background unfamiliar. Who else would
understand the “perilous journey” of a male dancer, and
his “worries over decisions” and, notions like “the male
dancer in the traditional margam is like an illegal
immigrant.”
Read the review in the site
