From the thematic production ‘Rama Katha Vismaya’ presented by Nirupama and Rajendra in Bengaluru, recently. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Ramayana, an ancient epic, has been retold through various art forms over the centuries, especially through classical dance styles such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi. In recent times, many dancers have continued this tradition […]
Jagyaseni Chatterjee’s ‘Flame to Fragrance’ celebrated womanhood. | Photo Credit: SRINATH M ‘Flame to Fragrance ‘ presented by Jagyaseni Chatterjee for R.R. Sabha, was an evening devoted to ideating her perceptions and responses as a dancer to some classic compositions. The stark red and black costume and lighting design enhanced the visual impact of the […]
Priyadarsini Govind | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement It’s a warm summer morning. Priyadarsini Govind is at her performance space and black box theatre, KG1 studios in Royapettah, Chennai. She is sitting alone — on the floor — dressed comfortably in a pair of tracks and a T-shirt, absorbed in her thoughts with a notepad and […]
Satyanarayanaraju’s solo act ‘Rama Katha’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Satyanarayanaraju’s ‘Rama Katha’, ideated by Usha R K and conceptualised and visualised by the dancer, continues to sustain interest 12 years after it was premiered. ‘Wake up Lord, fulfill your role as the protector of the universe’ pleads Tyagaraja in his kriti ‘Melukovaiyya’. The dancer […]
From ‘Arupadai Veedu’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Several students pass out of an institution but some take efforts to share what they have imbibed. S. Premnath is one such. After graduating from Kalakshetra, he went on to establish a dance institution in North Chennai. He named it Rukmini Devi Natyakshetra. Every year, he organises […]
Celebrating a milestone: Nellai D Kannan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement It was a path ordained for Nellai D Kannan. Son of Nellai P.S. Devaraja Iyer, a well-known mridangist and namasankirtanam bhagavathar in Tirunelveli, he grew in a house that resonated with the sounds of the percussion instrument. Sensing his interest, Kannan’s father began teaching […]
Vaibhav Arekar | Photo Credit: M. Srinath In the Varkari worship tradition of Maharashtra, it is customary to open with a description or varnan of Vittala’s form. In his solo production titled ‘Nama Mhane’, Vaibhav Arekar adheres to this convention by commencing with an alarippu, the opening piece in the Bharatanatyam margam, the subtext of […]
Urmila Sathyanarayana and her students performing at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai | Photo Credit: S. R. Raghunathan The third edition of ‘Vaggeyakara Bharatham’, presented by Nrithyopasana Trust and Natyarangam, featured a collaborative attempt between Urmila Satyanarayana and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi. The well-known dancer and violinist selected some compositions, including a few rare ones, suited for […]
Plastic chairs and string cots are arranged neatly in a semi-circle under a canopy of trees at Beguna Diha, a village on the outskirts of Mayurbhanj in Odisha. You can hear the sound of practising percussionists, as young men and women get ready for a performance. The audience slowly fills the space. As the drums […]
Mridula Shivakumar will present a margam, based on the compositions by K.N. Dandayuthapani Pillai. There is no dearth of talented dancers, but many find it a Herculean task to find platforms to showcase their art. To support young talents from her school Sridevi Nrityalaya, founder and guru Sheela Unnikrishnan has set up SDN’s Kriya, a […]
