Hiromi Maruhashi | Photo Credit: Athira M Hiromi Maruhashiâs face lights up as we sit down to talk about Mohiniyattam. The classical dance form of Kerala has been integral to her life for over three decades now. Every year she comes down to the State to brush up on her lessons, learn new productions and…
Kalakshetraâs âKannappar Kuravanjiâ depicts the tale of devotion and Sacrifice. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Kalakshetra Foundation In a scenario where artistes have to contend with sparse attendance for dance programmes, what draws art-loving audiences across age groups and tastes to return repeatedly to watch the same dance-dramas in the aesthetic ambience of Kalakshetra? This, when…
Lakshmi Viswanathan during a lecture demonstration on abhinaya at Kalakshetra in Chennai. | Photo Credit: K.V. SRINIVASAN Few artistes have the ability to bring that extra spark to conversations. Lakshmi Viswanathan was one. A fine dancer, scholar and writer whose tongue-in-cheek repartee and sense of humour endeared her to many, off the stage too. To…
V.P. and Shantha during a performance Under the auspices of Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, natyacharyas V.P. and Shantha Dhananjayan conducted a thought-provoking session on the need to understand the nuances of the art form to be able to breathe life into tradition. Delving directly into the technicalities involved in the construction of alarippu, Dhananjayan…
Shanmuga Sundaram. | Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B During Shivaratri, Rama and Krishna take a breather and Shiva makes an appearance in all his majesty on dance platforms. Performing at the Sarasalaya Dance festival, Shanmugasundaram presented âShivane porriâ, a compilation of three compositions on Shiva. The presentation highlighted the feeling of devotion and surrender. A Thevaram by…
Mayadhar Raut passed away at the age of 92, in Delhi | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives When appreciating an art, we often forget to acknowledge the contribution of those who strived hard to draw the worldâs attention by giving it a form and structure. Odissi owes its existence to the now-fading Gotipua tradition, which…
Kathak dancer and founder of Anaadya Performing Arts, Arpita Banerjee | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Discover the intricacies of three Indian classical dance forms â Kathak, Odissi and Kuchipudi at Anaadya Taal Tarang, on the same stage. The festival is presented by Anaadya Performing Arts, a dance school founded by Arpita Banerjee. The evening will…
From âEkadsha Rudramâ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement âEkadsha Rudramâ, a drama drama detailing the 11 Rudras, the embodiment of Mahadeva, conceptualised, produced and directed by Poornima Gururaja was recently presented by dancers Gopika Varma and Leena Sreebadra. The programme, featuring 60 dancers from five different dance schools, was packed with varied dance and music…
Himanshu Srivastava in âUnekalavyaâ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Jharna, a festival of dance curated by Bharata Kalanjali, is slowly gaining momentum as a platform for young, talented dancers to share their art with the connoisseurs of Chennai. In its fourth edition this year, the line-up featured dancers who had been shortlisted based on their…
Rashme hegde | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Shankaraa Foundation, on Kanakapura Road, is organising Spasibo Shankaraa- A Tribute, a cultural collaboration between maestros from India and Russia. It is an artistic confluence to express reverence to Shiva through music and dance, says Rashme Hegde Gopi, who founded the Shankaraa Foundation in 2002 as a tribute…
