7^th Kala Nidhi International Dance Festival

Part I: March 23 – 28, 2004

The Dance Styles and their Featured Artists and Speakers:
 

Manipuri — an extraordinarily rich classical dance form derives its name from Manipur, in the northeastern corner of India. Although a theatrical art form that is performed on stage in modern times, it is imbued with a palpable religious sense and is still performed in temples on a variety of occasions. Manipuri dance movements combine lyrical grace with vigorous athleticism, often accompanied by intricate and rousing drumming.

Darshana Jhaveri’s troupe of nine dancers from Manipur, Assam, Kolkata and Mumbai perform authentic traditional dances. Darshana will also lead day time seminars and workshops on Manipuri.

Rabindra Nartan — Rabindranath Tagore, the outstanding cultural hero of the 20th century India, creatively “discovered” and used the Manipuri and Kathakali dance forms in his own dance productions, giving rise to a recognizable genre that may be called Rabindra Nartan akin to his own Rabindra Sangeet in music.

Tagore’s dance drama Kal Mrigaya, is featured in a work choreographed by Sukalyan Bhattacharya of Toronto, who will also present in our daytime conference, Basantotsava, the Spring Festival, as it was performed in Tagore’s Shantiniketan. The creativity of Tagore will be explored in a talk by leading dance critic Dr. Sunil Kothari who will pay a rich tribute to Tagore for his contribution to Indian dance.
 

Kathakali — the classical dance-theatre of India’s southern state, Kerala, is her outstanding contribution to the world of dance and theatre. It involves years of rigorous training in movement and expression. A Kathakali dancer’s elaborate make-up and costume project the character on a larger-than-life scale. Mohiniattam — a sensuously lyrical dance style featuring soft movements soaked in feminine grace, also originates in Kerala.

Paris-based Annette Leday, performs her own, Stuff of Dreams a fusion of Kathakali and Western Dance loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s the tempest, while the three Kerala based Indian dancers of her company also perform Kacha Devayani, a memorable work in traditional kathakali. Talented dancers from Chennai perform a traditional Mohiniattam work under the choreographic direction of Jayashree Mundkur.

Our daytime exploration of Kathakali dance features lecture-demonstrations by dancers from the Keli Company of Kerala and seminars, discussions and demonstrations by Richard Tremblay, Montreal, Dr. Anne-Marie Gaston, Ottawa, Annette Leday, Paris, Bruno Paquet, Montreal, and Jayashree Mundkur, Chennai who will give a talk on Kathakali and pay a tribute to poet Vallathol.
 

Kathak — a major Indian dance form, is one of the most dynamic theatre arts in the world. Rooted in the art of storytelling, it is rich in subtle but expressive gestures, alluring movements, and complex, rousing rhythms. Flourishing in large parts of Northern India, and influenced by both Hindu and Islamic cultures, Kathak has emerged as a highly cherished symbol of the synthesis of two cultures.

A galaxy of Indian and North American dancers will perform a wide variety of traditional and contemporary works in Kathak including renowned dancer-choreographers Aditi Mangaldas of New Delhi and Rina Singha of Toronto, India’s celebrated Kathak couple, Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh performing lead roles in a production by Edmonton’s Usha Gupta, and Toronto’s Deepti Gupta in a joint choreography with New Delhi’s Sushmita Ghosh, Kathak maestro, Rajendra Gangani of New Delhi will dazzle the audience accompanied by the mother-daughter pair of Anjani and Amrapali Ambegaokar of Los Angeles.

Kathak artist Joanna De Souza and Flamenco artist Esmeralda Enrique, both of Toronto, extend the boundaries of their dance styles in a creative collaborative work.

Emerging artists include Souvik Chakraborty of Kolkata, Anjali Patil of Ottawa, and Prashant Shah of Ahmedabad.
During the day, the Kathak style will be explored by a host of international experts including India’s distinguished Kathak dancer-choreographer-teacher, Maya Rao. Other featured speakers include Rajendra Gangani, Rina Singha, Anjani Ambegaokar, Aditi Mangaldas and Sandhya Desai. The involvement of non-Indian dancers in Indian dance will be discussed by a panel consisting of Dr. Gaston, Dr. Erdman, Annette Leday, Joanna De Souza and Dr. Kothari. Maya Rao will give a special talk on Tradition and Modernity and lead a panel discussion on Contemporary Approaches to Traditional Dance.
 

Dr. Joan Erdman of Chicago will give a special tribute to Uday Shankar and talk about his contribution to Indian dance in the last century.

Dr. Sunil Kothari will give the keynote speech of the conference, A Sense of the Century.

Special presentations to Maya Rao and Dr. Kothari will recognize their life time work in Indian dance.