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Greetings From The Artistic Director
From the complete schedule and the ticket pricing chart given in the following pages you will be able to make up your own evening and/or day time passes and take full advantage of the three levels of discount. Please do take note of the Residency in Chhau and Zulu dance and the special Writers’ and Presenters’ workshops. This event has been put together with the help of a large number of individuals. On behalf of all of them I invite you to come and help us celebrate Indian culture through dance. See you there. Sudha Khandwani
A Century of Indian Dance, Part II celebrates the last 100 years of Indian dance and marks the 50th anniversary of Kalanidhi Fine Arts’ inception by Sudha Khandwani in India and the 15th year of its dance presentation in Canada.
In honour of these many anniversaries, we have created a special logo to mark the untiring commitment and dedication of Artistic Director Sudha Khandwani and the pioneering role Kalanidhi Fine Arts of Canada has taken in presenting the contemporary face of Indian Dance while embracing its traditions. We hope you will join in our celebration of dance and participate in the Kalanidhi tradition!
Bharatanatyam
Enjoy the following World-Class Performances of Bharatanatyam
Odissi
Some of the world’s finest Odissi dancers will perform at this year’s Festival including
Kuchipudi The Kuchipudi performances include
Chhau
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It
is my honour to present the 8th Kalanidhi International Dance Festival
and Conference — A Century of Indian Dance, Part II which marks the
completion of an undertaking that was begun in March 2004. Poised at
the beginning of the new century, this two-part festival (2004 and
2006), looks back at the century that has just ended and takes stock
of the multi-faceted development of Indian dance in that very eventful
span of a hundred years. It evokes the sense of that century through
ten evenings of public performances in which over 30 works involving
over 100 artists from 7 different countries will be performed. The day
time conference will discuss wide-ranging issues in history,
aesthetics, choreography, criticism and cross-cultural interactions of
Indian dance. While analyzing the story of revival and revitalization
of several forms of classical Indian dance in the last century, the
conference examines its current evolution in new directions,
particularly as Indian dance has traveled outside India and taken root
in several other countries and cultures. In 2004, Kalanidhi brought
you outstanding performances in Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri,
Mohiniattam and Tagore’s dance dramas. This September, we will focus
on the dance styles of Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi and Chhau. I
am very excited about the excellence and variety of the artists and
dance companies that are performing at the festival and the scholars
who will be speaking at the conference. I believe that you will come
away with a whole new knowledge and appreciation of Indian dance.
Bharatanatyam
originated in the region of Tamil Nadu but has spread world-wide to
become not only the most ancient of classical Indian dance forms but
the best known as well. This year’s festival will offer both an
education and the enjoyment of Bharatanatyam. The History of
Bharatanatyam talk will trace Bharatanatyam from its rise out of
near obsolescence to full status as an art form through the visionary
efforts of many, including Rukmini Devi Arundale whom we shall
pay a special tribute for her fundamental contribution to the
resurrection and development of this art. A talk on Rukmini Devi’s
vision and work will be followed by another talk that will give a wide
ranging account of the alternative visions of other gurus and
practitioners of Bharatanatyam. Also, the pioneering work of
Chandralekha as a contemporary choreographer will be analyzed.
There will be a Lecture-Demonstration on Bharatanatyam
illustrating the basic movements of the dance style and there will be
Bharatanatyam performances ranging from traditional to contemporary.
Other conference events involving Bharatanatyam include an invited
talk given by Dr. Padma Subramaniam on her research into
ancient Bharatanatyam and an invited talk on The Vision of Rukmini
Devi given by Professor C.V. Chandrashekar.
Although
origin of Odissi dance can be traced back to the 2nd century
BC, the classical glory of the dance form was very nearly forgotten,
and it had to be rediscovered around the middle of the last century.
It was revived and revitalized with the help of many, including
Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, to whom the Festival Conference will
pay a special tribute for his outstanding contribution to the revival
process. The History of Odissi talk will present the evidence
of Odissi dance found in Jain caves and in the Natya Shastra, and give
an account of the fascinating process of recreation of the dance form.
There will also be an invited talk and dance demonstration on Gotipuas
(boy dancers) and the temple Maharis and their link to the present-day
Odissi. 
Kuchipudi
dance takes its name from the village of Kuchipudi in Andrah Pradesh,
where it originated. Kuchipudi dance began as devotional enactments to
the life of Lord Krishna that were performed exclusively by men. In
the latter half of the last century, the dance has undergone a revival
as both a solo and dance drama tradition and is now performed on the
modern stage around the world by both men and women. Kuchipudi blends
the sensuousness and fluidity of Odissi with the geometric line of
today’s Bharatanatyam. The 2006 Festival will honour the work of
Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam who created many new dance dramas for
Kuchipudi performers. There will be invited talks on The History of
Kuchipudi and its Development in the Last Century, a
Lecture-Demonstration 
Chhau
is a unique dance form that originated from the martial art from
Bihar, Bengal and Orissa in India. Chhau dance often makes references
to nature and animals, and dancers sometimes wear masks during
performances to depict these references. Heroism is also a popular
theme in Chhau performances and dancers use bows, swords and shields
with great dexterity.