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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 |
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Please note: Performance
information is subject to change. |
Kalakshetra Troupe
India
www.kalakshetra.net |
PERFORMANCE:
“The Legend of Rukmini Devi”
Bharatanatyam |
About Kalakshetra School
Kalakshetra was started in January 1936 by Smt. Rukmini Devi
Arundale, as a Cultural Academy for preservation of traditional
values in Indian art, especially in the field of dance and music.
It became a centre of excellence due to her dedication and
perseverance. Under her guidance the Institution achieved National
and International recognition for its unique style and perfection.
Over the years it grew in stature and strength. In 1962,
Kalakshetra shifted to its vast new campus in Tiruvanmiyur.
To read more,
click here ... |
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Sutra Dance Theatre
under the Artistic Direction
of Ramli Ibrahim
Malaysia
www.sutradancetheatre.com
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PERFORMANCE:
“Spellbound”
in Odissi
Sutra Dance Theatre |
 Ramli
Ibrahim, recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Artist Award
1999 and the coveted BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award
2003 and most recently, the J.S.M. (Johan Setia Mahkota) 2004 is
Malaysia’s most prominent dancer and choreographer, and is trained
in classical ballet, modern dance and Indian classical dance. He
performed extensively with the Sydney Dance Company throughout
Australia, New York, London, Rome and toured Europe. Acclaimed as
a potent dancer and choreographer himself, Ramli has achieved an
impeccable mastery in Bharata Natyam, Odissi and contemporary
dance. |
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 |
Shanta Rati Misra
India
www.shantarati.com |
PERFORMANCE:
Kuchipudi Solo |
“Shanta Rati Misra, brings to her
dance a pure sense of aesthetics, bolstered by an acute
intelligence. The physical features with which nature endowed her
– a tall, lissome figure, expressive eyes and face contribute to
the effortless beauty and grace of her dancing. Her footwork
impeccable, her abhinaya beguiling and her sense of laya and music
is excellent”.
Born and brought up at Singapore, Shanta has lived in various
cities in the world and is currently based in Mumbai. She is an
exponent of Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi. She has had the
opportunity of being trained under some of the most eminent gurus
of classical Indian dance like Sri Oyur Govinda Pillai, Srimati
Kalanidhi Narayan, Padmabhushan Raja and Radha Reddy, Padmabhushan
Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam.
“In each dance recital, Shanta displays Nritta, Nritya and
Abhinaya with a lyrical magnificence, fluid movements and alluring
grace casting an enduring spell on the audience.” |
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Tribhangi Dance Theatre
Under the Artistic Direction
of Jayesperi Moopen
South Africa |
PERFORMANCE:
Zulu and Bharatanatyam |
“We journey through our art form –
we experiment, we explore and we challenge notions of what Indian
dance is. Our aim is to present work that is intelligible in
content, unique in presentation and challenging in its
experimentation”.
Adrienne Sichel (Dance
Critic, Star Tonight) : “A simple beautiful holistic,
intercultural journey of body and spirit……These are talking feet,
talking drums, talking souls. Beautiful South African bodies
steeped in different cultural heritages and rhythms converge……It’s
not quite African, not quite Indian, it’s intriguingly
bi-cultural. It’s more than communication between diverging
energies in the formal sense."
Marilyn Jenkins (Dance Critic, the Citizen) :
“A blend of the Bharatha Natyam form and elements of traditional
African dance – showing imaginative fusion which is totally
sensitive to both dance cultures.” |
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Menaka Thakkar Dance Company
Canada
www.menakathakkardance.org |
PERFORMANCE
Chitra – Warrior Princess
Bharatanatyam and Odissi |
Chitra – Warrior Princess -
Canada’s premiere dance company pays tribute to Kalanidhi
Festival’s Artistic Director Sudha Khandwani in this
feminist retelling of an episode from the Mahabharata inspired by
a play by Rabindranath Tagore.
To read more,
click here ...
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Sunday, September 24 |
Nova Bhattacharya
Canada |
PERFORMANCE
“Cleave”
Bharatanatyam Contemporary |
Nova Bhattacharya’s
choreography is a reflection of her classical training and
present-day aesthetic, her work is formally rigorous and masterful
in a way that goes beyond pure movement. Close partnerships with
music creators and performers have been integral to her work, and
her ongoing collaboration with composer Ed Hanley has produced
several outstanding works, notably Mazkura (2000) and Metamorphine
(2002). Her 2005 solo, made possible with the support of the
Ontario Arts Council’s Chalmers Arts Fellowship, will premiere at
the Kalanidhi Festival. Cleave is a solo of rhythmic and gestural
complexity that bristles with razor precision and emotional
intensity. |
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Priyadarshini Govind
India
http://artindia.net/priya |
PERFORMANCE
in Bharatanatyam |
Since her arangetram in '74 from
the Mylapore Fine Arts Club in Madras, Priyadarshini Govind
has performed in all the major centers in India. She has also
traveled extensively in Europe, North America, South Africa and
Asia on concert tours. She is a dancer who revels in the
traditionalism of the artistic heritage of Bharatanatyam, with a
faithful observance of its form and content, all the while adding
an extra dimension to her presentation. There is a somewhat
intangible quality to her performance that originates from the
very core of her being and it is this intensity is what sets her
apart from other dancers. |
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Mavin Khoo with Ann De Vos
England |
“Devi: The Female Principle"
Bharatanatyam and Ballet |
Devi: The Female
Principle is a 50 minute duet that was created for Malaysian
born Mavin Khoo and ballerina Ann De Vos - Royal Ballet and Ballet
Gulbenkian, the work is a celebration of the female form. In
Hinduism, the Goddess Absolute is personified as Devi, the counter
balance of the male principle. One cannot exist without the other.
She is the embodiment of creative energy. To read more,
click here ... |
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Tuesday, September 26 |
Vedantam Venkata Naga Chalapathi
& Ravi Mony
India and Canada |
PERFORMANCE
in Kuchipudi
Satyabhama Kalapam |
India’s Vedantam Venkata Naga
Chalapathi and Canada’s Ravi Mony will perform an
excerpt from the classic Satyabhama Kalapam in Kuchipudi. To read more,
click here ... |
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Kumkum Mohanty
India |
PERFORMANCE
In ODISSI
“The History of Odissi
and Its Development in
the Last Century”- Talk |
Among the distinguised senior
dancers of the Odissi style, Shrimati Kumkum Mohanty
received her training in Odissi dance at Kala Vikash Kendra under
the tutelage of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She is also trained in
Odissi. Early in life, she was acclaimed as an outstanding dancer
and won appreciation among the connoisseurs. She has excelled in
her sensitive renderings of Asthapadis from the Gita Govinda and
taken lead roles in several choreographic works by her guru. She
has also participated in major festivals in the country and
abroad. In the mid-1980s, when the Odissi Research Centre was
established by the Government of Orissa, Shrimati Mohanty was
appointed its Chief Executive. In that capacity she has worked
with several masters of Odissi dance and music carrying out
significant work in the documentation and dissemination of the
tradition. She also has several dance compositions to her credit.
Shrimati Mohanty is Special Secretary ( Culture) to the Government
of Orissa. Her contricution to Odissi was acknowledged with the
Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, bestowed on her 1993. Shrimati
Kumkum Mohanty received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her
contributions to Odissi dance in 1994. |
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Dr. Alakananda Nath
Canada |
PERFORMANCE
“Laya Chitra”
in Bharatanatyam |
Pankaja composed
by the great maestro Mridangam Karaikuddi Mani, and dance
choreographed by Dr. Alakananda - manifests the grandeur and power
of rhythm to pervade the whole world and evoke joy to one and all.
It is presented through rhythmic poetry and dance movements.
Dr. Alakananda Nath is an artist with
unique combination of Bharatanatyam, Carnatic vocal music and
Sanskrit literature. With several academic distinctions in music
and dance to her credit, Dr. Alakananda has served as an
accomplished artist as well as a teacher for more than twenty
years. Her research work on “The Aesthetic Experience and the
Performing Artist” (sources from Sanskrit texts) earned her a
PhD from Bombay University. Her impeccable dance training was
received at the famed Kalakshetra, Chennai, during the period of
Padmavibhushan Mrs. Rukmini Arundale.
Her music training was under Guru Padmabushana M.D Ramanathan and
Guru Nagamani Srinath. Dr. Alakananda has performed in various
prestigious cultural festivals and organizations. She has
choreographed, directed and presented many dance dramas such as
Temple Bells, Keregehara, Amruthamanthana, Savitri, Sri Krishna
Namvali, Adi Guru Shankaracharya, Tyagaraja Ramayana,
Gangavatarana, Madhavi, Daasavani, Nrityangana, Sculptures Come
Alive, Tyagaraja Pancharathna, Shivanai Kanda Nandanar and
Narayaneeyam. To Dr. Nath has composed music as well as lyrics in
Sanskrit for dance dramas, padavarnams, keertanas, slokas and
tillanas. She has presented papers in conferences and given
lecture demonstrations in prominent universities. She was a
lecturer in Bharatanatyam in Mysore University College of Fine
Arts and the head of Bharatiya Kala Mandir Mumbai.
She currently heads Sri Laasya Kalakendra, an
institute that imparts Carnatic vocal music and dance. Bharati
Kala Manram Canada presented her the award for “Indian Fine Arts
and Culture Promotion in Canada”. Her performances have been well
appreciated in India, Canada and the United States of America. |
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Wednesday, September 27 |
Janak Khendry Dance Company
Canada
www.jkdanceco.org |
“Gayatri” |
An internationally renowned
classical dancer and choreographer, Janak Khendry has
trained extensively in three distinct dance styles of India –
Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Manipuri – under the most important
teachers of the twentieth century. His Kathak training was under
Pandit Mahadev Kathak for six years and Manipuri under Mrs. Aruna
Gandhi for two years. To read more,
click here ... |
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Ileana Citaristi
India |
PERFORMANCE
Duet in Chhau |
Italian by birth, Ileana
Citaristi holds a Doctorate in Philosophy with a thesis on
'Psychoanalysis and eastern mythology'. She has come to Indian
dance after years of experience in the traditional as well as
experimental theatre in Europe.
To read more,
click here ... |
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An Evening of Kuchipudi Dance
U.S.A. |
PERFORMANCE
Process Revealed with Anuradha Nehru,
Kamala Reddy, Revathi Komanduri,
and Sasikala Penumarthi |
As a performer, teacher, and
choreographer, Anuradha Nehru wishes to share her
extraordinary joy in dance, striving for new and effective ways to
communicate the beauty of Kuchipudi to diverse audiences through
new, vibrant, and creative choreography. Her critically acclaimed
performances in India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the US
have distinguished her as one of the leading Kuchipudi soloists in
the world.
To read more,
click here ... |
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Thursday, September 28 |
InDance,
Hari Krishnan, Artistic Director
Canada
www.indance.ca |
PERFORMANCE
Bharatanatyam |
inDANCE is a Toronto-based
South Asian dance company established in 1999 as a vehicle to
encompass the entire range of artistic director Hari Krishnan's
creative output: choreography, performance, touring, and teaching.
The primary mandate of inDANCE is to form creative partnerships
with Canadian and international collaborators, including
choreographers, dancers, musicians, designers, scholars and
presenters.
To read more,
click here ... |
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Ileana Citaristi
India |
PERFORMANCE
Solo in CHHAU |
Italian by birth, Ileana
Citaristi holds a Doctorate in Philosophy with a thesis on
'Psychoanalysis and eastern mythology'. She has come to Indian
dance after years of experience in the traditional as well as
experimental theatre in Europe. To read more,
click here ... |
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Sujata Mohapatra
India |
PERFORMANCE
in Odissi |
Sujata Mohapatra has
been dancing since early childhood and has mastered the Odissi
style of Indian Classical dance. She is devoted, talented and the
aspiring disciple and daughter-in-law of the legendary Guru
Kelucharan Mohapatra. An artistic environment and encouragement
from her parents made Sujata interested in dance. She has
completed more than eighteen years training under the guidance of
her Guru. At present she is continuing her dancing career under
the able tutelage of her husband Guru Ratikant Mohapatra.
Amongst the present generation she has established herself as a
dancer of repute, having imbibed the techniques and subtle
proportions of the Odissi form. She has performed extensively in
all of the major cities of India. She has also performed outside
the country as a part of Srjan (Odissi Nrityabasa) repertoire
group and a soloist. Her work has been acknowledged with the
prestigious Pandit Jasraj Award, Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi Award and
Mahari Award. |
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Friday, September 29 |
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Sinha Dance Company
with Roger Sinha and Natasha Bakht
Canada |
PERFORMANCE
“Loha” |
Loha is a duet
danced by Roger Sinha and Natasha Bakht which premiered at the
Canada Dance Festival 2000 in Ottawa. Loha brings us through a
journey of storm and peacefulness, as a metaphor of this metal
which is as flexible as it is resistant. The costumes, the
lighting and the music composed and played live by Ganesh Anandan
and Rainer Wiens are united to create a coherent and intimate
ambiance showing a magical chemistry between the dancers, the
musicians and the public. To read more,
click here ... |
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Pasumarthi
Venkateswara Sarma & Usha Kala Niketan
India & Canada
www.kuchipudinatya.com
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PERFORMANCE
In Kuchipudi,
“Mohini Bhasmasura” |
Sri Pasumarthi Venkateswara
Sarma, is well known in Andhra Pradesh and parts of India as
an Artist, a Teacher, and as a Choreographer. As an artist, his
maiden performance was performed in Kuchipudi under the aegis of
Sri P.V.G.Krishna Sarma in the dance ballet Parvathi Parinayam
conducted by Siddendra Kalakshetram in the year 1977. In the
Kuchipudi tradition of Dance there are three kinds of
performances, namely Solo Performance, Yakshgana and Nritya Natika
and he has performed in all of them.
To read more,
click here ... |
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Sandya Purecha
India |
PERFORMANCE
Abinaya Darpana
Bharatanatyam repertoire |
DR SANDHYA PURECHA carried
on her higher studies from Bombay University, particularly Wilson
College, Mumbai. In 1986, she stood second in BA from Bombay
University with distinction in Sanskrit, and won five prizes. In
1988, she completed her M A with distinction from Bombay
University in Sanskrit in Alamkar Shastra as her principle
subject. Thereafter she secured LL B Degree in the year 1994. In
the year 2001, she was awarded PhD degree by the Kalidas Sanskrit
University, Ramtek, Nagpur. She was also awarded the best child
actress award by the Govt of Maharashtra in the year 1978. The
Govt of India conferred on her National Fellowship for the year
1998-2000 for research on Natyashastra. She has earned a solid
reputation for her performances on the National and International
stage. Dr Sandhya Purecha’s in depth research is ably reflected in
her scholarly treatise Theory & Practice of Angikabhinaya in
Bharata Natyam. Her knowledge of almost all important Indian texts
on dance & music is evident in this book and it is considered a
great asset as a reference book on Indian Classical Dancing. |
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Saturday, September 30
3:00–5:00 pm |
Chaturanga
Japan |
PERFORMANCE
in BHARATANATYAM |
Chaturanga
Chaturanga, a Baratanatyam dancing
unit was organized in the year of 2002 with four Japanese students
of Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar (Maki Fukuda, Satoshi Tatsumi, Sachie
Tatsumi and Yoko Matsushita). They invited their Guru and his wife
Jaya Chandrasekhar to Japan, accompanied with musicians, N.V.
Balakrishnan (mridangam), B.Muthukumar (flute) and Sarayu
Srinivasan (vocal). They had performed together in 6 cities in
Japan, including Ikaruga, Aoyama, Gifu, Takatsuki and Izumi.
To read more,
click here ... |
 
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Tribhangi Dance Theatre
Under the Artistic Direction
of Jayesperi Moopen,
South Africa |
PERFORMANCE
Zulu and Bharatanatyam |
“We journey through our art form –
we experiment, we explore and we challenge notions of what Indian
dance is. Our aim is to present work that is intelligible in
content, unique in presentation and challenging in its
experimentation”.
Adrienne Sichel (Dance
Critic, Star Tonight) : “A simple beautiful holistic,
intercultural journey of body and spirit……These are talking feet,
talking drums, talking souls. Beautiful South African bodies
steeped in different cultural heritages and rhythms converge……It’s
not quite African, not quite Indian, it’s intriguingly
bi-cultural. It’s more than communication between diverging
energies in the formal sense.”
Marilyn Jenkins (Dance Critic, the Citizen) :
“A blend of the Bharatha Natyam form and elements of traditional
African dance – showing imaginative fusion which is totally
sensitive to both dance cultures.” |
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Saturday, September 30
7:30–10:30 pm |
Cleveland Cultural Alliance
choreographed by V.P. and
Shanta Dhananjayan |
PERFORMANCE
Ekaantha Seetha – A Lonely Furrow
in Bharatanatyam |
V.P. and Shanta Dhananjayan
- It is almost impossible to think of a couple who have
contributed as much to Indian classical dance - as performers,
teachers, choreographers and champions - as the Dhananjayans. From
their start as leading student-performers in the legendary
mythological productions of Kalakshetra almost five decades
ago, to their establishment of two excellent institutions, Bharata
Kalanjali in Chennai and Bhaaskara in Kerala, of their own, they
have indeed been an extremely hard act to follow. These
institutions train some of the best professionals in classical
dance and music for dance. Audiences around the world,
particularly in North America, have been enthralled by many of
their wonderful productions- Sita Rama Katha, Sanghamitra
Mahabharatam, the multi cultural productions, Jungle Book - The
Adventures of Mowgli and The Twain Shall Meet, being among the
best known.
The Cleveland Cultural Alliance has
worked in close collaboration with the Dhananjayans since it was
founded in 1991. It is most fitting that in celebrating CCA's
fifteenth year, they will once again play crucial roles as both
choreographers and performers in its 2006 production, Ekaantha
Seetha.
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Sunday, October 1 |
An Evening of Kuchipudi Dance
U.S.A. |
PERFORMANCE
Krishna Parijatham with Anuradha Nehru,
Kamala Reddy, Revathi Komanduri,
and Sasikala Penumarthi in Kuchipudi |
As a performer, teacher, and
choreographer, Anuradha Nehru wishes to share her
extraordinary joy in dance, striving for new and effective ways to
communicate the beauty of Kuchipudi to diverse audiences through
new, vibrant, and creative choreography. Her critically acclaimed
performances in India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the US
have distinguished her as one of the leading Kuchipudi soloists in
the world.
To read more,
click here ... |
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Orissa Dance Academy
Gangadhar Pradhan
India |
PERFORMANCE
Orissa Dance Academy
Odissa |
Gangadhar Pradhan’s
training began at the age of six at Balunkeswar temple in Puri
District, Orissa to mature as a gotpua dancer. He was trained by
Guru Banchhanidhi Pradhan, Pt. Chandra Shekhar Pattnaik, Guru
Mahadeva Rout and Guru Birabara Sahoo. He completed his Natya
Acharya course in Odissi from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyala
He received further training in Odissi under the
able guidance of Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Devprasad Das, Dr.
Minati Mishra and Shri Dhirendra Nath Pattnaik.
He mastered the delicate nuances and the
subtleties of Odissi dance from none other than Padma Bubhusan
Kelucharan Mohapatra.
Guru Pradhan received intensive training in
Mardala under the tutelage of the legendary maestro Singhari
Shyama Sundar Kar and Guru Banamali Maharana.
After his brief stint in Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and Odissi
ResearchCentre, Bhubaneswar, he has been training hundreds of
students across the globe.
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan has traveled widely to all corners of the
world and is the founder of Orissa Dance Academy and Konark Natya
Mandap.
A recipient of State Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1993 and the Central
Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1998 “humbleness” has been the key to his
success. |
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