Clarion call for dancers

This is a clarion call to all students of schools, colleges and cultural enthusiasts to participate at no charge in the five-day dance festival Nrithya Bhaaratham. This is being coordinated by me and presented for the first time in Chennai, in order that the traditional purity and technical proficiency of the Indian Classical Dances are understood by younger generations. Attendance and participation certificates will be issued by South Zone Cultural Centre, Government of India.

Keeping in view, the South Zone Cultural Centre’s (Ministry of Culture), Government of India, substantive contributions at the national level in ‘promoting and propagating different art forms,’ South Zone Cultural Centre in association with Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan is organising a comprehensive programme, with three art forms in depth — Bharathanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kuchipudi. The festival  will require showcasing the fundamentals of our dances for five days - ­­Septemer 17, 18, 21, 22 and 23. There will also be workshops, orientations and interactive dialogue and performances at the main and mini halls of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan.

These comprehensive programmes organised with three art forms willhighlight the cultural diversity, as embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of our regional cultural identities and manifold creativity.

Nrithya Bhaaratham will  be inaugurated by former Governor of Orissa Shri M M Rajendran on September 17, 6 pm at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan main hall. This will be followed by training programmes on the fundamentals of Bharathanatyam by senior dancers, Balagurunathan and Gayathri with their students, which would be based on renaissance age of the art revealing basic postures — adavus, abinays and navarasas and so on.

The second day workshop programme will be presented by renowned Mohiniyattam dancer Gopika Varma and her students. This will be focused on understanding Mohiniyattam, the dance of enchantress of the Gods’ Own Country, expressively bringing out the efficacy of abhinaya which is the quintessence of Mohiniyattam, when the basics of nritta, nrithya as explained in natya sastra, hasthalakshna deepika and balaram bharatha, will be brought out to enable to participants to distinguish the Indian classical dance forms.

The workshop on the third day, titled ‘Conglomeration’ will have an interactive session, depicting the theory and practices which will be presented along with senior Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattam artistes.

The fourth day will be dedicated to Padma Bhushan Dr Vempatti Chinna Sathyam with a Kuchipudi workshop and session by Kalaimamani Madhavapeddi Murthy with students.  On the same day, there will be a presentation by Madhavapeddi Murthy as homage to Dr Vempatti Chinna Sathyam.

The final day will have a special programme, Triveni Sangamam – a fusion programme by all the three renowned artistes and students. 

Participants are requested to contact me,  co-ordinator of this dance festival at 09840036543 or [email protected] You can also contact RM Palaniappan, director, South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur at 09444040220 or [email protected]