Abhinava Dance Company

ABHINAVA DANCE COMPANY

Crafting Inspired Dancing

Born in 1994, ‘Abhinava’ came into being with a passionate vision to make traditional Indian dance more accessible to audiences in India and across the world. Over many inspired years, ‘Abhinava’ evolved under the creative leadership of the renowned dancing couple, Nirupama and Rajendra and metamorphosed into Abhinava Dance Company.


Obox Signature Series

DANCE INDIA 2010 - UK | PART 01

Great week with passionate dancers & more passionate organizers :

Last week we were in Manchester invited by MILAP FEST to be the tutors at Dance India.
It was one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL experiences in our lives.
MILAPFEST headed by Dr.Prashanth Nayak brings the finest in Arts to the UK through performances of world class artists, workshops,provides,fellowships for the aspirants & treats the art enthusiasts in the most beautiful way.
We are so fortunate to be associated with MILAP for 5 years now.
They have organized fantastic tours of us & our ADC.
Their vision is noble yet RICH. They are humble & yet spectacular.
Over the years they have built an EXCELLENT TEAM of high efficiency.
To top it all ,they are very kind,warm people who treat artists with love & respect.
A rare combination indeed !
Fortunate are the ones who associate with MILAP :)
Anyways …
DANCE INDIA:
Was the dream of 105 students from 15 countries hungry to learn !
Students of various origin ,nationalities ,ages all totally enthusiastic & ready to explore rather explode with the passion for dance.
Oh What a time ! O god ,it was soooooooooo beautiful to be with all the enthusistic people filled with madness for Arts.
It was so wonderful to be amidst people of eminence like Kummiben,Leela Samson,Madhavi Mudgal.
Then our dear colleagues & friends Priya Govind , Sheejit Parvathy Vijayanthi & Pratheeksha,Samyuktha & Arushi Mudgal.
We were all eating breathing walking talking & living dance together.
What an honor!
The time table was filled with activities beginning with warm ups for 75 mins , then intensive dancing for 5 hours plus one hour of self practise time, lec dems on topics like lighting,make up, abhinaya, Hastas etc & the evenings featured 90 minute performance by the tutors.
VENUE: Manchester – UK
We were placed in a Hotel ( Holiday INN EXpress) which was at the bed of this beautiful water front & on the other side was the LOWRY studio. we used to walk by the side of this river that had White Swans & ducks swimming around. Connecting the two places was a beautiful pathway of gorgeous trees. With cool breeze & lil showers here & there we used to walk …sing along to the dance venue :)
This was SOME venue with 3 professional theatres & 7 studios…best part of that one of the walls of the dance studio would be of glass & you lookout & it you see the soothing river flow :)
OPENING:
The event opened with a nice ceremony in the morning in one of the studios & all students got to see their mentors ,enjoyed the lighting of the lamp, the opening address by Vyjayanthi kashi began very well with pointers to the dance tradition , the Guru shishya Parampara & art itself but got stretched too long to the purpose of opening address & at times went into dramatic outburst of emotions which was totally unexpected & even a bit uncomfortable.
Then came Nahid Siddiqui , a dancer of utmost grace ,someone who is always drunk on dance originally from Pakisthan but still searching for a home as her motherland threw her out just because of she was a dancer.
She shared with all ,her triumphs of being in a community that got her to sign a bond that she would never dance in her life anywhere & how while signing it she said to herself ” NOW I WILL DANCE EVERY WHERE & ALL MY LIFE” ...everybody clapped & laughed. Sweetly & lightly she had brought to the attention of all WHAT PASSION REALLY MEANS TO TRUE ARTISTS.
On our keen request Nahidji danced,well she moved just a little & did a salaami & revealed her passion in action.
While the whole studio cheered & clapped i quietly wiped my tears.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
We had about 20 students in our group while Kummiben had 16 & the Bahrathanatyam had a big number like 25 – 27 etc.
The intensive sessions were going really well.
We had beautiful students from UK & even from South Africa.

One boy who was a street dancer by profession seemed to have loved the abhinaya part which involved singing, using mudras & facial expressions. Everybody loved the energy ( thats what they said)
In one of the warm up sessions ,we had the great fortune to share with the 105 students ,the Natya Shastra Vocabularies incorporating the Vyayamas & Charis  It was soooooooo beautiful to see them all move,they were all highly excited as these movements gave them a completely different experience. Must say some of the students were brilliant in the moves.
One boy who has been dancing since the age of 4 or 5 , a versatile dancer who has explored odissi bharathanatyam & even Kathak dancer said that he felt the Natya Shastra movements gave him SUCH A GREAT FEEL that all his previous experiences seemed incomplete. I was taken aback !  Wah Bharatha ! Wah Dr.Padma …Wah my Guru Sundari akka !

Every evening, there were performances by the tutors specially for the students. The performances of Leela ji & Madhaviji topped the charts.Sanjuktha & Akash rocked in Kummiben’s latest Choreography.
Priya’s abhinaya was awesome & our performance ofcourse felt very good for, we were sharing lots of love & we wanted to ROCK the students :) the response is that they loved the combi of Tradition & the Modern.
One of them said they thought we two – Rajendra & I looked hot ! (whatever that means ….)
Well….we enjoyed dancing for the students & felt good as we were able to infected them with some Josh !
FOOD :
Special mention to be made of the LUNCH …sluuuuuuurp !!!
We had a special tutor’s table ( ahem) & there were varieties of healthy veggie soups,5-6 diff types of Sandwiches & a GREAT salad….yummy cakes , yougurts & fruits were for desserts….we loved the rich & creamy ones :)
While we were enjoying that the thought of going back to Rice Sambhar & rasam for every afternoon kind of depressed.
Dinner was at 6 pm..( earliest we ve eaten in our lives) with good Indian Meal.That was good too.
Oh ..theres so much more to say …in the next one …
hey all, look out for some dancy gossips :)
Till then …have fun…eat well…& have great energy :)

 

VIDEO | Participants of dance India speak on the teaching sessions & performance of Nirupama & Rajendra

 

SLIDE SHOW | Photos from teaching sessions Nirupama & Rajendra @ DANCE INDIA 2010

Rama Katha Vismaya

Dance Camp !

Exciting News for Dance Students !
DANCE-INDIA, The International Dance Summer School conceived and created by Milapfest - a UK based Art organisation is happening from 
August 15th - August 22nd 2010 at The Lowry Studio -Manchester -UK.
The one week residential Summer Dance School offers an extraordinary experience of learning and interacting with legendary gurus and some of the finest teachers and performers of Indian classical dance. The training is offered in four Indian classical dance styles: Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi ,Kathak and Odissi.
for more information click on : http://www.danceindia.org.uk.
We are happy to say that we have been invited by MILAP to teach Kathak at this Camp :) 

Bravo !

Bravo ! 

Sharing the lines we loved the most about the review in " THE HINDU " Chennai.
" The band of young dancers had so much poise & grace,they were like young stars. 
The group synchronized perfectly to close on a high and thats when the standing ovation happened! " 
Bravo !  ADC dancers Mridula, Sowmya, Rohini, Neha,Ragini ,Priyanka , Srividya & Divya who performed marvelously at Chennai Sri Krishna gana sabha on 1st July 2010 & rocked the Chennai Art lovers & Connoisseurs.
 - Nirupama & Rajendra

A Genius Rasika

A Genius / Rasika  ! 

To enjoy the bliss of Art ,a true artist is supposed to involve to an extent where he/she dissolves the individual identity. Same applies to a sahrudaya rasika ( audience).
I have always wondered if it was possible for connoisseurs,critics & geniuses specially when they are so filled with knowledge (which actually gives them that identity)
But it seems that if they truly understand the POWER of Art & have a magnanimous heart , they can feel it too.
This was proved by the great genius BMK sir ( Dr.Bala Murali Krishna) who was in the audience last night in our performance at Vivekananda Yoga Kendra Jigani.
He said  “I forgot the names of these ( pointing at us) I forgot my name or where I was but all I saw was Krishna & the Gopis...This is the POWER OF ART ! "
We surrendered to him for two reasons ,one is that because of him ,our dream of sharing our love in front of great masters was realized & the other ,that we saw a A REAL LIVING LEGEND - GENIUS WITH A MAGNANIMOUS HEART ! 

Niru Raju 
June 28th 2010 

Qualities of a Dancer

Our ancient scriptures provide us with much inputs about various aspects of dance/dancer & we thought of sharing a brief note along with what we think would probably work.

Ten Essential qualities according to the ancient scripture Abhinaya Darpana  :

Patra Prana Dasha Smrutaha - The ten essentials of the dancer to be noted : 
Javaha (Agility), Sthirathvam (Steadiness), Rekha (graceful lines), Bhramari(balance in pirouettes), Drishti (glance), Shramaha (hard work), Medha (intelligence), Shraddha(devotion),Vacho (good speech), and Geetam (singing ability).

Ten additional qualities necessary for a present day student according to Nirupama & Rajendra : 

Love for dance, humility,commitment for learning, punctuality, honesty,awareness of this as a valuable knowledge,honor class discipline,explore the inner energies, incessant efforts towards bringing excellence & above all , faith in art that it will help them connect with their True-Perfect-Brilliant Self :) 

Jai ho to all dance students!  

Kathak Sandhya

ABHINAVA ARTS CENTRE  BANGALORE

(www.abhinavadancecompany.com) 

Presents 
 

“KATHAK SANDHYA” 

A Solo Kathak Dance Debut 

By 

NEHA SESHADRINATH

[Disciple of Smt. Nirupama Rajendra & Sri T D Rajendra ] 

On Saturday, the 8th May, 2010 at 06:30 p.m. 

                     

Rare Review - April 12 2010

We are pleased to Share with you a review of our performance that happened last month at Kerala.
Interestingly, we have not met this reviewer & or even spoken to her about our pieces & yet she has managed to give such a vivid description of the sequences.

A rapturous rendering of Kathak 
- Padma Jayaraj, Thrissur 
e-mail: padmajayaraj@gmail.com

April 12, 2010 

Nirupama and Rajendra, the dancing couple, are soul mates born to dance, destined to carry dance beyond the bounds of tradition creating new aesthetics using innovative techniques and technology. Their rapturous rendering of Kathak dance during International Dance Festival conducted by Lasya Academy, Thrissur, generated pure joy for the audience.

The evolution of Kathak, from its original Harikatha in the temple underwent changes to become a court dance in the Mughal period. Now it has expanded itself in such a way to incorporate global themes in universal dimensions. The dancing couple has enhanced the form by accepting outside influences both in music and dance vocabulary. It is very difficult to pinpoint where the traditional deviates to give place to something new. The fusion is complementary just as the dancers complement each other in an aesthetic mode. The evening was a show of both traditional as well as the neo traditional, a dance style created by the couple in their Abhinava Dance Company. The performance began with a scintillating item of pure dance in traditional Kathak to the accompaniment of pure music that flowed from the CD. The stage setting and lighting created the perfect ambience exploiting state-of-the art-technology. The North Indian classical dance, characterized by its rhythmic footwork, spectacular spins, elegant swirls, quick pirouettes, and sudden poses mesmerized the audience.

The second piece was Sringara Rama, a traditional duet inspired by Tulasidas’ Ramayana. An unusual presentation with a dream sequence brought charm to innocent young love. A dramatic moment, the first encounter of Rama and Seetha, the first flush of love and an ensuing dream sequence is a composition dedicated to tender love. Young Rama wanders, charmed by the beauty of nature, a great prelude to the entry of Seetha. One of her companions, strolling on their way to the Spring festival, is bowled over by the handsome young princes, Rama and his brother. Such wonder is simply contagious that Seetha herself comes to peep. For a magical moment, the eye contact makes them forgetful of reality. Lost in the strange chemistry of attraction, they fly on the viewless wings of fantasy. Love is born in its first flush…Rama, Purushothama is synonymous with dignity, but by then the spell is cast. They are aware of the reality around. What could have degenerated into a filmy version of a great story becomes a superb dramatic moment in the hands of great artists. The gliding movements used to present the dream was enchanting. So was music by Praveen Rao

The Meera-Madhav piece also was marked by the stamp of the unusual. The item begins with Meera enveloped in Krishna’s protective love, asleep on his lap. Like a mother cradling her baby, Meera lives drunk in the vision of Krishna ever since her childhood. And Krishna is ever present sheltering, helping, directing every movement in her life.  Krishna stands vigil over her. Meera speaks to the idol in front, but gets confused by the vision nearby. When Meera tries to pluck flowers to make a garland for her beloved idol, Krishna showers flowers by shaking the tree. The dignified communion between the mortal and the immortal is very different from that of Radha-Krishna. Yet Meera lives enveloped in Krishna’s love and tenderness. A slow rendering in classic Kathak style to the music of Praveen Rao, it was a beautiful composition.

Nigaah in neo traditional style was another beautiful piece of pure dance. Nigaah, a   vision of love, merges into Nigaah the vision of peace, shanthi, peace beyond understanding. What begins with love between two, transcends the human to encompass the whole world. The doves set free to rise above everything, helps to create a universal hankering for peace. The message is that harmony is peace. And it ends with a prayer to God to remove all ills and fill the void with love and peace. Music is Indian, tempered with Spanish and jazz to give a world dimension, a fitting concluding piece.

The audience sat through the short duration wanting more of its magic and thrill. For perfection, a live rhythmic dialogue between the dance and music should have been there. But alas, many things are dear and costly.


Padma Jayaraj is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to www.narthaki.com

 

What an Interrogation !

What an Interrogation ! 
We are happy to share an interesting conversation with all of you.
A very curious police officer talks to a highly confident convict :)

Shathavadhani Dr.Ganesh was speaking to Padmabhushan Smt.Kumudini lakhia who was in Bangalore recently.

1. What do you think of younger generation going to several Gurus ?
 Guru can only be ONE...there can be several teachers.

2.What is the difference ?
Guru imparts ART shares LIFE while a teacher teaches CRAFT
So Guru can only be that ONE , that one who brings a change in the life of the student, all others teach only technique so they are craftsmen.

3.Who would be a real Guru ?
 A true Guru is the one who allows the students to get better than the Guru,i am very happy because my students are better than me ( & she named few)

4. How does one go about to get better , to attain excellence in Arts, to gain mastery ...suggestions please...
Through the five senses, to be able to see ,to smell,to touch...to feel...etc.

5.How does that affect?
It is important to know, observe & feel the world, for example there are different fragrances for different seasons...Summer is full of Jasmine flowers,Rain causes a typical smell of Earth & that experience create s an impression in the dancer's mind & body.The sense of touch is also very important ,to know the textures...
I have studied Architecture & Agriculture to better my dance....

6.How does Agriculture help ?
Since we stamp the Earth it is important to know the energy of Earth how that Energy comes out & flows into our being, to the naval from which springs all the other movements...so i wanted to feel the Earth's Energy....

7.What is Classical & What is contemporary?
Anything that is in the Lakshmanrekha of the Da Vinci's circle remains as classical for dance & anything outside that which breaks that circle becomes contemporary ...& that which lasts become classical & that which fades away is contemporary.

8. There are three important elements the Natya Shastra mentions to be able to know Art, 1.Vedas,2.Loka & 3.Adhyathma
Knowledge , Observation & individual spirit...the artists connection with the art.. Your Views ?
Yes,observation of life is most important & about the spiritual connection, to me every artist, unless they have a relationship with their art ,their work can never be deep .It is very important that there is honesty & integrity.
People should realise their relationship with Art.

9.How should one pursue the art? will an artist not fall prey to making name, fame ,money,success ,popularity & all.....how does one find the correct path....
Again it is about what kind of relationship one has with arts...

10.Can you explain more...
See, its like this, when you are a parent...you give give & give at one point ( when you get older) you want to take take & take.Just like that in art people wish to take back ..at this point one should realize that one should NOT have any expectations...exactly like how you bring up children & do a lot for the children...you did all that because you wanted to do...you cannot say later i did this i did that & now you you have to do this & that...
You should not have any expectations form the child just like that in Art if one is giving without expectation, then it works.

Raju & I feel truly blessed to be living in the times of these great masters :)
Enjoy ! 

Nritya Sangam

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010. Chowdaiah Memorial Hall | Bangalore A dance festival by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and the Academy of Music. Dance performance by Nirupama & Rajendra

                             

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