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Where the Artist Disappears, the Art Lives On - Dr. Sunanda Nair

W hat does a five-decade sadhana give to a practitioner? The sadhaka disappears, and the art speaks through the artist. What Dr. Sunanda Nair gave at Rose Theatre Brampton was a riveting 30–40 minutes of performance. The program, held on November 17, was part of the Umang Festival – Light of Hope, organized and curated by Mrudanga by Enakshi Sinha from Canada, supported by the Department of Heritage Canada and the Ontario Arts Council (OCAF). Sunanda Nair brought 'Adharam Madhuram' and 'Kubja' to the stage. When the artist speaks about what she is bringing to the stage, it feels better than an emcee reading it out. It is the emotions of the artist about the item, in their own voice, that come out, thereby giving life to the item even before it starts. Adharam Madhuram began by beautifully expressing Krishna's sweetness, slowly transporting us to the details. When he came to conso...

Pristine purity with traditional hues - Dr. Bombay Jayashri at Margazhi

S he came she sang she conquered. Bombay Jayashri performed scintillating concert at Music Academy today prime slot. For 150 minutes several ragas ( Carnatic music does not have concept of Ragini ) wafted. Thodi, the central piece, descended from Heaven and embraced in its aura the entire audience of 1500 passionate music lovers. After a soul stirring Alap,she chose Shyama Sastri Swami’s masterpiece Ninne Namminanu Sada for her characteristic treatment. The music was sublime and emphasis was pristine purity with traditional hues. Acute poverty of expressions come in the way of describing her concert in words. Heard melodies are sweet but the reverberations are sweeter because of the joy of recollections in tranquility. Today’s fulfilment of a dream for me reminded me of a place in Scotland which I visited last year where Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy were said to have stayed for some time . The poet wrote The Solitary Reaper in 1815 at that place and I q...

A New Dawn for Mohiniyattam : Smt. Pallavi Krishnan's Lasya Akademi to Open in Kolkata

M ohiniyattam enthusiasts in Kolkata have reason to celebrate as renowned dancer and choreographer Pallavi Krishnan is set to inaugurate the Lasya Akademi of Mohiniyattam in her hometown. This new institution promises to be a beacon for the art form, offering a platform for dance lovers to immerse themselves in the nuances of this classical dance. With Pallavi's dedication to preserving the traditions of Mohiniyattam while bringing in new ideas, this academy is set to become an important cultural center in the city. Pallavi Krishnan is a celebrated Mohiniyattam performer, choreographer, and teacher with a career marked by artistic excellence and global impact. Trained under eminent gurus at Kerala Kalamandalam and Santiniketan, she has mastered the delicate balance of tradition and innovation, making her performances both deeply rooted and uniquely expressive. Her dedication to the art form has earned her numerous accolades...

SPIC MACAY 'Kumbh' - A plethora of Indian classical music and dance

W e all know the 'Kumbh' or 'Kumbha' Mela (Fair) to be one of the largest human congregations in the world. This 50 day festival is a pilgrimage of faith where people gather to bathe in the sacred river, Ganges. Traditionally, the ArdhKumbh (which is now celebrated as Kumbh) is held once in every six years at different locations (Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain) depending on Hindu astrological positions. This year, the Kumbh is being celebrated from 15th January - 4th March 2019 at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. SPICMACAY has come together with Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Dept. of Culture, U.P., District Administration, Mela Administration and got the opportunity to be a part of the Kumbh Mela 2019 Anahad Naad 'The Unheard Sound' and celebrate the richness and diversity of our Indian heritage. In this regard, SPICMACAY has invited students from different states to participate in the majestic SPICMACAY Kumbh Mela 2019 to be hel...

Nrtya Techniques in Mohiniyattam; book released

R enowned 'Mizhavu' artist and Guru - Padmashri P.K. Narayanan Nambiar released a book ( Malayalam ) - 'Nrthya Sankethangal Mohiniyattathil' written by Dr. Geetha Sivakumar at Palakkad, Keralam. Over the years, different 'Baanis' or 'Traditions' had contributed a lot in the nourishment of Mohiniyattam. This book -'Nrtya Sankethangal Mohiniyattathil' focuses on 'Kalamandalam baani'. ”Mohiniyattam, a lyrical dance form of Kerala, has a well structured 'prayoga' style in Kerala Kalamandalam Kalaries. This book tends to analyse the techniques of Mohiniyattam adopted by Kerala Kalamandalam so as to consider it as a Lasya Nrtya form. The queries on the techniques of nrtya such as what, why, where, when are the basic thought of this study. It is analysed on the basis of Sanskrit texts, which give us more scientific explanations and principles. ...

!da Dance Fest 2019 at God's Own Country - Third edition

T hird edition of ida dance fest was organized on 14th and 15th December 2019 at 'The Land of Lords and Looms' -Kannur, Kerala, a region famous for the Theyyams and Handlooms. On the first day, Kathak by Richa Guptha, Bharathanatyam by RLV Anand, Harinie Jeevitha & Bhairavi Venkatesan, Kuchipudi by Ruchi Krishna and Aavani Rakesh were presented. An item that depicted the story of Lord Ayyappa in Ragamalika set to Aadi thalam was presented by RLV Anand. Harinie Jeevitha & Bhairavi Venkatesan started their performance with an invocation to Lord Ganesha. Through their next item 'Ananada Natana Prakasam' of Shri Muthuswami Deekshithar, both Harinie and Bhairavi captured the attention of the audience. Due to the deviation from the Bharathanatyam's traditional style of music in the background, their next item 'Janani Jagathkarini' did effect the 'classical mood' of the performance. It is not that the choreography or performance ...

Sangita Kalanidhi award for Dr. S. Soumya

R enowned Carnatic Musician Dr. S Soumya is selected for the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi Award for the year 2019. The Executive Committee of The Music Academy in its meeting held today, 21st July 2019, unanimously decided on the Sangita Kalanidhi and other awards. Along with it, Sangita Kala Acharya (2 Awards), T.T.K. Awards (2 Awards), Musicologist Award, Nritya Kalanidhi were also announced. Sangita Kala Acharya Awards will be presented to Smt. Seetha Narayanan, Smt. M.S. Sheela while Shri. Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman and Shri Rajkumar Bharathi will be presented T.T.K. Awards. Musicologist Award and Nritya Kalanidhi will be presented to Dr. Arati N.Rao and Smt. Priyadarsini Govind respectively, said Sri N Murali, President of the Music Academy. A disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Dr S. Ramanathan and Sangita Kala Acharya T. Muktha, S. Sowmya is one of the foremost exponents of the art today. A Ph.D. holder from the University of Madras, she is known for her intellectual ...

Aananda Bhairavi and Sree Thyagaraja Swami; 'Neeke Theliyaka Pote..'

T housands of Keerthanams that streamed down from the Divine Heart of Sri Thyagaraja Swami have been spawning unfathomable and indecipherable feelings in us for centuries. 'Neeke Theliyaka..', among those priceless gems, is the only 'Keerthanam' in Ragam AanandaBhairavi from Sri Thyagaraja Swami! A snippet on this:- Once Swami ji happened to hear Sri Shayama Shasthrikal singing AanandaBhairavi. Feeling it to be an awesome sauce, Swamiji fell head over heels in love with the AanandaBhairavi of Shasthrikal. Bowing before Shastrikal, with such a pure and humble heart Swamiji's words broke the silence," Divine is Thy rendition, henceforth dost I wish no Keerthanams from me take shape in AanandaBhairavi !" (Note: "ksheera saagara vihaara aparimita.." in AanandaBhairavi by Sri Thyagaraja Swamikal is a DivyaPrabhandam [Utsava Sampradaya] ) Lyrics and Meaning below: Keerthanam on Lord Sree Rama. ...

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