Kathak Classes at Siglap South CC
Apsaras Arts Dance Academy commences Kathak classes at Siglap South CC from March 2018. Class Timings : Saturdays 2pm to 3pm & 3pm t0 4pm Fees : Term of 8 classes at $200 Address : 6 Palm Road, Singapore 456441 Tel No : +65 62411925 Register for Classes
The epic as told by Hanuman – Review on The Hindu India
Apsaras Arts ‘Ramayanam’ staged at Singapore recently stood out for its cross-cultural appeal Esplanade Theatre, Singapore, in collaboration with Apsaras Arts presented ‘Anjaneyam- Hanuman’s Ramayana’ as the inaugural performance of the Kalaa Utsavam of Indian Arts (Nov 17-26), and also to highlight the Center (Esplanade) turning 15 and Apsaras Arts, 40. After their first large-scale production ‘Angkor: An Untold Story,’ Anjaneyam, conceptualised by Apsaras Arts, was another mega production, this time retelling the timeless Ramayana from the perspective of Hanuman. Gallery Read Full Review
Agathi: Plight of refugees through dance – Review on The Hindu
by Rupa Srikanth The presentation was as stark as the theme — refugees Ensemble dance theatre works such as ‘Agathi,’ presented by Apsaras Arts, Singapore, and directed by Artistic Director, Aravinth Kumarasamy, are important milestones in the preservation and evolution of the classical arts, as solo Bharatanatyam is acquiring a ‘niche’ tag and presented in smaller venues, as against being included in the mainstream schedules of large culture festivals across the world. Another reason for ‘Agathi,’ gaining importance was the subject — moving away from mythology to subjects of universal interest such as the sufferings of refugees. Presented at Natya Darshan, ‘Agathi,’ incidentally was an India premiere. Gallery Read Full Review
Agathi: The Plight of Refugees
Synopsis AGATHI is a new dance-theatre production by Apsaras Arts exploring the contemporary issues—including prejudice and misunderstanding—surrounding the plight of refugees all over the world. Through music, poetry and bharatanatyam, Agathi paints an intimate portrait of their lives and struggles, expounding the emotional states as well as stigma that people forced out their countries have to endure. Agathi draws inspiration from the company’s artistic director Aravinth Kumarasamy’s personal experiences as a refugee many years ago, and features a music score based on the poetry of well-known Tamil poets Kavimani Desiga Vinayagam Pillai and Maha Kavi Subramania Bharathi and Kaviarasu Kannadasan as well as translations by Niranjan Bharathi of poems from the UN Refugee Agency-published A Book of Poems: Expressions from our Youth. Creative Team Concept, Script and Artistic Direction: Aravinth Kumarasamy Music Composition: Chithra Poornima Sathish, Karthik Choreography: Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, Renjith Babu, Vijna VasudevanLighting Design: Gyan Dev Singh Sound Design: Sai Sharavanam Lyrics: Niranjan Bharathi Costume Design: Mohanapriyan Thavarajah Narration Script: Audrey Perera(English), Sri Ganesh(Tamil) Gallery Reviews “Agathi” was not just a dance-theatre work, it was also a social commentary on current affairs across the world. It threw the spotlight on the circumstances that make people flee their homes, natural calamities and politically-motivated displacements, and brought awareness of the injustice of it all, especially the latter” “Music and dance reinforced their impact. The well-trained dancers worked within a tight framework of movements to bring out the mood, but what was most impressive was their seamless contribution to the intensity of the narrative.” – by Rupa Srikanth, Published on Jan 04, 2018 on The Friday review for The Hindu, India “Can Bharatanatyam tell painful stories of rape and migration? A dance company provides an answer ‘Agathi’ by Singapore’s Apsaras Arts Dance Company is an attempt to introduce difficult contemporary themes into an age-old idiom.” – by Malini Nair, Published Jan 04, 2018 on Scroll.in “Carrying forward the narrative, flashback was used, and imaginative use of chorus, a la Greek theatre, reflecting what the main character is thinking. Such a large scale production deserves to be seen in other cities, where Ramayana is known to everyone and its performances are a living tradition” (Read more) – Narthaki, Padmashri Dr. Sunil Kotari “It was a brilliant evening getting to watch a contemporary theme portrayed in Bharatham, brilliant choreography, excellent singing and moving; poignant lyrics that reflect real plight and finally the pleasure watching an artistic dance treatment to popular numbers.” “It was a refreshing and a much needed welcome relief that Apsaras Arts, Singapore has dared to take Bharatham to talk about an issue that keeps nudging at us all at some corner of our nice and cosy living- the crisis of a refugee that keeps hogging the front pages of our newspaper and is also increasingly becoming a deciding factor in the politics and policies of many a country around the world.” – by Vijaysagar Subbaiyaa, Published on Dec 22, 2017 on Life’s and Times of (Blogpost) Tour Upcoming Performances Agathi Europe Performance tour 2018 Agathi Australia Performance Tour 2018 Post Performances Book the Show Aathi is available for tours Cast Details: Please contact apsaras.arts@gmail.com / kumarasamy.aravinth@gmail.com for more information Please check out our articles for this show!
SAMVAD – An interactive experience with Kathak
Featuring Avinav Mukherjee by Apsaras Arts Goodman Black Box Theatre, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053 Friday / 6th April 2018 / 8pm “Samvad – An interactive experience with Kathak” featuring Avinav Mukherjee, Kathak dance artiste and faculty member of Apsaras Arts, Singapore, will be presented as the inaugural performance of “Darshana – Intimate Dance Series” by Apsaras Arts. In this exciting performance Avinav will take his audience on a journey to experience finer nuances of the classical dance form of Kathak, with a line up riveting repertoire choreographed by dance doyen Guru Geetanjali Lal, to be performed in Singapore for the first time ever. Avinav Mukharji, is the disciple of the Kathak legend Guru Geetanjali Lal. He is a graded Doordarshan artiste and the recipient of various scholarships from leading institutions including, C.C.R.T, Sahitya Kala Parishad and Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. Avinav has performed in India and overseas in several prestigious festivals. He was awarded ‘Natya Mayooram’ by Chattisgarh government and ‘Nritya Jyoti’ by Odisha government. Avinav is a Kathak dance artiste with Apsaras Arts Dance Company and the Kathak faculty member with Apsaras Arts Dance Academy in Singapore. Admission by $20 tkt per person Kindly reserve and pre-book your tkts for yourself, your family members and for your friends Avinav (84539905) Naina (97677497) Shankari (65735866) You can also drop an email for your tkt reservations on apsaras.arts@gmail.com DARSHANA – Intimate Dance Series by Apsaras Arts Most classical dance forms of India are best appreciated in its intimate setting in close proximity, where the solo dancer is in constant communication with the audience. Many of these dance forms were originally performed in the sanctum of the Hindu temples, then later moved to the royal courts of great rulers, both these settings giving the ideal experience. In the early twentieth century these solo performances were formatted for grand proscenium stages, which have now evolved as ensemble works featuring multiple dancers. Through this dance series “Darshana”, Apsaras Arts intends to recreate the ancient setting where the audience and the soloist are in unison enjoying the ultimate experience of “Sahrdya” – oneness with each other. Darshana will feature solo performances across the genres of Indian classical dance, with each performance featuring a serious dancer presenting a curated thematic performance, putting the focus lights on Singapore based Indian classical dancers. Watch Trailer
Prema Mārgam by Mohanapriyan Thavarajah
At Kala Vibhavam / SIFAS Festival Friday /3oth March 2018 / 8pm / SIFAS Auditorium, 2A, Starlight Road, Singapore 217755 Thavarajah of Apsaras Arts will be presenting a thematic Bharatanatyam performance titled “Prema Maargam” cantered around the human emotion of love. Strung together based on the traditional repertoire, Mohanapriyan has choreographed featuring the triple gems of this emotion in “Bhakthi-Shringaram-Vatsalyam”. The devotees love for the divine, the love for one’s beloved, and the love of the parent to the child, are all beautiful shades of this human emotion of love. Prema Maargam will feature traditional temple compositions, evergreen compositions of the Thanjavur Quartet and contemporary poetry of Maha Kavi Bharathi. Mohanapriyan will be accompanied by a live music orchestra featuring faculty members from SIFAS. Mohanapriyan Thavarajah is recognized as one of the world’s young male Bharatanatyam artiste and choreographer based in Singapore, as a principal dancer, resident choreographer and dance faculty member with Apsaras Arts Dance Company and Academy. Mohanapriyan’s innovative choreographic contributions for Apsaras Arts Dance Company’s iconic productions including Anjaneyam (2017), Agathi (2017), Alapadma (2016), Anjasa (2015), Adum Arul Jothi (2014), Angkor (2013) and Sita’s Magical Forest (2012) have been well received and have been on multiple international tours to festivals in Asia Pacific and Europe. As a soloist, Mohanapriyan has been presented by several leading Sabhas in Chennai, India during the annual Margazhi season and he has performed in several prestigious venues and festivals across United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Australia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Mohanapriyan is a first class gold medalist for his academic achievements in dance for his Bachelors, Masters and MPhil degrees and is currently pursing his doctoral Phd research in dance. His maiden book based on his research of South East Asian dance will be launched in 2018. Mohanapriyan is a recipient of several awards in Sri Lanka and India. Watch Trailer
Narayanathe Namo Namo
By Apsrars Arts Dance Company 26th/ April / 2018 / 7.30pm @ Srinivasa Permal Temple / PGP Hall / 397 Serangoon Road, 218123 A thematic dance performance in salutation to Srinivasa Perumal will feature compositions praise on lord Vishnu, choreographed and performed in the classical dance styles of Bharatanatyam and Kathak.
Tribhanga – A Journey through Odissi
Featuring Soumee De by Apsaras Arts Goodman Black Box Theatre, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053 Tuesday / 1st May 2018 / 8pm DARSHANA presents Soumee De in TRIBHANGA, an Odissi performance. Tribhanga means “Three Bends” which is the defining characteristic posture of the Indian classical dance form – Odissi. This classical dance genre traces its roots to the Mahari dance of Odisha, which is nearly a millennium old, and the dance having been an integral part of the daily rituals at the Jagannath temple of Puri. Soumee De will present a traditional Odissi repertoire, which has been conceived to take the audience through a journey of a dancer’s life. Commencing from the repertoire item Magalacharan, which represents the entrance of (birth) the dancer onto the stage, concluding in Moksha (salvation) where the dancer reaches ecstasy and reaching the end of her journey. Tirbangha will feature original choreographies by legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, and her own choreography on music composed by Singaporean artistes. Soumee is an Economist by education, a creative performing Artiste by passion and a Human Resources advisor by profession. She deeply cares about three causes: Arts, Education and Women. Since the age of four she has trained in Indian Classical dance forms -Kathak and Odissi and is currently learning Odissi and choreography under Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, of Srjan, Bhubaneswar, India. Soumee is a co-founder of “Ethos -Exploring The Odissi Spirit,” a community of Odissi dancers in Singapore with a vision to propagate the dance form across boundaries, geographies and generations. Admission by $20 tkt per person Kindly reserve and pre-book your tkts for yourself, your family members and for your friends Soumee (91476040) Priyan (96284066) Shankari (65735866) You can also drop an email for your tkt reservations on apsaras.arts@gmail.com DARSHANA – Intimate Dance Series by Apsaras Arts Most classical dance forms of India are best appreciated in its intimate setting in close proximity, where the solo dancer is in constant communication with the audience. Many of these dance forms were originally performed in the sanctum of the Hindu temples, then later moved to the royal courts of great rulers, both these settings giving the ideal experience. In the early twentieth century these solo performances were formatted for grand proscenium stages, which have now evolved as ensemble works featuring multiple dancers. Through this dance series “Darshana”, Apsaras Arts intends to recreate the ancient setting where the audience and the soloist are in unison enjoying the ultimate experience of “Sahrdya” – oneness with each other. Darshana will feature solo performances across the genres of Indian classical dance, with each performance featuring a serious dancer presenting a curated thematic performance, putting the focus lights on Singapore based Indian classical dancers. Buy Tickets
Darpana
Budding dancers of Apsaras Arts Dance Academy will be performing two Indian classical dance choreographies based on the Bharatanatyam and Kathak for the Salaam India 2018 Expo on 3rd June 2018 at 4:30pm. Please visit the ZAK Salaam India Expo 2018 website for details. Admission Free. All are welcome.
Mirror of Gestures
Budding dancers from Apsaras Arts Dance Academy will be performing for Goodman Open House 2018 on Saturday 26th May 2018 at 4:00pm. Students of Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, Banupriya Ponnarasu and Avinav Mukharji will be performing “Mirror of Gestures” choreographed in the Indian classical dance styles of Bharatanatyam and Kathak. Admission Free. All are welcome.