The Dancer’s Gentle Translation
Inspired by the Rajah Ravi Varma’s paintings By Mohanapriyan Thavarajah Chithra Bharatham was a three day festival, inspired by the paintings of various artistes and curated by Natyarangam, Chennai. Rajah Ravi Varma was one of such featured Artiste and his paintings were interpreted through dance by Danseuse Lavanya Anand. It was an indeed a memorable evening to cherish. Ravi Varma is an inspirational artiste who inspired Lavanya to become a gentle translation of his beautiful paintings through her beautiful choices of compositions, apt choreography and stellar execution of dance. Excerpts of verses from Soundarya Lahiri written by Adishangaracharya, Dancer Lavanya gently rises on the stage from the darkness as an emerging spark portraying Devi who illuminates the and saves the world out of compassion Karunya. This set the beautiful mood on the stage for her audience in the opening number. As she moved on to deliver a master piece Varnam she portrayed the abandonment of Sita and who subsequently unites with Mother Earth. She set the crescendo on this Varnam developing the persona of Sita with such as patience, tolerance and loyalty to her beloved Rama. The Varnam reached the climax in the enactment of the famous Ravi Varma’s painting where Boomi Devi extends her arms to Sita in an attempt to stop her worldly desires and tolerance. Lavanya made her audience sit still with excitement while a few behind me spoke aloud in sheer astonishment, “Oh my God!” After the roller coaster of the emotions in the varnam Lavanya took her audience on a journey to experience the Vathsalyam of Yasodha. Excerpts of verses from Periyazhvar pasuram and set to the music by ambujam Krishna, she brought the vivid colours of the rich Tamil poetry and the subtle Motherly affection for the adorable mischievous, Krishna through her Abhinaya. The highlight of the repertoire of that evening was the exaggeration of the painting of heroine Shankunthala from a well known story of Nala Dhamayanthi. Lavanya chose the song of “Priyathamaa” from Shakundala a Malayalam Movie and literally brought Dhamayathi come alive on stage with her love for Dhushyanta. She marked the end of her repertoire with a thillana set to raga Behac combined with the verses from Geetha Govindam to describe the Leelas of Krishna. That evening was completely for Lavanya as she had driven her self deeper to analyse and understand the aura of the great artiste Rajah Ravi Varma. She also attempted to bring out the key ideas of the painting through her custom made jewelleries and costumes inspired by the illustration of the paintings. The overall performance was incredibly successful with the team work of resource persons, musicians and technicians who held her hand providing valuable support towards this production. Dance is never completed with out Music. The vocals with so much emotions rendered by the amazing Hari Prasad, the sensible rhythms on the drums by Vetha Krishnan, the excited yet excellent Jeyshree on Nattuvangam, Shasidar on the melodies flute blended seamlessly to create an absolute beautiful atmosphere for the Dancer and the dancings souls among the audiences. Lavanya Anand is a brilliant and sensible artiste in today’s INDIAN Classical dance arena, who carries the artistry of her distinct Valluvur style of Bharatanatam which is much known for its grace and fluidity. She has travelled wider for her performances locally in India and globally. She will be performing her thematic solo “SANNIDHI” – The Communion with Divine with her team of talented Musicians from Chennai at the Esplanade Theater Studio on the 31st August, Friday as a curtain raiser for the much awaited Dance India Asia Pacific Festival presented by Apsaras Arts Singapore.
NEELA- An Explorative Bharatanatyam Solo
By Apsaras Arts Dance Company Featuring Nikita Menon About Neela Blue – colour of the universe, the sky, the ocean, the world from outer space, the colour of the divine, his peacock feather, his eyes …. We are surrounded by this colour with its varied shades and hues. Blue is one of the three primary colours of pigments in painting and traditional colour theory and is a cool colour that shows creativity and intelligence. It is a colour that symbolizes loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust, and is also known to have a calming effect on the psyche. “Neela” is a thematic solo Bharatanatyam presentation by Nikita Menon for Darshana – Dance Series by Apsaras Arts, exploring the myriad hues of this colour Blue through a variety of compositions. Nikita dedicates this performance of “Neela” in the memory of Smt. Neila Sathyalingam, doyen of Indian classical dance. About the Featured Artiste Nikita Menon Lured to the art of Bharatnatyam at a young age, Nikita started formal dance training at the age of 3 with Guru Maalika Girish Panickker and began her journey as a soloist at the age of 8. Her immense passion drove her to obtain a diploma in Bharatnatyam at the age of 13 from SIFAS along with the ‘Best Student Award’ and the title of “Natya Visharad” a high standard of performance in the Diploma examination. She then went on to train under the eminent guru, Smt. Nagamani Srinivasa Rao, sister of late Sri. Adyar Lakshmanan, in Bangalore. Currently, as a company dancer of Apsaras Arts, Nikita has been part of the company’s repertoire productions such as “Agathi- The Plight of the Refugee”, “Anjaneyam – Hanuman’s Ramayana”, “SITA – As Painted by Raja Ravi Varma” and “Alapadma – The Lotus Unfolds” which has toured all over Asia and Europe. She is also trained in Mohiniattam under Kalamandalam Vimala Menon, RAD Ballet and gymnastics. Alongside her professional career in dance, she has modelled for local brands and magazines and debuted in a film. Nikita is currently pursuing a degree in Fashion in LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, and is working on establishing her own fashion label. Venue : Black Box theatre, Goodman Arts Center, 90 Goodman Rd, SG 439053 Date : 11th Aug 2018/ Time : 8pm / Tickets : S$20
Classes
With more than four decades of experience in teaching dance has resulted in creating proficient dancers, professional dance artistes, dance teachers and choreographers, Apsaras Arts Dance Academy continues the legacy of its founders and their vision in passing on the traditions of their alma matter – Kalakshethra Bani to the next generations. Over the years Apsaras Arts Dance Academy graduates have be acclaimed for their high standards and several of them have established branches of Apsaras Arts internationally and have been training many students in around the world. Apsaras Arts Dance Academy Singapore provides trainings in Bharatanatyam (Kalakshethra Bani), Kathak (Lucknow & Jaipur Gharana) and Kuchipudi (Vempatti Chinnasathyam Style) by professionally and academically qualified dance instructors. Sign up now to be trained and guided to become an Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer and an Arts Ambassador. The main objective of Apsaras Arts Dance Academy is to provide opportunities for the students to have the experience of stage performances throughout their learning journey. BALABHARATHAM Course Duration – 2 years Age from 4 years to 6 years Balabharatham course has been specially designed & created by Apsaras Arts Dance Academy for young kids to experience the beauty of Bharatanatyam. During the period of 2 years the course will expose the young children to the following aspects of dance : On their completion of Bala Bhartham Course each studnet will be given a certificate followed by an opportunity for a dance performance at the Annual Academy Day show. Register for this course CERTIFICATE COURSE Course Duration : 8 years (as a part-time course) Age from 6 Years onwards (Bharatanatyam & Kathak) Certificate course is developed with three different levels of learning for 8 years on a part-time basis. The course is designed to focus on both practical and theory apects of Bhartanatyam an Kathak. Every year the students will go through an assessment on their learning and promoted to the next level based on their accomplishment. On the 8th year they will be prepared for a debut performance as part of their final year assessment . Upon successfully completing the 8th year certificated course, the students can stage their Arangetram (Solo Debut Performance) and will be bestowed with a title of “NATYA CHUDAR” by Apsaras Arts Academy. As part of their learning journey students will be given the opportunities to perform at various platforms. Upon completion of the 8th year of study, the students may be considered to be part of the Apsaras Arts Dance Company as a trainee company dancer. Register for this course POSTGRADUATECOURSE Course Duration : 3 years (Bharatanatyam & Kathak) This course is specifically designed for those who have had prior experience of learning Bharatanatyam or Kathak over 8 years or who have completed their Arangetram (solo debut graduation performance). The course focuses on specific advanced topics such as body conditioning, dance techniques, tala techniques and detailed abhinaya, to enable them to aspire to be a star performer. During the course the students will be offered to perform with the company production and shows based on their experience and commitment. There will be a certificate provided at the successful completion of the course. Register for this course SHORT COURSE /RESIDENTIALPROGRAMME Course Duration : 1 Month (Bharatanatyam & Kathak) This courses provides training for a short term period who are visiting Singapore for a short period for time, to have dance training sessions under the tutelage of our experienced teachers. The course also offers training to those aspiring dancers, who would like to take a mentorship programme to work on a repertoire or production with guidance of our creative team of Apsaras Arts Dance Company. If you wished to work on your repertoires newly choreographed by our resident choreographer, we offer this course to you. Register for this course SEASONAL WORKSHOP& MASTER CLASSES(Kids and Adults) Seasonal workshops and master classes are offered to enthusiastic kids and adults for a selected period of time. These sessions to bring awareness among the dancers on the basics of Bharatanatyam like Techniques and expressions. Since these workshops only can accommodate a limited number of participants, please visit our website for the updates to know the upcoming workshop and use the opportunity to grab a slot for yourself. Register for this course SKYPE SESSIONS – WORLDWIDE If you have a prior training in Bharatanatyam, we are open to you to connect with us from anywhere in the world to continue your training in dance. These sessions are individually designed for each individual student upon their request on the different modules of classes. Register for this course NEW KATHAK CLASSES AVAILABLE Class Schedule:Kathak Accurate as of 1st April 2018 NEW BHARATANATYAM CLASSES AVAILABLE Class Schedule:Bharatanatyam Accurate as of 1st April 2018 New classes commencing soon! Call 65735866 for enquiries or email apsaras.arts@gmail.com to register for classes. Class Locations: Goodman Arts CentreBlk D, #01-24, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053 ACTFA Studio, Little India47 Chander Road, Singapore 219546 Geylang West Community Centre 1205 upper boon Keng Road, Singapore 387311 Siglap South Community Centre6 Palm Road, Singapore 456441