From the Desk
In 2016, with an intent to share – and on a timely, regular basis – the many stories brewing in the house of Apsaras Arts, we launched Aavartana, a newsletter, a periodical, literally inspired by the word, Aavartna, a musical term, which literally means cycle of a set rhythmic pattern. As a monthly periodical that arrived at the end of every month in people’s inboxes, Aavartana became the possibility for us to share, report, relay, the world of Apsaras Arts to our rasikas and readers, across the globe. As an international dance repertory company committed equally to performance and education, Aavartana, brought to our own life, a sense of rhythm, and became that channel of communication for us to converse with the arts community in the written word, and do that, in a systematic manner. After a few editions though, life and work came in our way and in 2020, just as we grappled with a pandemic, we returned to a semblance of structure with Aavartana. But like all good ideas that must be nurtured, we are poised in a moment where we are keen to use our standing and reputation, globally, in a manner that is authentic, honest, inspiring and impactful. And it is precisely with this premise that we are proud to present to you Aavartana in an avatar that is anew. Inspired by core principles of objectivity, empathy, inclusivity and a sense of teh accessible, Aavartana in its new format, is more than a mere newsletter that will bring you stories of Apsaras Arts. As a digital magazine that believes in aggregating and presenting the many trends and narratives that make the world of the Indian performing arts so dynamic and exciting, Aavartana will allow readers the possibility of an overview of the people, things and trends simmering in the world of Indian performing arts, dance in particular. Conscious of our readers, of the rushed world we live in and recognising the way we consume news and features today, Aavartana is also excited to unfurl on social media in a way that allows for quick, easy reading for those on the move and like it short, but also cater to readers who still love that feeling that comes from reading a story written in long-form and one that takes more than five minutes. Every edition will feature a cover story that will shed light on a particular idea that is trending in the world of the arts. Our Portrait section features an in-depth interview with an artiste whose story deserves to be told; in our Point of View section, we invite an expert, an artiste to share their perspective on a subject that is pertinent to the world we are in. Three years ago, in December, we introduced a #iamayoungdancer with an intent to create a platform that essentially shared and amplified stories of young dancers from across the world. Our column, The Bookshelf raises a toast to the idea of books and the world associated with it. In our Travel Diaries, we will bring you slices and stories from our own travels and those of other artiste-friends of ours from across the world. In our opening edition, our editorial team insisted this note from me occupies pride of place. Our Portrait this time is T Ramanan, a mridangam artiste with over 1500 performances, worldwide and truly a pride of Singapore. Lata Pada, Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer-teacher from Canada, shares her perspectives on the pandemic and its impact on dance, and dancers. In our #iamayoungdancer section, two dancers, Periyachi Roshini from Singapore and Rukshikaa Elankumaram from Australia, have a freewheeling conversation on life in dance, and vice versa. For our The Bookshelf section, we reached out to Maya Kulkarni, New York-based dancer-choreographer and academic, to know what she is reading and how her reading inspires her dance. Our Travel Diaries is an in-depth re-visiting of Apsaras Arts’ tour of France, that helped us build connections, meet new audiences, and make memories. We are excited about you reading all that we have compiled for you and we are hoping to build on this editorial platform so Aavartana becomes a part of your life cycle, too! If you like what you read, do take a moment to show us some love! We are hoping to hear from you! Warmly Aravinth Kumarasamy Artistic Director & Editor, Aavartana.
From the Desk
Slowly, but steadily, the world has opened up and performances are back where they belong! Inspired by that idea, the notion of the future, we reached out to four dancers-choreographers-curators and asked them to share with us their vision for dance. We were excited by their ideas, and insights! This is the cover story for Aavartana’s March edition that also marks the month where we dedicate to the importance of women’s rights, gender equality, et al. Our Interview section, this edition, anchored by Vidhya Nair, celebrates the life and journey of V Balakrishnan, acclaimed Singapore-based dancer-choreographer-teacher, who lays bare the many challenges life threw his way, and tells us his story in a way that the art and the artiste become one and the same! For us, at Apsaras Arts, February is a month we remember our co-founder, Neila Sathyalingam as that marks her birth anniversary. Neila Maami was all things amazing; her creativity, her enthusiasm, her generosity of spirit, are all worth a celebration. In that spirit, our Point of View section goes back in time and we recall a short speech Neila Maami made when she received an award, letting the audience into the birth of the name Apsaras and also predicting the future of Indian arts in Singapore. In our Books Banter section, we interview Odissi exponent, Ileana Citaristi, on her new book, Odissi and the Geeta Govinda, where Citaristi speaks about the premise, intent and process of the book and her own relationship with the Geeta Govinda, as a dancer. We are also excited to share as part of our In-Sights section, a detailed overview of the IPAC Symposium on Bharatanatyam that was a coming together of practitioners, scholars, writers, artistes, et al, soaking in the arts and sharing their knowledge and learnings with each other. Speaking of which, we really enjoyed listening to two beautiful artistes, Madhuri Suresh from Singapore and Divya Nayar from Coimbatore, India, as they discussed a host of things that unify them – dance. As rising stars, with meaningful insights, this conversation, under our umbrella of #iamayoungdancer, is a must-watch! In our Travel Diaries section, we travel back in time, to share a travel nugget from Little Angels, a multi-ethnic ensemble that was co-founded by Neila Sathyalingam. That section is all kinds of nostalgia for us! Speaking of Apsaras Arts, we have enjoyed two fantastically productive months, immersing, learning, sharing and presenting all things arts. We had the opportunity to showcase Nirmanika Re-imagined, our re-envisaged work that was originally created by our co-founder, Neila Sathyalingam, ten years ago, and that unfolds in an avatar that retains some elements from the original but also is infused with newness and some additions in imagination and choreography. We are so excited that the response to this work was phenomenal! Don’t forget to read a detailed interview with Aravinth Kumarasamy, Artistic Director of Nirmanika Re-Imagined, who wore many hats to re-create this work, a decade later. This is as part of Aavartana’s Work-in-Process. We also dedicate this edition to Singapore-based dancer-choreographer-teacher, Santha Bhaskar who passed on recently and whose contribution to the landscape of the Indian arts, especially Bharatanatyam, in Singapore, is beyond significant. Thank you Santha Aunty for all that you did! There’s a lot brewing and we are happy to be sharing it, in-person with the world! We are hoping to chronicle and document it all through Aavartana. We hope you like what you see and will be a part of this journey!
From the Desk
We can’t believe half a year is gone and what a year it has been – filled with a renewed sense of promise, hope and the possibility of live performances, the joy of meeting people, in-person, sharing and soaking in work, collectively. We, at Apsaras Arts, are conscious of the legacy of the arts while we explore the possibility of finding a sense of the inventive within it. For us, the arts have been a liberating journey, allowing us to find space, freedom and ways to express the world around us through this beautiful dance form that we now call Bharatanatyam. This edition, we raise a toast to the idea of arts conservation as our Cover Story features two extremely talented young artistes, Mahati Kannan and Manasvini Ramachandran, who are dancers, arts and heritage conservationists and curators. In a Q & A format, the duo share their personal stories, interest and journey in working with the tangible and intangible in the arts. Our Interview section covers a crisp interview with Bharatanatyam artiste, Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, an artiste based in Chennai, with whom, we at Apsaras Arts, share a special connection with. In our #iamayoungdancer section, Janani Arunkumar from Singapore and Kavya Ganesh from Chennai, exchange notes on all things that matter to the world of young dancers. A conversation between these two young dancers is important because it allows us insights into what and how the future of dance is poised to be. Our Point of View section features Mohinittam exponent, Dr Tara Rajkumar, who sheds light on the journey of Mohiniattam but also leaves us feeling a sense of hope and positivity for its overall future. Work-in-Process in this edition is an interview with Artistic Director, Aravinth Kumarasamy of Apsaras Arts where he deep dives into the creative process of Amara, a work that premiered in Singapore, recently. In our Book Banter section, acclaimed Bharatanatyam artiste and the senior-most disciple of Dr Kanak Rele, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam exponent, Deepak Mazumdar, shares his thoughts on Dr Rele’s new book, Me and my Mohini Attam. Travel Diaries this edition is anchored by Chandigarh-based lighting designer, Gyandev Singh who brings to life his experience of touring Parama Padam through cities and the sights and sounds of Sri Lanka And finally, In-Sights allows us insights into our own return to India, the response we received and the strong sense of connection we share with Chennai, and India, at large. We have a hectic few months ahead of us and we are happily busy with our work. We would love to hear your feedback about Aavartana . what would you like to see in it? How can we make it better for you? Do send in your suggestions and feedback to aavartana@apsarasarts.com