Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair

 Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair is one of the senior performers of the Kathakali form of dance. This dance personality is known for his poise and precise body movements and it is with the help of such distinguished body movements that the dance has made an acclaimed position in the field of Kathakali Dance. Born in 1925, Ramankutty Nair hailed from a family with no Kathakali pedigree. But Ravunni Menon, a resident tutor at the renowned Olappamanna Mana (a mansion of the upper-caste Nambudiris) was an overarching presence in the cultural scene of the village, and soon little Ramankutty too fell under his spell. At Kerala Kalamandalam, where he subsequently mastered the art, Ramankutty Nair later sculpted out several disciples, the most prominent among them being Kalamandalam Gopi besides Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, M.P.S. Namboodiri, Balasubramanian and the late K. Gopalakrishnan.

Ramankutty Nair is extolled for his fidelity to the Kalluvazhi tradition perfected by his mentor Pattickamthodi Ramunni Menon and for his effortless interpretation of plays characterized by rigid grammar and choreography.Ramankutty Nair has mostly been associated with characters representing rajo guna with kathi make-up - evil yet valorous characters like Ravana,Duryodhana,Keechaka and Narakasura. His representations of such characters have become the yardstick for many connoisseurs.

The character of the Monkey-God Hanuman was also one which he excelled in performing. His Hanuman in Kalyanasougandhigam,Thoranayudham and Lavanasuravadham are among his best characterizations.All his celebrated roles are notable for the harmonious interaction with the percussion instruments,especially the chenda. His long-term association with chenda maestro Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval helped greatly in this regard. Poduval,a genius himself,provided inspired accompaniment to enhance Ramankutty Nair's characters.

Death of Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair

Ramankutty Nair died on March 11, 2013 at age 87.

 

Savitha Sastry

 Savitha Sastry is an Indian dancer and choreographer. She is best known as an exponent of Bharatanatyam dance of India.

Savitha Sastry is the founder-director of Sai Shree Arts, a dance company known to experiment with the format of traditional Bharatanatyam dance, by using the techniques of Bharatanatyam to showcase theme based productions based on novel stories, not based on Indian mythology or religion.

Savitha Subramaniam was born in Hyderabad, and later lived in Mumbai before her family relocated to their home town of Chennai. She started her training in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of Guru Mahalingam Pillai at the Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir in Mumbai, and later with Adyar K Lakshman and the Dhananjayans in Chennai. She did her schooling at the P.S Senior Secondary School in Chennai, and her graduation from Stella Maris College.

In 1986, she featured as the lead dancer in the Tamil film Ananda Tandavam, a production of her Guru Adyar K Lakshman. She pursued her master's degree in the United States, where she majored in neuroscience.

Productions of Savitha Sastry

All the productions of Savitha Sastry have been based on short stories by her husband AK Srikanth and the soundtrack for the productions have been composed by Rajkumar Bharathi, the great grandson of the veteran poet Subramania Bharathi. These have been performed in several countries, and the productions have met with critical and popular acclaim. Another hallmark of Savitha's presentations is a Q & A session that she and Srikanth have with the audience at the end of the performance where the audience discuss the presentation with the performer and writer. Since 2018, Sastry and AK Srikanth have been releasing their productions on free to stream digital platforms to take their work to a world audience. They also produce short classical dance videos that narrate a unique story, on the same lines of popular music videos. The short films have been nominated in over 50 film festivals across the world.

Their first release, The Descent was based on the story of a fallen superstar, and dealt with themes of depression. The film was awarded the Best Short Film 2019 at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, The Top Shorts Awards, the Near Nazareth Festival and the Best Global Short. It was also nominated at the John Abraham International Short Film Festival, the 5th Jaipur Film World 2021, Venice Film Awards, Cannes Short Film Festival, FilmFest by Rogue Dancer, Open Window International Film Challenge, Conceptsion International Film Awards, Mumbai 9th Indian Cine Festival 2021, the 11th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2021, Florence Film Awards, and the First Time Filmmaker Sessions.

Kathak Kendra

 Kathak Kendra is reckoned as one of the leading training institutions in Kathak dance in the country. The Sangeet Natak Akademi established this Kendra in 1964 and the Kendra started to offer priceless courses in Kathak dance as well as in other allied arts. The exact location of Kathak Kendra is at Bahawalpur House, Bhagwan Dass Road in New Delhi. The institution, dedicated to the teaching and promotion of Kathak as a dance form, was once originally an elementary unit of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academi, however now it is one of the leading dance-teaching institutions in India. In addition to Kathak Dance, Kathak Kendra also offers courses in related arts such as Hindustani vocal music and Pakhawaj. The Kendra has its staff teachers of eminence in various disciplines. Kathak Kendra has a Production Unit that strives to enrich the repertoire and technique of Kathak through several experimental works.

Shambhu Maharaj received the highest award of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1967. After the death of Shambhu Maharaj in 1970, his nephew Birju Maharaj, who was associated with the institution from its inception, and a noted Kathak dancer and guru in his own right, became the Head of Faculty and also remained the Director of the institution for many years. Birju Maharaj started adapting the dance, which was till now staged for small gatherings in temple courtyards or Mehfils to one catering to large gatherings in the modern proscenium theatre, and created several noted ballets in his period. Gradually what was essentially a solo-dance, moved towards expression in group performances. Over the years the repertory wing, formerly known as 'Ballet Unit' has created notable production of Kathak ballet, with evolved stage and costume design as well as elaborate music, Taj ki Kahani (1966) was choreographed by Krishna Kumar, and had music by Amjad Ali, Shan-e-audh (1968), Kumara Sambhav and Dalia all choreographed by Birju Maharaj and with music by Dagar Brothers. Several of the productions, like Govardhan Leela, Machan Chori, Phag Bhara employed mythological themes and gave them modern presentation. Birju Maharaj performed these ballet productions all over the world, giving the traditional dance form, worldwide recognition. Many former students of the Kendra, also joined the repertory wing as registered staff.

 

Sunanda Nair

 Sunanda Nair is one of the prominent Indian classical dancers who essayed a key role in popularising Mohiniyattam or Mohini Attam. Mohiniyattam is a classical dance form of Kerala which is believed to have originated in the 16th century CE. Nair is one of the few performers of this style of dance form. She is regarded as the "prima ballerina among Mohini attam dancers". She is the first one to receive a Master's degree in Mohini Attam from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalay affiliated to the University of Mumbai. Nair has won many awards for her immense contribution in the field of classing dancing.

Early life of Sunanda Nair

Nair took her initial training in Bharatanatyam at age six. She studied in Kathakali under Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Warrier.Nair is a disciple of noted Mohiniattam exponent Padmabhushan Dr.(Smt) Kanak Rele, credited for the revival and popularization of this classical Kerala dance style.

Nair was the first student to earn a master's degree in Mohiniattam. She was a student of Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalay at the University of Mumbai where she completed her Master's. She completed a seven-year course in five years. The institution is the closest to the guru Kula Sampradaya.

Awards of Sunanda Nair

·         'Global Mannam award', Nair Service Society of North America, New York 2020

·         'Nrithya Seva Mani award', Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival 2020

·         'Global Excellence Award for Performing Arts', 6th International Media Conference 2019

·         'Citation' from Bangalore Club for Kathakali & the Arts 2018

·         'Muthirai Pathitha Vithagar', Natyanjali Festival, Natyanjali Trust 2018

 

Folk Dances of Goa

 The folk dances of Goa bear a tradition of thousands of years, characterized by innumerable forms performed by and reflecting lifestyles, cultures and aspirations of different strata, religions and castes of Goan society. The prominent ones include the Dashavatara, Ghode Modni and the Goff Dance. Goa is also referred as the ‘Rome of East’ is one of the most phenomenon and contemporary tourist destination in India with tradition Goan culture and folklore. Colonized by Portuguese for 450 years, cultural tradition of Goa consists of numerous Goa churches, temples and mosques.

Some of the popular folk dances of Goa are as follows:

Dhalo dance:- Dhalo dance is one of the most famous rural dances of Goa. Dhalo is performed by women folk on the moonlit night-time of Hindu ‘Pausha’ month.  The dance is performed by kunbis, Bhandari, Naik, Gabit and Gaudi communities. According to legend, Radha used to sing love songs regarded as dhalos to Lord Krishna. Earlier dhalos referred solely to the love of Krishna and Radha. 

Diwli Nach: Diwli Nach is a dance performed in shigmo whilst balancing an oil-lamp with five light wicks on the head with no any support. The trick is not to lean or collapse the lamp during the dance. Though a great amount of attention is required to perform this job, the dancers go about it very naturally and elegantly.

Fugdi Dance:- Fugdi is a folk dance performed by the womenfolk of some communities of Konkanies in the Konkan coastal region of Goa and Maharashtra states during the Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo. According to certain historical facts, this dance style is said to have been created from few ancient Goan traditions. In addition, this dance is mainly performed during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, when women usually take a break to escape boredom arising from their daily routines. Furthermore, it is also performed during religious and social events.

Click the link below to know more about Folk Dances of Goa

https://www.indianetzone.com/1/folk_dances_goa.htm

 

The Dynamic and Colourful Folk Dances of Gujarat

The Dynamic and Colourful Folk Dances of Gujarat

 

Gujarat is known to be the Land of Festivals and celebrates a large number of festivals every year. These celebrations are accompanied with musical performances and traditional dance forms based on their rich culture and heritage. Thus, the folk dances of Gujarat are colourful, vibrant and energetic and they genuinely depict the culture.. They include the famous dance forms like Garba, Dandiya, Bhavai and Tippani dance. People of the state are known to have a natural ability to sing and dance. The numerous types of folk dance forms are certainly a visual feast and mirror to the culture of Gujarat The best known among these is the Garba and Dandiya. Folk drama in Gujarat is known as Bhavai dance. Most of the art traditions trace back their origin to the ancient period.

 

Table of contents

·         Garba Dance

·         Dandiya Dance

·         Bhavai, Gujarati Folk Theatre

·         Tippani Dance

·         Padhar Dance

·         Hudo Dance

Garba Dance

Garba is a popular dance form from Gujarat, whose name comes from the Sanskrit terms Garbha (womb) and Deepa (dance). This dance is done by Gujarati women and is associated with Shakti-Puja. It is thought to have originated in the worship of the goddess Jagdamba. Garba dance is performed for nine nights during the Navratri festival. This folk dance is given in a circle by the ladies at events such as Sharad Purnima, Vasant Panchami, and Holi. Aside from that, there is a variation of Garba known as Garbi that is usually performed by men during religious festivals like Janmashtami.

Dandiya Dance

The dance form of Dandiya, also known as the stick dance, is one of Gujarat’s most popular folk dances. This dance form depicts a mock battle between the Goddess Durga and Mahishasura, the demon king. The dance sticks (dandiyas) are said to resemble Durga’s swords. This is another unique type of dance that is also a part of Navaratri, Garba and Dandiya dance performances are distinguished by the fact that Garba takes place before Aarti and Dandiya Ras takes place after it. Garba is only done by women, however, Dandiya is open to both men and women.

Bhavai- Gujarati Folk Theatre

Bhavai is a popular Gujarati folk theatre form with a 700-year history. The word Bhavai is derived from a mixture of two words: bhav, which means emotion, and vahini, which means carrier, hence it is designated as an art form that is a carrier of emotion. The highlights of any Bhavai vesha are music, dance, and vernacular humour. Bhavai uses a variety of instruments, including the bhungal, tabla, kansijoda, jhaanjh, sarangi, and harmonium. In this form of folk dance, the male and female dancers balance up to 7 to 9 brass pitchers on their head as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet.

Tippani Dance

Performed exclusively by women, Tippani is a popular folk dance in Gujarat which originated from the Chorwad district. Tippani dance evolved from an ancient technique of pounding lime into a house’s foundation with a tippani, a long pole with a square wooden or iron block at one end. The women from two lines, facing each other, sing and dance while beating the tippani in time. Tippani dances are done at festivals and weddings. he major musical instruments utilised to control the cadence and tempo of the arrangements are the dhol, Marinara, and Shehnai. Throughout this rhythmic melodic technique, they illuminate their toil. 

Padhar Dance

The Padhar dance, performed by members of the Padhar community. Padhar people are primarily fishermen who reside along the banks of the Bhal region’s Nal Sarovar. They are Hindu devotees who worship Goddess Durga in various forms. The dancer imitates situations that occur in the lives of seamen while performing this dance. The performer dances while holding little sticks in their hands and enacts boat rowing while singing songs about water. Their lively merriment and ardent Padhar folk dance movement exemplifies the region’s rich cultural heritage. Through music and dance, the seafarers’ daily tasks and lifestyle, as well as their feelings and sentiments, are conveyed.

Hudo Dance

Hudo is one of Gujarat’s most well-known folk dances. It is the shepherd community of Gujarat’s Bharwad Tribe’s folk dance genre. Sheep battles were the inspiration for the dance. This dance form imitates the actions of two sheep banging their heads against one other. The dancers clap their hands together in a rhythmic and strong manner. Hudo Dance is performed by both men and women. As an accompaniment, traditional musical instruments such as the Dhol, Dholak, Harmonium, Flute, Kansi, Joda, and Manjira are employed. Dance is the most effective means of expressing emotions and sentiments that are difficult to explain in words.