Bharatanatyam Performance to Herald 20th Year of Vaishnavi Natyashala

BENGALURU:
Classical dance enthusiasts and connoisseurs in this southern metropolis will be treated to a unique 11-hour, non-stop Bharatanatyam recital as Vaishnavi Natyashala (VNS), a leading city-based dance institute, mounts the spectacularly choreographed programme to celebrate its 20th year of eventful artistic journey.
A total of 233 dancers trained at the institute will present 40 dance compositions, based on the works of great saint-poets like Purandara Dasaru, Oothukkadu Venkata Subbaiar and Mysore Vasudevacharyaru, in a three-segment performance from 10 am to 9 pm on August 19 (Sunday) at ADA Rangamandira.
A unique feature of the programme is that all the 233 dancers, ranging from the age of 5 to 51 years, have been trained at a single institute and they include working mothers and male dancers.
“This is for the first time that a 11-hour non-stop programme of this kind is happening in the city if we take into consideration that it is to be performed by the students of a single institute. The 40 dances will be looped by a short commentary in between the three segments,” said Natyacharya Mithun Shyam, founder of Vaishnavi Natyashala and an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher of international repute.
‘The 18 Golden Steps’, choreographed and directed by Shyam and also featuring him donning the female role of the demoness character “Mahishi”, will mark the finale of the event. This climaxing performance, with lots of dramatic and theatrical elements, retells the story of Swamy Aiyappa and touches upon the controversy about entry of women into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
“The 18 Golden steps is an attempt to retell the story of Swamy Aiyappa in order to clarify the concepts of 41 days of rigorous fasting and purity, the tiring journey, the spiritual essence of the ancient temple and why only men go to Sabarimala. Besides me, there will be 25 trained dancers in this production and will also include Puli Kali (folk tiger dance of Kerala),” said Shyam, who has earned plaudits for his acclaimed performances both in India and outside.
Another striking feature of the celebrations is that all the 16 male dancers (Gandharvas) of the institute, who have taken up classical dance as a rare career option, will present a Surya Kavithuvam in praise of the Sun God.
A special team of working mothers of the institute, aptly titled as the “Janani” team, will present ‘Shri Chamundeshwari Palayamam’ in an ode to Mother Goddess Chamundeshwari. A young classical music band coordinated by Krishna Kashyap will perform to showcase the relevance of classical music among youngsters.
“The objective of the day-long Bharatanatyam festival is to revitalise the classical dance among youngsters who think it is not modern and is ambiguous. I want Young India to have a new vision for classical dance,” said Shyam, who himself chucked out his cozy corporate career to take up dancing as a full-fledged pursuit.
“It will also expose them to our ancient saint-poets whose poetry has enriched our languages, traditions and culture but is sadly missing in academic curriculum,” added the ‘A’ grade artist of Doordarshan, who learnt his dancing chops under the tutelage of the late Guru Padmini Ramachandran and went on to play the lead role of Ram in “Ramayana”, choreographed by well known actress and dancer Hema Malini.
The Guests of Honour at the show include Karnataka Kalathilaka Guru Smt. Radha Shridhar; Smt. Lalitha Das, President of the Bangalore Club for Kathakali and Arts; veteran Mridangam player M R Rangaswamy; famous Kuchipudi dancer and cine artist Pratheeksha Kashi and many other art connoisseurs and scholars.
As part of the celebrations, awards will be presented to the best students of the institute recognizing their annual achievements, such as Central Govt. Scholarships holders, national-level awards and participation in prestigious festivals.
Set up in 1998, Vaishnavi Natyashala, situated in Banaswadi, Bangalore (East), has emerged as one of the most popular classical dance schools in Karnataka. It currently trains over 500 students, including 16 male dancers, in Bharatanatyam, Yoga and Carnatic Vocal in a spacious infrastructure of 7,000 sq ft.
VNS, through a well-structured training schedule rooted in Guru-Shishya tradition, provides certified Diplomas, Graduate and Post-Graduate Courses in dance and music as career options. It has also launched an international dance magazine ‘NRITHYAM’, which provides a platform for discussions and communication of artistic ideas across the globe.
The institute has notched an incredible growth during its 20-year journey. Its students have performed in reputed dance festivals across the country, and won titles like Natya Mayuri, Bala Prathibha and Prathibha Karanjee awarded by the state government and Cultural Associations.