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Southern California
based Arpana Dance Company (ADC) has had the honor of performing
in the US, Europe and India under the guidance of Ramya Harishankar.
The Company has presented 15 full length productions to its credit. The
last production, Pancha Bhootam depicting the abstract concept of
the 5 elements using the Bharata Natyam vocabulary and choreographed by
the renown Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar was successfully presented in LA followed
by performances in Phoenix and the 2004 Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival.
Celluloid Classics, an exploration of film music using the classical
and folk dance idiom was presented in June '03 to a sold out audience.
This was a collaboration between Harishankar and choreographer Radhika
Shurajit. In February 2003, ADC presented Women in E'motion a unique
program of abhinaya (interpretive dance) with a grant from the Fund
for Folk Culture.
In July 2002, to commemorate
the 20th anniversary of the Arpana School, the Dance Company revived Maya
Manusha- the illusive One and also, presented Woman Divine in
collaboration with dancer/choreographer, G. Narendra. In 2000 ...new
beginnings...by the Company presented for the first time the work of
guest choreographers.
A collaborative presentation
with LA Ole, a Flamenco dance company and Pouian Music Conservatory, a
Persian group titled Triveni - an ocean of harmony (1999) was very
well received and raised over $13000 for the American Red Cross. Sangam
- many rhythms, one beat (1998) an interesting collaboration with Thanjavur,
an Indo-American Jazz fusion ensemble and Kinnara Taiko, a Japanese drumming
group raised over $11000 for the American Cancer Society. Nritya Saram
- the essence of dance (1997) was a unique program using contemporary
elements to communicate traditional repertoire. Summer of 1997 took the
Company to Europe with performances in Germany and Austria. Nirvana
- the pathways (1996) was presented in aid of Child Reach and Vishwa
Hindu Parishad. In the summer of 1995, the Company successfully undertook
a tour of 7 Indian cities raising over $6000 for needy children there.
In 1994, a new version of Uthsava: a glorious celebration was presented
to benefit the Children's Hospital of Orange County. Maya Manusha –
the illusive One (1992) and Eka: Nyka: One & Many (1993)
benefited Make-A-Wish Foundation and Pediatric AIDS Foundation respectively.
The first sold out presentation of the opening season of the Irvine Barclay
Theater was ADC's production, Uthsava: a glorious celebration (1990).
Gita Govinda: (1988) and Epics of India (1988), an official
event of the Orange County Centennial and Krshnarpanam (1985) in
aid of the Malibu Temple, were the early presentations.
The Company has toured
major cities of California, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kansas, Texas,
Oregon and Washington D.C. It has also participated in several major festivals
and events in S. California including the Getty, Dance Kaleidoscope,
LA Festival, Santa Monica Festival, Watts Drum Festival and Nations
of San Diego.
The California
Arts Council awarded ADC the Multi Cultural Entry grant from
1989 through 2001. The Company won the 2nd prize at the 2000 and 2003
International Dance Grand Prix in Prague, Czech Republic.
More recently, ADC has received a Creativity grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts for a special project entitled 'Life as a River'.
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