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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. In 2008, ADC successfully toured California performing at counterPULSE (San Francisco), UC (Santa Barbara), Unknown Theatre (Hollywood) and Weingart Performance Annex (San Diego) with an updated version of the avant-garde production 'Ganga…Life as a River'. The Hollywood performances were partly funded by the Theater and Treasures Award from the LA County Department of Cultural Affairs and the California Traditional Music Society. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the school in 2007, the ADC recently presented a retrospective Classic Arpana 25 to a sold out audience at the Barclay followed by a 6 city tour of India. Ahila Gulasekaram, senior dancer was more featured in a collage presented at the prestigious Pageant of the Masters (2006) in Laguna Beach as a prelude to the section entitled "Divine Lovers." In 2005, ADC successfully premiered 'Ganga…Life as a River' a production partly funded by a 'Creativity' grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the 'Artist's support” program of the Fund for Folk Culture. In Spring of the same year, ADC dancers placed first in their category for dancing and won the 2nd prize for costumes at the International Danz Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain.
Over the years, the Company has presented 15 full length productions many raising funds of charities world wide. In 2003, Pancha Bhootam depicting the abstract concept of the 5 elements using the Bharata Natyam vocabulary and choreographed by Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar was successfully presented in LA followed by performances in Phoenix and Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival. Celluloid Classics, an exploration of film music using the classical and folk dance idiom, a collaboration between Harishankar and Radhika Shurajit, was presented in June to a sold out audience. ADC received a second Traditional Folk grant for a project called Varnam - preserving the traditional color. Margam was the culmination of the Master- Apprentice project supported by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. A Traditional Folk Arts grant from the California Arts Council funded a unique program of interpretive dance called Women in E'motion.
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 with dancer/choreographer, G. Narendra. The Company won the 2nd prize at the 2000 and 2003 International Dance Grand Prix in Prague, Czech Republic. 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 and also toured N. California and Portland. 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. The California Arts Council awarded ADC the Multi Cultural Entry grant from 1989 through 2001. 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 Dance Kaleidoscope, LA Festival, Santa Monica Festival, Watts Drum Festival and Nations of San Diego.
Eka: Nyka: One & Many (1993) and Maya Manusha - the illusive One (1992) benefited Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation respectively. In 1994, a new version of Uthsava: a glorious celebration was presented to benefit the Children's Hospital of Orange County. 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), were an official event of the Orange County Centennial and Krshnarpanam (1985) was in aid of the Malibu Temple.
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