Highlights
of 2000
In keeping
with our commitment to make a difference, the Arpana Dance Company (ADC)
and I began the year with participation in the Orissa cyclone relief
program presented by the Jagannath Society of S. California.
In March, we
received a very flattering review of 'Nritya Saram – the essence of
dance', which we presented to the Bay area audiences under the auspices
of the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose.
The
Getty seems to have made the ADC a permanent fixture at their Family
Day and this year, we were also invited to perform at the Santa
Monica Festival 2000 to present the collaborative dance piece with
Kinnara Taiko. Featured for the first time at the Nations of San Diego,
a 5-day multi cultural festival, the ADC not only adds the Indian flavor
to these events but also gains the valuable experience of presenting to
new and diverse audiences.
The curiosity
and enthusiasm of young children is a great motivation
and I had the opportunity to experience it in the presentations for over
5000 children in schools from Pismo Beach to San Diego. This was again
evident in the 65 students of the Arpana School who presented Samarpan
2000 (April 15th), homage to Indian poets from 1600 AD to the present.
I am thankful to all the children and their families who joined in the
annual Arpana effort and raised over $9500 for 5 charities in India! Preparing
7 students for their Arangetrams this year also challenged my creative
energies.
Late April,
Ahila Gulasekaram, Anusha Kedhar and I attended the International Dance
Festival in Prague, Czech Republic where we had the opportunity to
see the work of over 600 dancers and their diverse dance forms from the
world over. The icing on the cake was the II prize in our category.
New
Beginnings
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| Ramya
Harishankar |
Ahila
Gulasekaram, Neeta Puthanveetil, Supreeta Sampath and Arathi Varma |
Inspired
by my work with various choreographers including Prof. Chandrasekhar
in India over the summer, I presented '..new beginnings…'recently.
A unique feature of the program was the works by different choreographers.
My senior students, Ahila Gulasekaram, Neeta Puthanveetil, Supreeta Sampath
and Arathi Varma danced to excerpts from Kalidasa's Ritu Samhara.
Observing truly
great artistes in action is like a shot in the arm for me and I had many
such opportunities this year. My guru, Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan
made a rare visit in May, spending 2 weeks sharing her expertise and talent
in abhinaya with a few 'lucky' students.
This Fall,
we were honored to bring Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra,
the pioneering Odissi dancer to S. California audiences under the auspices
of the Arpana Foundation.
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