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ARPANA SCHOOL
OF DANCE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN CALIFORNIA
In the beginning....
Starting modestly in 1982 with a
handful of students, Ramya Harishankar's Arpana School of Dance
celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with a multitude of
productions. Arpana has been a pioneer in S. California in many ways; held
the first Arangetram in the area with a live orchestra from India which
included Ramya's guru the late Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam; conducted annual
programs for the last 10 years raising over $60000 for charities worldwide;
has presented over 30 visiting Indian dancers/companies to local audiences
through the Arpana Foundation.
Arpana with over 120 enrolled students
including active graduates and another 35 graduates who are in various
parts of the world, took on the challenge to create an event that would
celebrate the past, present and future of the school. Irvine has been home
to the school and hence all the events were scheduled at the Barclay, Irvine
one of the finest theaters in S. California.
In mid-2001, planning began for a
weekend of performances showcasing the talent of the current students,
more recent graduates and some of the senior members of the Arpana Dance
Company (ADC) that started with the school 20 years ago. Accordingly
2 weekends were chosen and the productions slated for June 30th
and July 6th. After much thought, it was decided to attempt
2 shows in a day; one as a matinee and the other as the evening presentation
on June 30th. This was to be 'Samarpan' and 'Maya Manusha -
the illusive One'. The new production 'Woman Divine' was scheduled for
July 6th and would feature some of the most senior members of
the Arpana Dance Company and a guest choreographer. An undertaking of this
magnitude was also made possible by the dedicated efforts of Harish Murthy,
Geetha Nath and Usha Sampath.
The Offering!
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Musical Ensemble
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| Vocalists:
Ahila Gulasekaram (disciple of Rose Muralikrishna), Sruti Chandramouli
(disciple of Sunanda Chandramouli), Vani and Shiva Ramamurthy, Visalini,
Varshini and Vinodini Sundaram, Aniruddh Venkateswaran & Sweta Kambhapati
(disciples of Padma Kutty) |
| Mridangam:
Shubha Chandramouli (disciple of Poovalur Srinivasan) |
| Violin:
Arun Ramamurthy (disciple of Delhi Sundarajan and Krishna Kutty |
| Nattuvangam:
Ahila Gulasekaram, Amita Sheth & Smeeta Vora |
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'Samarpan' has been the
annual 'offering' of the school for the last 10 years. Always featuring
the various levels of enrolled students, it serves as a showcase of their
efforts and progress towards achieving proficiency in the art form. The
special presentation this year, a first of its kind in this region, was
dedicated to all the children of the community who had committed to the
arts; a program of these children, by the children and for other children
in the community serving as cultural role models. Students of Carnatic
Music pitched in to be the musical soul - singing, playing the mridangam
as well as the violin. No professionals. No seasoned amateur musicians.
Just the children and their art! Additionally, there was an interesting
format by selecting songs that would fit the sequence in a typical Carnatic
music concert. Beginning with 'Melukovaiya', the evocative prayer
by the great Thyagarja, some of the songs featured in the program were
the popular geethams followed by 'Gajavadana', the Mohana Varnam
'Ninnu Kori', Thyagaraja's 'Gandamu Puyaruga',
'Shiva Shiva' (Bhajan) and a Poornachandrika Thillana. The
senior members of ADC handled every aspect of the program including introductions
and stage management.
'Maya Manusha - the illusive One'
| Arpana Dance
Company
The Maya Manusha dancers:
Trisha Banerji ; Purwa Bansod ;Shubha
Chandramouli ; Nitya Joseph ; Hemali Lalu ; Maneesha Limaye ; Vidya Murthy
; Sumita Nair Aditi Nath ; Rupa Nath ; Avni Patel ; Jemini Patel Sejal
Patel ; Shivani Reddy ; Asha Sumanth ; Anita Vaidyanathan |
The crowds had hardly left the
foyer of the theater when the set up began for the evening's presentation.
As the lobby was being prepped with beautiful portraits of the company
dancers, none other than the famed Sethumadhavan himself was prepping
the young dancers backstage. 'Sethu Sir', as he is fondly called, was an
honored guest for this special event having been Ramya's make up artist
since her Arangetram in 1970. Hardly taking a rest after 'Samarpan' he
went through 16 more girls with the precision and detail that he is renown
for.
The program started with a prayer
and the introduction of the theme with a bright Swaranjali:
'Arrives a maiden with jubilant
news
A child is born! A child is born!
Such joy she exudes!
Who is He who with His birth
To Gokula has brought such mirth?
Poetically woven verses (written
by Usha Sampath and Ramya) formed brief and succinct introductions linking
the various events in Krishna's life; His Birth (Vannamadangal),
His youthful pranks (Chikkavane), his Love (Rusali Radha)
and His being the Saviour (Ode Oodi Vanden Kanna…).
Oh Krishna! It's you I desire
to see.
You, who are the personification
of beauty!
Oh Krishna! I bow with devotion,
Whether you are real or an illusion.
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" Maya Manusha "Rusali Radha"
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'Maya Manusha' concluded with
a sprightly 'thillana' that evoked an appreciative response from the near
sell out crowd at the Barclay. This production, first presented in 1992,
secured Ramya the coveted Choreographer's Fellowship award from the National
Endowment for the Arts (1993 -1997). Although never attempted before, the
dual presentation on the same day turned out to be quite a success although
it posed some stresses on the technical and administrative staff.
'Woman Divine'
| Arpana
Dance Company |
| The
Woman Divine dancers: |
| Sruti
Chandramouli ; Meera Deo ; Ahila Gulasekaram ; Anusha Kedhar ; Supreeta
Sampath ; Amita Sheth ; Arathi Varma ; Anjali Vora ; Smeeta Vora |
|
As everyone breathed a little
easier on Monday July 1st, it was not to be for long. The final
touches had to be put to 'Woman Divine', the new presentation. A tribute
to Devi, as a metaphor for some of the great qualities of women over the
centuries, it started with a powerful rendition of the Kali Kauthavam by
Ramya. To extol some of the virtues of women, the endearing tale of Abhirami
Amman using select verses from Abhirami Andadhi highlighted Compassion;
 Meerabai's Dedication was presented in the lilting bhajan 'Paga Ghunghroo
Bandh'; verses specially written by mridangist, G. Vijayaraghavan,
and tuned by Reji
George in musical opera form eloquently conveyed Kannagi's Courage; woman's
Strength as portrayed by Mahishasura Mardhini performed to fiery rhythmic
sequences brought a fitting climax to this unique segment. A scintillating
exposition of group choreography, symmetry, patterns and poses along with
meaningful interpretation contributed to a pleasing end to the first half,
in the piece about Nityakalyani originally choreographed by dancer, A.
Lakshman.
Second half's piece de resistance was performed by Ramya and G. Narendra
in a classic representation of the concept of Ardhanariswara in 'Chaampeye
Gauradhra'. Holding the rapt attention of the audience, the duo exemplified
the concept of the male and female principles working in harmony and balance
in the Universe, unique to Hindu mythology. Following solid solo performances
in an Astapadhi by Narendra and 'Krishna Nee Begane' by Ramya, this segment
brought other powerful aspects of Devi. Using the backdrop of the Navarathri
festival, sculpturesque bommai's of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi
came to life to popular lyrics that proclaim their great qualities; mental
and physical energy (Durga), wealth of character and prosperity (Lakshmi)
and power of discrimination and intellectual inquiry (Saraswathi). A light
'Kummi' traditionally performed during Navaratri provided a segue to a
Thillana in Yaman. 'Woman Divine' provided a challenging yet rewarding
experience for nine of the early graduates of the School and senior members
of the Arpana Dance Company. Narendra's dedicated contribution to the choreography,
Ramya's enthusiasm and energy and the support of the accomplished musical
ensemble made the event a grand celebration of the 20 years of Arpana.
 |
|
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| Harish Krishnamurthy,
Mayor ProTem, Beth Krom and Ramya Harishankar |
|
The Honorable Larry
Agran, Mayor of Irvine and Ramya Harishankar |
The Recognition
The celebrations concluded with a
reception honoring all the artistes, members of the community and the families
who have contributed to the growth and success of Arpana. Ramya spoke eloquently
and with devotion of her gurus, the late Swamimalai K. Rajaratanam
and Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan; her mentors Radha Nagarajan (mother),
Pattu Balagopal (grandmother) and Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy (mother-in-law),
the 'women divine' in her life. In her continued efforts to make a 'difference'
she had chosen to invite Sethumadhavan on his first visit to the US. To
commemorate the event specially commissioned mementos were presented to
everyone including the participants in the 3 programs. |
Credits - Woman Divine
| Artistic Direction:
Ramya Harishankar |
| Choreography: G.
Narendra, A. Lakshman and Ramya Harishankar |
| Producer: Harish
Murthy |
| Musical Direction:
Reji George and Nellai D. Kannan |
| Makeup Artist: Sethumadhavan |
| Musicians: Sunanda
Chandramouli (vocal), Padma Kutty (vocal), Usha Sriram (vocal), |
| L. Saravanan (Flute),
Rusti Gillette (Ghatam), Ravi Deo (tabla) |
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