BHARATA NATYAM,
the classical Indian dance form is a combination of the arts of the stage,
music, poetry, color and rhythm. Such a rich cultural tradition requires
years of discipline, both mental and physical, hard work and dedication.
RAMYA HARISHANKAR
brings to Bharata Natyam all these qualities enhanced by vigorous training
under the best gurus: the late Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam who followed
the traditional Vazhuvoor style and was renowned for his musical
and choreography skills and Kalanidhi Narayanan, one of the finest
exponents and teachers of the art of Abhinaya, the art of expressing emotions.
With over two decades of training, Harishankar combines the elegance, grace
and suppleness of the Vazhavoor School with the distinctive ability to
express all shades of emotion with sensitivity and intuition.
In 2003 she was awarded
‘Outstanding Artist of the Year’ for 2002 by Arts OC, the
countywide arts organization in Orange County for her accomplishments.
2002 was a flagship year for Harishankar since it was the 20th anniversary
of her school, Arpana (means offering in Sanskrit). Since her humble
beginnings in 1982, over 250 students have been personally trained in this
rigorous art form with more than 60 of them ‘graduating’ with their solo
dance performances. Last year she presented three productions, ‘Samarpan’,
‘Maya Manusha – the illusive One’ and ‘Woman Divine’, all to near sold
out houses at The Barclay in Irvine. Through her school, she has helped
build artistic sensitivity, appreciation and understanding of cultural
traditions in the community. Her students also acquired physical and mental
discipline, strength of character and personalities that have held them
in good stead through their college and working careers. Many of them have
become torchbearers of the tradition and have been performing with the
Arpana Dance Company since its inception in 1985. The Alliance
for California Traditional Artists recognized her dedication to the
art form with a grant under the Master-Apprenticeship (2001-2002) program.
Harishankar is also a grantee (2001 & 2002) under the Traditional
Folk Arts program of the California Arts Council (CAC).
In 2002, Arpana Dance
Company was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant
for Creativity to commission a special work ‘Life as a River’ that will
explore the prose, poetry, legend and music referencing the river Ganga.
The NEA had earlier awarded her the prestigious Choreographer's Fellowship
(93-97) in recognition of her skills. The Arpana Dance Company had been
a recipient of the Multi Cultural Entry Grant from CAC for
12 years (1989-2001). As a performer/choreographer for over 25 years, Harishankar
has over 15 full-length productions to her credit. Her productions have
explored many cross-cultural themes collaborating with Japanese Taiko drummers,
Flamenco dancers, Indo-American Jazz group and a Persian musical ensemble.
Most of these, she chose to self-produce to raise moneys for charities.
Over the years she has donated over $60000 to charities such as
the American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pediatric AIDS Foundatio,
American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society, which recognized
her with the Excalibur award in 1999. Through her solo performances
and the Arpana Dance Company, Harishankar has communicated the aesthetics
of this traditional art form to thousands of Orange County residents. In1996
the United India Association gave her the Excellence award
for her contribution to the community.
Her dedication to
creating a better multi cultural community has been supported by the Education
Division of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. As a roster artist
of the ‘From the Center’ program since its inception in 1989, Harishankar
has been sharing her art in a very unique way with the children of the
schools in the County. Disney Resorts included her as one of
nine featured artists in 2002 for their neighborhood school districts.
She also works on similar programs through the Children's Creative Project
(Central California) and the Center for World Music (San Diego).
She has been a guest instructor at University of California, Irvine
and since 1993 has presented lecture demonstrations bi-annually at the
San Diego State University.
Her performing career
spanning over 2 decades has taken her all over the world. Over the years
she has also toured extensively in India, S. E. Asia, the Far East, Europe,
the Middle East, Australia, Canada and the United States. She was one of
the first Bharata Natyam artists on the Touring Artists Roster of
the CAC. She has served as a panelist at the National Endowment
for the Arts, California Arts Council and World Arts West.
Ramya is an empanelled artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. In 1981 she was invited to perform
at the prestigious Navaratri Mantapam in Trivandrum before
the Maharani, the royal family and other special invitees. She also toured and performed the Varnam (centerpiece) in Guru Rajaratnam's production celebrating
the birth centenary of the renowned poet/patriot Subrahmanya Bharathi.
In 1978 she was selected for the 'outstanding young dancer' series
by Tamil Sangam, featured in the yearly series by Madras Music Academy
and was awarded the title 'Singar Mani' by the Sur Singar Samsad,
Mumbai. The crowning event was the performance at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan
(the presidential residence) before Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,
President Sanjeeva Reddy and other foreign dignitaries. In 1972, she
played Rati in her guru's interpretation of Kalidas's Kumarasambhava
that won the Golden trophy at the Kalidas Samaroh in Ujjain. From
1970 through 1981 Ramya toured India extensively performing from Chandigarh
to Trivandrum, Calcutta to Pune.
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