'about Her' by Anita Ratnam
Event: Dance Performance "about Her"
Artiste: Dancer Anita Ratnam
Venue: Lincoln Theater, Washington, DC
Date: Oct 27, 2007 7:30pm
Hosted by: Dakshina Dance Company
It has been a long desire to see the performance of dancer Smt. Anita Ratnam in person. Have been tracking her schedule quite sincerely from the time I first heard about the artiste. My first acquaintance with her was her rave reviews in The Hindu Friday Review when I was in Pilani. I was very keen on hosting a dance show in Pilani through Spicmacay and contacted Smt.Anita by email while she was in Delhi, conducting a dance movement workshop for The Hindu Youngworld. We were out of funds that semester and the opportunity slipped out. Then, I read her interview with The Times Sunday Magazine while I was in Mathura, UP, India. My reverence for Anita grew leaps and bounds. I got more interested in meeting her and have a chat with her about the various art forms she is trying. At that time, she had not come up with the term 'Neobharatham' though the idea might have been floating. The dancers directory Narthaki and Arangham Trust showed that this artiste is truly a person who can elegantly transform her ideas into action. I keep visiting Anita's page, mainly to dote on the colorful and authentic costumes, and to learn about her latest productions.
Marked my calendars to visit NYC to see her "7 Graces" but again I couldn't make it. Hadn't wanted to miss 'Her', though the theme didn't fancy me. For details on the theme of 'Her', please visit her web page (I lost the pamphlet distributed in the concert hall). Anita portrayed Andal, Meera and Tara, a Goddess of Buddhist myth, on a three-act solo performance for recorded music score.
"Karpooram Naarumo" pasurams of Andal or Godha (Kodhai) was the only act I could relate to and appreciate more than Meera and Tara. The stage lighting was tranquilizing for this piece. Thirunamam with Sangu and Chakkaram in white on a sea-bluish background brought the desired authenticity of a parkadal to the pasurams. Anita used a small ottoman and performed the piece sitting, one full of facial and hand expressions than foot taps. She also had a commendable voice while she sang in between the recorded score. Meera was quite vague and Tara totally incomprehensible to me. I wish I had a chance to talk to her after the show, but the concert hall was closed soon after the performance.
Indeed, the dance themes portrayed by Anita are little complex to the simpleton me and I hope the same for many. The concept of neobharatam is not being received positively amidst all dancers, esp those of traditional Vazhuvoor, Pandanallur and Dandapani Pillai schools. Some also say she has only too much PR. Here is an artiste who is trying to infuse different dance and body movement forms into bharatanatyam. It is an honest try and I am giving my support to her and any artiste who tries new pastures. It need not necessarily be immediately welcome. It is time that makes new ventures of yesterday our customs and traditions of today. Anita dares to try. Why - she takes a step further and bring it to international stage. With a determination to learn at least an appreciation for all art forms, I am developing an interest to know them genuinely, be it from any country or origin. And the efforts of Anita, an artiste from our home land, need appreciation more than the European orchestra that played symphony for Illayaraja's Thiruvasagam. Didn't we all praise Illayaraja himself for trying Thiruvasagam in symphony?
Why should I close my mind and live in a narrow world when I can open them and annex the world beyond?
I had wanted to see the performances of dancers Shobana, Anita Ratnam and Priyadarshini Govind in person.The DVDs of these 3 dancers that I bought had only stoked the smoke more. I had the fortune of seeing the first two as soon as I moved to Virginia. I had narrowly missed Priyadarshini at Scottsdale, AZ in 2006 and Maryland in early 2007. My tapas continues for the third......
Artiste: Dancer Anita Ratnam
Venue: Lincoln Theater, Washington, DC
Date: Oct 27, 2007 7:30pm
Hosted by: Dakshina Dance Company
It has been a long desire to see the performance of dancer Smt. Anita Ratnam in person. Have been tracking her schedule quite sincerely from the time I first heard about the artiste. My first acquaintance with her was her rave reviews in The Hindu Friday Review when I was in Pilani. I was very keen on hosting a dance show in Pilani through Spicmacay and contacted Smt.Anita by email while she was in Delhi, conducting a dance movement workshop for The Hindu Youngworld. We were out of funds that semester and the opportunity slipped out. Then, I read her interview with The Times Sunday Magazine while I was in Mathura, UP, India. My reverence for Anita grew leaps and bounds. I got more interested in meeting her and have a chat with her about the various art forms she is trying. At that time, she had not come up with the term 'Neobharatham' though the idea might have been floating. The dancers directory Narthaki and Arangham Trust showed that this artiste is truly a person who can elegantly transform her ideas into action. I keep visiting Anita's page, mainly to dote on the colorful and authentic costumes, and to learn about her latest productions.
Marked my calendars to visit NYC to see her "7 Graces" but again I couldn't make it. Hadn't wanted to miss 'Her', though the theme didn't fancy me. For details on the theme of 'Her', please visit her web page (I lost the pamphlet distributed in the concert hall). Anita portrayed Andal, Meera and Tara, a Goddess of Buddhist myth, on a three-act solo performance for recorded music score.
"Karpooram Naarumo" pasurams of Andal or Godha (Kodhai) was the only act I could relate to and appreciate more than Meera and Tara. The stage lighting was tranquilizing for this piece. Thirunamam with Sangu and Chakkaram in white on a sea-bluish background brought the desired authenticity of a parkadal to the pasurams. Anita used a small ottoman and performed the piece sitting, one full of facial and hand expressions than foot taps. She also had a commendable voice while she sang in between the recorded score. Meera was quite vague and Tara totally incomprehensible to me. I wish I had a chance to talk to her after the show, but the concert hall was closed soon after the performance.
Indeed, the dance themes portrayed by Anita are little complex to the simpleton me and I hope the same for many. The concept of neobharatam is not being received positively amidst all dancers, esp those of traditional Vazhuvoor, Pandanallur and Dandapani Pillai schools. Some also say she has only too much PR. Here is an artiste who is trying to infuse different dance and body movement forms into bharatanatyam. It is an honest try and I am giving my support to her and any artiste who tries new pastures. It need not necessarily be immediately welcome. It is time that makes new ventures of yesterday our customs and traditions of today. Anita dares to try. Why - she takes a step further and bring it to international stage. With a determination to learn at least an appreciation for all art forms, I am developing an interest to know them genuinely, be it from any country or origin. And the efforts of Anita, an artiste from our home land, need appreciation more than the European orchestra that played symphony for Illayaraja's Thiruvasagam. Didn't we all praise Illayaraja himself for trying Thiruvasagam in symphony?
Why should I close my mind and live in a narrow world when I can open them and annex the world beyond?
I had wanted to see the performances of dancers Shobana, Anita Ratnam and Priyadarshini Govind in person.The DVDs of these 3 dancers that I bought had only stoked the smoke more. I had the fortune of seeing the first two as soon as I moved to Virginia. I had narrowly missed Priyadarshini at Scottsdale, AZ in 2006 and Maryland in early 2007. My tapas continues for the third......
Hi Skylark,
ReplyDeleteI work with Dakshina and would love to talk to you about writing on future programs for us. Please contact me at dahlia@dakshina.org
Thanks!
Hi, I replied to you at the email given. No response !!!
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