National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

NCPA Mudra Dance Festival 2019

For the coming year, we journey Towards Hasya. In the world of communication, Hasya which also means humorous, is the magic key. Such a powerful tool to put a difficult point across, to break the ice in a conversation and to just simply be happy. We celebrate this Mudra with a series of performances by acclaimed artists.

Photo credit: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

Multi Dance Style Presentation and Bharatanatyam
21 Apr

Kanak Rele is a world renowned classical dance exponent as well as a scholar of Indian culture. A renowned performer, educationist, research scholar and, above all, a guru par excellence, Kanak Rele has today become a legend in her own lifetime. The President of India has honoured her as “A pioneering dance educationist and topmost MohiniAttam Exponent”. She has received some major awards, including Padmabhushan (2013), Padmashree (1990), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman for Contribution to MohiniAttam and Lifetime Achievement (2006), SangeetNatakAkademi Award (1994) and M.S. Subbulakshmi Award for Best Dance Teacher (2010). Rele is also the Advisor on Dance to the Planning Commission, Govt. of India, U.G.C. and hold major positions in many cultural and educational organisations. She is the Founding Director of the world-renowned dance institution, Nalanda Dance Research Centre, the only dance institute in the country which is recognised as a research centre by the Ministry of Science and Technology Govt. of India for pedagogical studies in Dance.

Shri Dhananjayan and Smt Shanta Dhananjayan, the dancing duo have carved a unique place in the field of Bharatanatyam. Both are trained and distinguished in the Kalakshetra Baani. They exhibit high reverence for traditionalism in their art and have today become role models for younger generation. They are well known as setters in the field of Bharatanatyam for having brought fresh approach to the choreographic innovations and creativity within the traditional framework. They are also the co-founders of the well-known Bharatakalanjali Institute of Bharatanatyam. They have received some of the major awards like Padmabhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeet Nataka Academy Fellowship, Kala-Vipanchee Title, Kalanidhi Award, Rukmini devi Memorial Award, UNESCO-Paris, Medallion De Merit and many others.

Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam
25 Apr

Sonal Mansingh, classical Indian dancer, guru, choreographer, scholar & author on Indian Socio-Cultural traditions. Also Member of Upper House of Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha). She is the recipient of the highest civilian awards, Padma Vibhushan (2003) and Padma Bhushan (1992) from President of India among many coveted national and international awards and honours. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi nominated her as a NAVRATNA for Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission).

She is proficient in several languages and their literature. She is unique among performing artists of India because of her training and deep knowledge of several Indian dance styles as well as the three prevalent classical music traditions of India, which are Hindustani, Oriya and Carnatic. Her unique contribution has been her lifelong work using her knowledge to address socio-cultural issues through chosen mediums of solo and group choreographies as also Naatya-Katha. As the Founder and President of Centre for Indian Classical Dances (estd. in 1977 at Delhi) she has trained several thousand talented artists who are carrying the message of Indian culture all over the world. Her book Incredible India – Classical Dances in English published by Wisdom Tree and books on her Devpriya in Hindi written by Yatindra Mishra and SONAL MANSINGH – A Life Like No Other by Sujata Prasad have gained wide readership. She had also contributed several articles on dance and Indian culture in prestigious magazines and newspapers. Her tele-films  Devi Durga and  Krishna Charit commissioned by Doordarshan in 1993 and 1994 saw hundreds of re-runs.

Prakash Jha made documentary on her SONAL which won National Award. Currently she is serving a second term as Trustee of Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). She is now the Kalapeethadheesh of KalayogaPeetham at S-VYASA University, Bangalore. She has served as Chairperson of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi and on several important official and cultural bodies.

Mandakini Trivedi had her training in Mohiniattam. She is also a proficient Bharatanatyam dancer, and obtained her Master of Fine Arts in dance from the Mumbai University. Mandakini Trivedi was also the recipient of a Fellowship of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. An outstanding exponent of Mohiniattam, Mandakini Trivedi has performed extensively in the prestigious dance festivals within the country and abroad. Her chief work is in understanding, teaching and spreading the art of Indian Dance as a complete yoga rooted in subtle yogic principles. She has authored three books titled The Yoga of Indian Dance, Sutras on Dance, and Ananda Yoga, and co-authored Nepathya – Behind the Curtain, besides writing numerous articles on dance for several national newspapers and journals. She has established an institution, Nateshvari, where she imparts training to young dancers. Mandakini Trivedi receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to Mohiniattam.

Bharatanatyam and Kathakali
27 Apr

A Bharatanatyam artist of exceptional ability, Priyadarsini Govind has perfected a dance style marked by fluid movement and a sharp sense of rhythm. She has presented dance recitals under the aegis of several sabhas and other institutions working in support of the arts. Among other appearances, she has performed at dance festivals of the Music Academy, Madras; Khajuraho Festival, Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Swarna Samaroh, Nritya Sangam, and Rabindra Pranati. On foreign shores, Priyadarsini has performed at prestigious events such as the Festival of India in France, Medina Festival in Tunisia, Milap Festival in Britain, Oriental Festival in France, Festival of India in Japan, Sifas Annual Festival in Singapore, and the India Festival in the United States. Besides solo performances, Priyadarsini has closely worked with Bombay Jayashree, Gouri Ramnarayan, LeeIa Samson, T.M. Krishna and Umayalpuram Sivaraman to produce a number of collaborative works. Priyadarsini Govind has received several honours for her work including the Kalaimamani title conferred by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai atakaManram (1998); the NrityaChoodamani bestowed by the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha (1998) and the Yuva Kala Bharati award presented by Bharat Kalachar (2000). Priyadarsini Govind received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to Bharatanatyam dance.

Sadanam Balakrishnan received his initial training in Kathakali from Shri Kurumathur Narayanan Namboodiripad at Kannur. Subsequently, he was trained by renowned gurus Shri Ramunni Nair and K. Kumaran Nair at the Gandhi Seva Sadan Kathakali Academy, Perur. Shri Kumaran Nair also guided him in choreography and direction in Kathakali idiom. He specialises in the Kalluvazhi style, besides studying other styles of Kathakali.

Sadanam Balakrishnan has excelled both in performance and teaching of Kathakali and has also worked towards its propagation outside Kerala. He has performed extensively, travelling to over 25 countries, trained and guided several artists, scripted and directed several new plays. He has joined eminent artists in other dance styles in duet presentations, conducted workshops, and participated in seminars across the country and abroad. Shri Balakrishnan has also authored a book on Kathakali. Among various honours and awards, he has received the Parishad Samman of Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to Kathakali.

NCPA Saz-e- Bahar                                   

Festival of Indian Instrumental Music

Photo credit: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

Indian subcontinent abounds in a variety of musical instruments, and a considerable specialisation is displayed in instrumental usage. Instruments present music solo, provide melodic or rhythmic accompaniment, or produce drones.

The ninth edition of this two-day festival will showcase four instrumentalists wielding instruments from different categories – string-plucked (sitar), string-bowed (violin & sarangi) and drums-percussion (tabla).

Dr. Suvarnalata Rao will present a pre-event talk on specific instruments presented on the respective days.

Violin & Sabir Khan
12 Apr

Anupriya Deotale inherited the cultural legacy from her father, a renowned poet, Prof. Chadrakant Deotale. Her music has a strong undercurrent of emotionality. An A-grade artiste of All India Radio, she is equally at ease with Hindustani classical and contemporary music. Having performed widely across many continents, she has many awards and accolades to her credit.

Sabir Khan has trained under the guidance of his father, the legendary maestro Sultan Khan and his grand-father, Gulab Khan, in the tradition of Sikar gharana. With an outstanding control over the technique and idiom of sarangi, Sabir Khan has accompanied and collaborated with some of the greatest artistes, and today, has an international career, also representing the musical heritage of Rajasthan.

Tabla &Sitar
13 Apr

Nurtured from a tender age, Anubrata Chatterjee had the privilege of learning tabla from stalwarts like Jnan Prakash Ghosh, and his own father, Anindo Chatterjee. Having performed solo as well as provided accompaniment to reputed artistes at some of the most prestigious national and international festivals, Anubrata represents the Farrukhabad gharana.

Having won the President of India award at the age of 15 for being the best instrumentalist, today, Purbayan Chatterjee is an accomplished sitar player of international repute. Besides solo classical concerts on sitar, he has designed the DWO, which is a doppelganger of the traditional Indian sitar. Purbayan is also an accomplished vocalist and has several international collaborative projects to his credit.

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