Dance performance andNational Seminar on Classical danceOctober 25 - 29, 2011 Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan

Inauguration by

Sri. K.C.JosephHon. Minister for Culture

Chaired by

Sri. A.P.AnilkumarHon. Minister for Tourism

Mudra Festival hosted by Department of Cultural Affairs, Kerala has become synonymous with Indian Classical Dance performances. Highly appreciated by the cognoscente, Mudra 2011, the eighth edition of the festival will be presented from 25th to 29th October at the Koothambalam of Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Exquisite performances by maestros and lec-dems and seminars by scholars of classical dances will entertain and stimulate the connoisseurs and laymen alike.We earnestly request your presence at this memorable event, to be part of a heavenly experience.

K.C.Joseph Sajen Peter IASMinister for Culture Principal SecretaryChairman, Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan Department of Cultural Affairs

Dr. M.G. Sasibhooshan Dr. Vilakkudy RajendranVice Chairman Member SecretaryVyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan

Dance performance and National Seminar on Classical DanceOctober 25-29, 2011 Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan

Welcome : Dr. Vilakkudy Rajendran Member Secretary, Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan

Presided by : Sri. A.P. Anil Kumar Hon. Minister for Tourism

Inauguration : Sri. K.C.Joseph Hon. Minister for Culture

Lighting of the lamp byDoyens of Sacred dance formsGuru Durga Charan Ranbir andKalamandalam Kshemavathy

Inauguration25th October 5.30 pm

Felicitaions : Sri. Sajen Peter IAS Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs Department Dr. M.R.Thampan Director, State Institute of Languages Prof. Thumpamon Thomas Director, State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications Dr. M.G.Sasibhooshan Vice Chairman, Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan Sri. Babu Kuzhimattam Secretary, Kerala State Bookmark Vote of Thanks : Dr. Neena Prasad Co-ordinator, Mudra Fest 2011

Tuesday

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10.30 am - 12.30 pmRegistration

6.15 pmOdissi Rahul Acharya

7.30 pmMohiniyattamKalamandalam Kshemavathy

Kalamandalam KshemavathyKalamandalam Kshemavathy, a versatile artist, better known as a Mohiniyattam dancer is also adept at Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi from illustrious Gurus of the country.In consideration of her substantial contribution to the field of Mohiniyattam, Kshemavathy has been honoured with the senior fellowship for Mohiniyattam, by the Ministry of Human Resources Development and in 2011 Government of India had deservely bestowed the Padmasri on her.During her distinguished career she has received many awards from institutions in India and abroad and State and National awards including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademy Award for Bharatanatyam, Kerala Kalamandalam Award for Mohiniyattam, National Academy Award for Mohiniyattam and Nritya Natya Puraskaram of Kerala State.

Rahul AcharyaRahul Acharya, the young Odissi maestro, took his first step as a dancer at a very young age of 4 under the tutelage of Guru Sri. Durga Charan Ranbir. While continuing his Odissi training, he received the Junior scholarship and later the Senior Scholarship in performing arts from the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. He ia an `A’ graded artist of Doordarsan and an empanelled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Sri. Acharya is the first male Odissi dancer to be awarded the Ustad Bismilla Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Academy, NewDelhi. He has worked as a guest Artist of Trinayan Collective, Newyork and has been honoured by the Oriya Society and the Jagannath Society of America. He is doing research in Jagannath culture and contributes articles for Sacred Dance Guild Journal USA and various international dance journals and websites. He is a regular contributor on www. narthaki.com.

Wednesday

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ber 10.30 am - 12.30 pm &

2.30 - 4.30 pmClassVempati Ravi ShankarEmphasizing Nrita and Nritya aspects of Vempati School of KuchipudiItem 1 - Swathithirunal Bhoopalam Thillana Item 2 - Mudukare Yesoda

6.15 pmKathak Aashimbandhu

7.30 pm MohiniyattamKalamandalam Hymavathy

Kalamandalam HymavathyKalamandalam Hymavathy, a virtuoso performer of Kerala’s own dance form Mohiniyat-tam is also a brilliant choreographer and an excellent teacher with impeccable track record. Taking up a teaching career in Kerala Kalamandalam that culminated in her reaching the exalted post of the Head of Department, she received good teacher and good dancer award from the Kerala Kalamandalam. As a dancer Hymavathy has many solo performances to her credit, in addition to innumerable performances under the banner of Kerala Kalamandalam all over India and many places abroad. During her renowned career, she has received many awards including Kala-Darpana Award, Kala Praveen Award and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award. An ‘A’ Top Artist of Doordarsan she now runs “Nrithyathapovanam” an institution for teaching Mohiniyattam.

Ashimbandhu BhattacharjeeAshimbandhu Bhattacharjee, the Kathak Maestro, combines the softness and subtlety of the Lucknow Gharana and the rhythmic vigour of the Jaipur Gharana, in his performances. Ashim’s pleasing stage presence and graceful movements coupled with masculine grace, clarity of footwork and elegant pirouettes are a result of his meticulously acquired techni-cal excellence. His initial training was under the eminent dancers and gurus of the Jaipur Gharana, Pt. Ramgopal Mishra and Smt. Susmita Mishra. He learned the intricacies of the Lucknow gharana from the renowned exponents of that school of Kathak, Pt. Vijay Shankar and the legendary Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj. A Kathak dancer par excellence, Ashimbandhu is also a matchless teacher and an innovative and creative choreographer and has carved a niche for himself in the sphere of performing arts.

Thursday

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ber

Sushama RanganathanSushama Ranganathan, a multi dimensional artiste is an exponent of Bharatanatyam, who follows the style of the Balasaraswati tradition. She was trained in Bharatanatyam under Nattuvanar Sri. K. Ganesan. An accomplished dancer of impeccable pedigree, she is the grand daughter of Sanskrit scholar Dr. V. Raghavan and daughter of Smt. Nandini Ramani, the prime disciple of Smt.T. Balasaraswati. She was trained in Sanskrit drama and has performed in dance dramas in prestigious festivals like Kalidas festival at Ujjain. In the Balasaraswati tradition of exploiting the intricate interrelation between classical music and Bharatanatyam, Sushama was trained in Carnatic Music under renowned exponents to take the dance form to greater heights. Her husband Sri. T.S.Ranganathan is a well known media personality and singer.

Uma ThapasyanandaUma, an innovative danseuse, started learning Bharatanatyam at an early age of five. She was trained under eminent gurus in other classical dance forms and even in folk dance style. Uma underwent a one year special course in Mohiniyattam in Kerala Kalamandalam under Guru Kalamandalam Leelamma and continued under Guru Kalamandalam Ksh-emavathy. Kalamandalam Shylaja guided her in her studies about the facial expressions of Koodiyattam, with a view to widening her abhinaya skills. She also studied classical music under Shri Diwakaran and further training under Shri Perumbavoor G Ravin-dranath. Uma experimented with the rhythms and instruments of Sopana Sangeetham after learning the nuances of that genre from Kavalam Narayana Panicker. Her major compositions are Krishnayanam, Kena Thathwam and Aranyakam.

10.30 am - 12.30 pm &2.30 - 4.30 pmClassVempati Ravi ShankarEmphasising Nrita and Nritya aspect of Vempati School of KuchipudiItem 1 - Swathithirunal Bhoopalam Thillana Item 2 - Mudukare Yesoda

6.15 pmBharatanatyamSushama Ranganathan7.30 pmMohiniyattamUma Thapasyananda

Friday

Octo

ber 10.30 am - 12.30 pm

Lecture DemonstrationJaikishore MosalikantiThe process of Choreography as achoreographer and performer

2.30 - 4.30 pmLecture DemonstrationEttumanoor P. KannanPakarnnattam - it’s scope andmanifestations in Kathakali

6.15 pmKuchipudiJaikishore Mosalikanti

7.30 pmBharatanatyamAlarmel Valli

Jaikishore Mosalikanti & PadmavaniJaikishore Mosalikanti and Padmavani, his wife and disciple, perform as a Kuchipudi duo with flawless co-ordination and perfection. Son of violin maestro Shri M.S.Rao, Jaikishore began his career as a dancer at the age of seven, under the great Kuchipudi exponent and guru Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. While seeking to establish his unique style in choreography with innovative rhythms and rhythmic variations, Jaikishore honours the precedents set by his guru. His body of work is highly appreciated by critics, scholars and connoisseurs. Jaikishore and his ensemble have performed to great acclaim in all the prominent and prestigious dance festivals in India and abroad.Padmavani Mosalikanti, better known as Vani, Jaikishore’s wife, disciple and his part-ner in duets, is an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer in her own right. An intrinsic part of Jaikishore’s ensemble, she provides active support as a performer, teacher and an accompanist on the cymbal.

Alarmel ValliAlarmel Valli, admired and adored by critics and connoisseurs is a leading Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, with an uncanny ability to escalate the traditional grammar of the dance form into subtle, internalised dance poetry. Critics have only superlatives to describe her performances, evocatively describing “movement as pure joy”. Though, “uncompromisingly classical” - her dance style has been “blurring the boundaries between tradition and individual talent and invention.” In consideration of her significant contribution to performing arts the Government of India had conferred the Padmasri and Padmabhushan on her. Tamilnadu Government gave her the Kalaimamani Award. The Sangeeth Natak Academy award for Bharatanatyam, the Chevalier of Arts and Letters award of the French Government and the Grande Medaille de la ville de Paris are some of the prestigious awards she has been bestowed with.Having performed at all major dance festivals across the country, she has enchanted dance afficianados all over the world with her virtuoso performances.

Saturday

Octo

ber 09.30 - 11.00 am

Lecture DemonstrationAlarmel ValliThe relevance of a traditional margamin the contemporory - the challenge of the artist

6.15 pmKuchipudiAnanda Shankar Jayant

7.30 pmBharatanatyamA. Lakshman

A. LakshmanA. Lakshman, hailed by renowned dance critics as a dancer made for Bharatanatyam, was initiated into the art by Guru Smt. Veera Venugopal of Bharatha Kalanjali, Malay-sia, his place of birth. To pursue his study of Bharatanatyam, he migrated to Chennai and joined ‘Sarasalaya’, where he had been trained under Guru K.J.Sarasa. Taking up teaching at ‘Sarasalaya’, he honed his skills and picked up the nuances of the art from stalwarts like Professor Sudharani Reghupathy, Prof. C.V.Chandrasekhar and abhinaya exponent Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan. Lakshman now heads ‘Nrityalakshana’ an institute of classical arts in Chennai and imparts training in Bharatanatyam in its purest and most authentic form.He has participated in many national dance festivals throughout the country and exten-sively travelled and performed in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, USA, UK and France.He is an empanelled artist of ICCR and a graded artist of Doordarsan. Lakshman has been honoured with numerous awards, including the Best Dance Award from the Indian Fine Arts Society. The Madras Music Academy bestowed him with the Best Guru in recognition of his sterling contributions as a teacher.

Dr. Ananda Shankar JayantDr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, a highly acclaimed dancer, is a multifaceted personality. An evocative and innovative choreographer, she combines the grammar and idioms of the classical dance format with the contemporary dance forms, constantly stretching the boundaries of artistic creativity. She was honoured with the Padmasri in 2007 and was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Puraskar in 2010 for Bharatanatyam. The other numerous honours and awards received by her during her career include “Nritya Choodamani” from Srikrishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, the Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamilnadu and the Kala Ratna from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.Smt. Ananda Shankar Jayant, serves the Indian Railway in Secunderabad as a senior officer.

Chief GuestSri. K.Muraleedharan

MLA

Vempati Ravi ShankarVempati Ravi Shankar son and disciple of legendary guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, has been inherited the talents of his father. Introduced to Kuchipudi, at the age of seven, under the tutelage of Smt. Bala, a senior disciple of Dr. Vempati, Ravi Shankar had studied and was trained for ten years under Smt. Bala and his father. His talents were not limited to Kuchipudi, but extended to vocal music and lyrics. He studied Carnatic vocal music under the illustrious guru Dr. M. Balamuralee Krishna. His singing talent is supported by rare compositional flair, setting to music his own lyrics. He has many Keertanas, Javalis and thillanas to his credit and has conducted vocal concerts in California and Maryland. His Kuchipudi performances are highly appreciated and his footwork, impeccable ahaarya, abhinaya and nritya and his graceful movements make them outstanding. He has performed at major dance festivals like Avignon Festival in France, Netherlands World Theatre Festival, Khajuraho Festival in Madhya Pradesh, Konark Festival in Orissa and the Kuchipudi Mahotsav in Mumbai.Ravi Shankar is a recipient of many honours, accolades and awards for his performances and choreographic brilliance. He continues his contributions to the world of performing arts as a virtuoso performer, excellent teacher and guru, an intelligent and scholarly lecturer demonstrator and an extremely talented and creative choreographer.

Ettumanoor P. KannanEttumanoor P. Kannan, a multi-talented artiste of Kathakali has been proving his mettle as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and a scholar academician much sought after for lecture demonstrations and workshops on Kathakali. Though firmly based in the traditional Kathakali genre his keen sense of theatre helps him in adopting contemporary theatrical concepts into his choreographic creations. Thus, he adorns the roles of script writer, director and performer of contemporary theatre pieces in Kathakali format with ease and panache. His one-actor presentation of Macbeth and Ramayana in Los Angeles were received with adulations by critics and audience.He lived with twenty five theatre persons from different parts of the world and participated with them in a theatre workshop conducted by University of California, Los Angeles. This workshop helped him learn first hand, about the modern and post modern theatre movements and trends in the west. Taking inspiration from this enlightenment, he created “Voices” a post modern theatre piece and a drama based on Oedipus. Employed as a field researcher in Kerala University, his work provides him an opening to delve deeper into his study of Kathakali. His Lecture Demonstrations, appreciation courses and work-shops on Kathakali conducted in India and abroad, are well attended and much appreciated.

Programme supported bySouth Zone

Cultural CentreThanjavoor

Vyloppilly Samskrithi BhavanMulti Purpose Cultural Complex

Department of Culture, Government of KeralaNalanda, Thiruvananthapuram-3, Kerala, India

Tel./Fax 91 471 2311842email : directormpcc@gmail.com

www.mpcc.kerala.gov.in