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Dance Buzz 2012
'Epic Women' dance conference for three days
- 21 December 2012
A rousing start to the 'Epic Women' dance conference - Natya Darshan - was given by drummers who work with the Adishakti theatre company based in Pondicherry as the curtains went up at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan hall, Mylapore on Friday morning (Dec.21).
.Their music, part of a bigger work that accommodates 'the feminine form of Ganesha' was on the stage, smartly set for the occasion.
Bettering this show after the quick formal launch and introduction by conference head, Anita Ratnam scholar and writer Dr Prema Nandakumar made a rousing address as she touched on the 'epic' women in Indian cultural and social history, spicing her talk with telling anecdotes and excerpts. It was a highly animated address which received rounds of applause, laughs and guffaws.
Said Prema who now lives in Srirangam, " This season we receive many guests at home so I must rush back to join the epic women of Srirangam!".
Swarnamalya Ganesh, presenting her third lecture of this season chose to touch on what she called 'selfhood and tenacity' of the Sangam age women. She brought in the personal life story of dancer and guru Kalyani ammal a master of the Pandanallur style, of times when this woman was married off to a rich man, was discriminated and came back to her dance in an era when natyam was very different - to highlight the tenacity of great artistes who lived in extreme social conditions.
The Epic Women conclave, that runs till Dec.23 has a mix of talks/lce-dems and recitals, in the mornings and evenings.
Must watch on Dec.23 - at 6.15pm, dancer Geeta Chandran's take on a woman's perspective on Gandhii's philosophy and at 7.30 pm is Kapila Venu's Nangiarkoothu recital on ' Sita Parithyagam'.
This conference is hosted by Kartik Fine Arts with Arangham Trust.
Another dance conference, Natya Kala will open after Christmas at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Dancer Priyadarshini Govind is the convenor.
