Dance festival at The Music Academy, Madras

Since last year, the Music Academy, Madras hosts a dance festival after the December Music season.

This year, the festival begins on Jan. 3, 2008 and will go on till Jan. 9, 2008. Four dance events are held on all these days. Many senior dancers including Prof. C. V. Chandrasekar, Vyjayantimala Bali, Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy and Leela Samson will be performing at the festival. Also, Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi, Odissi dances and Yaksha Ganam are also in the schedule.

Bharat Kalachar awards for 2007

The Margazhi Mahotsav conducted by Bharat Kalachar, Chennai is in its twenty first year this December.

The organisation headed by the arts promoter Mrs. Y. G. P. encourages young talents every year and confers the title 'Yuva Kala Bharathi' recognising the youngsters' contribution in the field of classical music, dance and drama every year apart from honouring veterans in the fields.

This year awadees are:
Well known flutist N. Ramani will receive the title, Gnana Kala Bharathi.
The title 'Viswa Kala Bharathi' will be conferred on senior dancer Chitra Visweswaran and Tiruvarur Bhakthavatsalam, percussionist.
The 'Natya Kaladhar' title will go to popular light music artiste S. P. Balasubramaniam.
'Acharya Kala Bharathi' will be received by dance gurus Adyar K. Lakshman and Ranganayaki Jayaraman.
Dancers Anandavalli Satchidanandan of Australia and Narthaki Nataraj will be awarded the title 'Kala Seva Bharathi'.
Popular Tamil theatre artistes Mali and Brinda will receive the title 'Nadaga Kala Bharathi'.

The young artistes who wil receive the title Yuva Kala Bharathi are :
Vocalists Ragam Sisters - Sivaranjani and Nalinakanthi, Nisha Rajagopal, multi talented vocalists and instrumentalist Kuldeep M. Pai, Lavanya and Subbulakshmi, Saxophone artistes, violinists Pudukkottai Ambikaprasad, and V. Sanjeev, mridangists R. Sankaranarayanan and Karthik Ramanathan, ghatam artists H. Prasanna, kanjira artiste Anirudh Athreya, Shijith Nambiar for all rounder in Bharatanatyam, nattuvangam and choreography, dancers Arthi Mohan, Mythili Prakash and Anitha Sivaraman.