Arts scholar Dr. Sunil Kothari is currently touring the US. Here is a report he mailed from Washington.
The curtain rose at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Centre, Rockville, Mary Land on the Dance Celebrations 2005, organized by IDEA (India Dance Educators Association) on September 5, 2005.
Highlight of the event was the dance production 'Navarasa', conceived and directed by Vempati Chinna Satyam's diciple Anuradha Nehru and choreographed by Kishore Mosalkanti, another disicple of Vempati.
The production featured Indian Diaspora disciples of Anuradha Nehru. Right from the opening sequence till the concluding tillana, it was a pleasure to watch it, primarily on account of sound technique and impressive aharya, off white, cream colour costumes with gold border.
The hauntingly melodious music by B.V.Balasai recorded in Chennai, lyrics by Uma Egguni and danced by Chitra Kalyandurg, Silpa Thotakura, Smitha Viswanathan, Asha Dwarka, Nanda Srikaniaiah, Anita Sivaraman, Shobha Korambil, Indira Sarma and Anuradha Nehru, Navarasa had the nine different rasas with a peg of a story and incidents from Ramayana, with rasas appropriate to each situation.
After a year's gruelling rehearsal and co-ordination, the result was indeed heartening.
Another choreogrpahic work that had the audience rivetted to their seats was Delhi based Odissi dancer Madhavi Mudgal's choreographic works in Odissi.
You can contact Dr. Sunil Kothari at sunilkothari1933@yahoo.com Dancer Anuradha Nehru can be contacted at anu__nehru@hotmail.com
