07/10/2024
It was very special for me to receive a warm invitation from one of my favorite dancers, Priyadarsini Govind, to receive the Navadarshini birudu on the concluding day of her brilliantly designed Navadarshana dance intensive, in San Jose, CA. Acharyas Aler Krishnan of San Diego and Chitra Ramaswamy of New Jersey played major roles in organizing the workshops in the US. It was very heartening to see many dedicated young dancers from all over the US immersing themselves completely in the 3 day workshop, not only learning dances but also singing the songs and saying the solkattu. Priya’s senior disciple Apoorva Jayaraman (who recently gave a memorable performance in Houston for Indian Performing Arts, Samskriti), helped train the participants in some of the dances. Scholar Jayachandran Surendran (who recently gave two amazing lectures on Shiva and Andal for Samskriti) and dancer-choreographer Vaibhav Arekar (who will perform for Samskriti on Oct 27, 2024) enriched the participants’ experience, the former with his inexhaustible knowledge of dance, literature, mythology and more, and the latter with his input on the creative use of space in nritta choreography, which was very imaginatively used by the different groups of dancers. Icing on the cake - Vaibhav’s excellent rendition of Diksh*tar’s Ananda Natana Prakasam evoking images of Nataraja dancing in space, graceful yet strong, unhurried, his poses etched in sculpturesque perfection. Vaibhav is indeed a consummate artist. Priyadarsini’s unique and beautiful choreography was fully in evidence in Diksh*tar’s Jambupathe, performed by the senior group, where one could actually feel the presence of water. So evocative was the imagery. Equally enjoyable were the complex Sri Vighnarajam Bhaje and the two Abhinaya pieces. I felt fortunate to have witnessed the positive results of a thorough and comprehensive training session in Bharatanatyam, and the commitment shown by not only the students, but also the teachers, parents, and everyone involved in the intense 3 day workshop. I recommend the workshop to all those who are seriously pursuing their art. Kudos to Priyadarsini and her entire team! The presentation of the participants’ dances, Jayachandran’s talk about little known aspects of Chandra, the Moon, Vaibhav’s dance….. what a wonderful way to spend the day, when time stands still and only dance exists!
