NARTAKA Dance Festival 2009 on November 18th-20th

[sathirdance]

Nartaka is a yearly dance festival in Chennai, especially to showcase male Bharatanatyam dancers who have made dance their profession.
Presently, there is considerable increase in the number of male Bharatanatyam dancers which is encouraging.
But for most male dancers, who wish to pursue Bharatanatyam as a professional career option, it is without a doubt a challenging career choice.

During the yearly December dance season in Chennai, only a few of all the dance performances are by male dancers. They get few invitations to perform during the high season, or any season for that matter.
For that reason the Natyanjali Trust, Chennai has initiated an all male Bharatanatyam festival to create a platform and encourage passionate young male dancers to showcase their talent.

Every year the festival is inaugurated by presenting a cash award to a senior most Bharatanatyam exponent for his contribution to the field of dance art.

Natyanjali Trust, Chennai is proud that Padmabhusan Alarmel Valli has accepted to inaugurate the festival and that Shri Ramli Ibrahim, Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent from Malaysia, has graciously accepted to be the recipient of the Nartaka 2009 cash award for his outstanding contribution to classical and contemporary dance forms.
We are extremely happy that the deputy consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Axcel Saurer, has accepted to be the guest of honor on the inaugural day.

This year Nartaka promises to be a very exciting 3 day festival with 7 accomplished and creative artists of great acumen from Malaysia, the U.S., France and India who will surely capture the audience’s attention and keep them spellbound throughout the performances.

The festival will held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore

November 18th 2009 at 6:00PM
Award function (Inauguration and felicitation by Padmabhusan Alarmel Valli)
Dance by Shri Ramli Ibrahim
Dance by Shanmuga Sundaran (Disciple of Guru K.J. Sarasa) and L. Narendra Kumar (Disciple of Guru V.P. Dhananjayan & Smt. Shanta Dhananjayan)

November 19th 2009 at 5:45PM
Dance by Shri S. Jayachandran (Disciple of Guru Leela Samson)
Dance by Shri Thang Win from France (Disciple of Prof. C.V. Chandrashekar)

November 20th 2009 at 5:45PM
Dance by Shri Ganesh Vasudeva from the U.S.(Disciple of Guru Shreelata Suresh)
Dance by Shri Shafeequdeen (Disciple of Guru V.P. Dhananjayan & Smt. Shanta Dhananjayan)

For more information please contact sathirdance@gmail.com

[arasi]

Vey glad to know that such an event is going to take place. I was kind of looking for Aniruddha Knight's name too (Balasarasvathi school/grandson) . Yes, it is true that male dancers who take up dancing
as a profession have a difficult time when female dancers dominate the scene. Nice to know that a mAlaysian artiste is being honored and is going to perform. Indian dance, like our music is gaining international students.

[saianamika]

I would like to add Aniruddha Knight has moved to Chennai and will start performing soon. I will try and post as and when I get to know his schedule.

[Shalu]

Would anyone be able to enlighten if Smt. Chitra Visweswaran is performing this season?