December Season 06- Dance

meena · Post by **meena** » 13 Dec 2006, 04:04

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Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 13 Dec 2006, 13:17

If anyone spots a performance by my beloved Kathak Saswati Sen, please let me know!

Even more so if he guruji is here!!

I think she came last year and I missed it

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 13 Dec 2006, 19:54

Kji,
Do you know if anyone reccords these lec-dems? I hope the MMA does it, because there is a kshIrasAgara of wealth here that can be churned for eternity - a kshIrasAgara without the hAlAhalam!

meena · Post by **meena** » 14 Dec 2006, 00:24

nick

this is pt. birju website, no upcoming events has been listed:
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Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 14 Dec 2006, 02:16

Does anyone know if the music academy lec-dems are open to all? I know Krishna Gana Sabha's are...

Also, what are the fees?

I only have a week to spend in Chennai, and I can't decide if I should come in the final week of December to catch some performances by the big names or in the first week of January to attend the lec-dems (and perhaps a few shows as well)...

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 14 Dec 2006, 07:39

Umesh, the lec-dems are generally free to all. Since they occur in the mornings, they are usually not jam packed either!

If you are after dance performances and lec-dems, then in the first week of January you will get both. Also see http://www.narthaki.com/info/fevents2.html

For the music or dance performances, fees range from free up to Rs 2000 depending on the sabha, the timeslot and the performers.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 14 Dec 2006, 10:02

Rs2000! Good grief!!!

And we can get to see many of the artists for free during the rest of the year!

Meena, thanks for the Birju Maharaj link... It looks as if I probably went to the latest program on that list: London, 1999! (unless I saw the wrong page somehow). Mohan, thanks for the Narthaki link too: I'll check that out.

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 14 Dec 2006, 14:30

Thanks for the info, Mohan, but does "free to all" mean open to all or no money required? Hehe, just clarifying.

Nick,
The daily rates usually do not exceed Rs. 500 (which will get you first row seating), but certain shows could be more expensive as Mohan said. Season tickets run Rs. 2000+. At least this is my experience from last year.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 14 Dec 2006, 16:02

Umesh wrote:Thanks for the info, Mohan, but does "free to all" mean open to all or no money required? Hehe, just clarifying.

'All are welcome' is the proper terminology used to in Chennai to denote it is non-ticketed (free) program.

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 14 Dec 2006, 23:13

Awesome! Thanks again.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 15 Dec 2006, 04:41

Kalakshetra's program:
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/15/stor ... 560800.htm

I absolutely used to love their group productions...everything about them was deceptively simple...deceptive being the keyword - reminds me of how my favorite tennis player, Roger Federer, makes the game seem effortless.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 15 Dec 2006, 04:43

This should be very interesting:
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/15/stor ... 510800.htm

Isn't she 70+? She's awesome!

meena · Post by **meena** » 15 Dec 2006, 05:00

shankar

i saw her perform here in the bay area 5 yrs back, she had a stamina of 16 yrs old and her footwork- wow. Only her costume did not pl. me, it looked like it came out of a brown bag.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 15 Dec 2006, 12:37

I know absolutely nothing about dance but I would like to take in 1-2 performances this season. Who would you recommend to a novice (guess I would prefer someone who emphasises the nrittha side) - I hear Priyadarshini Govind and Malavika Serukkai are good.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 15 Dec 2006, 17:53

Vijay,
That is a tough choice!
Malavika is exquisite...beautiful as a sculpture, precise in her dancing and an intellectual to boot! And if her mother is singing, the music will also be decent.
If you want lightning fast jatIs, try Alarmelvalli - she was an experiment of her gurus - torchbearers of the pandanallUr style who were known more for their precise jatIs and not speed - but they made an exception with her, and my, what an exception! You will also get to appreciate the use of sangam poetry in bharatanATyam in her performances, with very subtle abhinaya.
If you do see some performamces, can you post your impressions?

meena · Post by **meena** » 16 Dec 2006, 08:25

nick

merry christmas

all 3 are gems.
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Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Dec 2006, 09:44

Thank you Meena.

I haven't checked them out yet, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Might have to wait until the new BSNL broadband plans next year, as I find streaming video pretty tough on my existing connection

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 16 Dec 2006, 10:22

See # 2 for Maharaj on the tablA

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 16 Dec 2006, 15:31

Vijay, if it's nrtta you are after, you won't be disappointed with Govind or Valli. I'm not a huge fan of Sarukkai's nrtta but that's just me (her abhinaya, on the other hand, can be quite moving). Govind has quite a big name internationally and is more or less the flavor of Bharata Natyam today, but Valli typically holds down the biggest crowds in Chennai.

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 16 Dec 2006, 15:33

Oh, and I should add that Valli's only performance this year is at the music academy on Jan 9th. There have been some schedules published listing a performance for Krishna Gana Sabha on Dec. 23rd. but I think they are erroneous.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 16 Dec 2006, 23:48

Thanks Umesh and Shankar - I think I will try Priya Govind during the season and Valli during the Dance fest at the Academy in Jan. I will try to post my "impressions" but they are not likely to be worth much!