Dance at Cleveland aaradhana

neha · Post by **neha** » 03 Apr 2008, 19:52

Did any of you enjoy the dance at Cleveland .We can use this thread to discuss all dance related.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 Apr 2008, 20:45

Thanks Neha. I was wondering about that! Hopefully someone will discuss the dance programmes as well as the competition. All I know as of now is that the entry fee for participants in the dance competition was much more than that for the CM competition.

nrityam · Post by **nrityam** » 03 Apr 2008, 22:46

Yes the entry fee was much higher than music and there was a selection process for dance. The music category did not have a selection process. Everybody who registered for the competition could compete. Whereas in dance, an anonymous panel of judges selected the finalists.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 Apr 2008, 22:59

Nrityam,

Tell us more!

u.vikram · Post by **u.vikram** » 04 Apr 2008, 03:24

The dance performance was a joke ! it was a cobbled up approach by a bunch that included Radha ( well past her prime !) - Roja Kannan - At best average! - Narthaki - average again and 3 random children with no credentials!!!! . The show was tkted ( real waste ! ) . Imagine the money spent on bringing a such a "rag tag outfit" to Cleveland. Organizers think that anything goes in the USA .....Obviously this dance group does have any more performance in NA other than one in New Jersey - organized by the artist ( who was given an award at the this year Cleveland Aradhana) The whole performance was a cruel joke on the audience.

dnayar · Post by **dnayar** » 04 Apr 2008, 03:38

Wasn't one of the children sivasri- well-known for her arangetram videos?

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 04 Apr 2008, 06:28

Yes, one of them is the same Sivasri, Smt. Roja's disciple.

I've reserved a ticket for their NJ performance this Saturday. Someone commented in the general Aradhana thread that they really enjoyed the performance, so with the opposing review above, I'm even more curious now.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 04 Apr 2008, 16:45

Umesh,

Methinks that with such divergent reviews, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Maybe you can post your views after you attend the performance tomorrow!

neha · Post by **neha** » 04 Apr 2008, 20:46

The varnam was divided among them and looked disjoint.All performed equally well .The Shabdam by Roja Kannan was clean and enjoyable.Maamava meenakshi by Narthaki was bhakti soaked and well performed.The children did a good job too.Though not awesome , the show was worth watching.VVS explained how they went about bringing the programme ,conept ,planning etc.The concept was classic and the effort good.The major drawback seemed to be different performers of different age group which affected the coherence and also dividing a single piece among multiple artists.
Also good was Divya Kasthuri's performance on the final day called kavi mugham .She performed Bharathiar songs.Live music wasn't there but for that the performance was good.I'm only a rasika and not a dance critique.I look forward to Umesh ' opinion .

Amraman · Post by **Amraman** » 05 Apr 2008, 07:39

I'll be attending the performance too. Heard that they did a good job in Cleveland. Umesh, hope to see you there at the school.

Ambika

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 06 Apr 2008, 12:19

These were the items performed at the New Jersey show:

1. Sooladhi - Mohanam, Adi (dedicated to Lord Vishnu)
2. Jathiswaram - Ragamalikai, Misra Chapu (the three youngsters, Sivasri, Abhinaya, and Pranathi)
3. Sami ninne kori naanura (Varnam) - Ashtaragamalikai, Rupakam
4. Yaarukkaagilum bhayama? - Begada, Adi, Subbarama Iyer (Guru Radha)
5. Maamava Meenakshi - Varali, Misra Chapu, Muttuswami Dikshitar (Narthaki)
6. Saramaina (Javali) - Behag, Rupakam, Swathi Thirunal (Roja)
8. Kavadi Chindhu (3 girls)
9. Thillana - Shankarabharanam, Adi

I don't claim to be a critic either, but here are some of my thoughts. Overall, it was a very satisfying show. At points, when all three senior artists danced together, it was a little confusing. In the sooladhi, I found myself going back and forth between Narthaki and Roja because each was doing slightly different abhinaya for the same line. The Thillana, for the most part, was well coordinated. Also, like Neha said, the varnam (one of my favorites) did lack some continuity. For me, Narthaki shined with her bhavam in this piece, as she did later in the MD keerthanam. Her stage presence is striking. Guru Rhadha's mandi adavus and firm footwork at her age spoke volumes-- incredibly inspring! The opening trikaala jathi was majestically performed in the Vazhuvoor style. Roja was solid in both her nrtta and abhinaya. She also compeered the program well.

The post-varnam dances included solos by the three artists that effectively showcased their emotive capacities. Guru Rhadha's subtle but convincing depiction of a confident, young nayika was very well received. I was especially moved by Narthaki's abandon in extolling Meenakshi Amman.

IMO, the performance was a good one without the children. Often times, we see senior dancers bringing their disciples to tackle some of the nrtta for which they no longer have the stamina. However, I never really found myself bored during any of these pieces. The effort by each dancer was commendable. That being said, the cute little girls only added to the show. The Kavadi Chindu was charmingly choreographed and was a hit with the audience. The girls have been very well trained, a fact that was evident in the control they exhibited in the leisurely paced jathiswaram. On a side note, I wondered why the phrase, "tha theiyyaa thei thattha thaa," the refrain usually found in sabdams, divided segments of this piece. Perhaps others can enlighten me; is this something traditional no longer in vogue?

Not a perfect program, but an admirable collaborative effort with artists (including the nattuvannar, Guru Savitri Jagannath Rao) who share a mutual respect for each other. As a dancer who has learned different banis and doesn't adhere to any one in particular, it was nice seeing these styles, all beautiful, come together. I just wish that the evening would have comprised more juxtaposition of the three styles, rather than a bunch of different dances (or whole portions of a dance) performed solo in the different styles. For example, a nice touch would have been to split up one jathi or swara passage between the three dancers, so the viewer could make a direct comparison of adavu execution. This would have helped create a more cohesive program.

neha · Post by **neha** » 06 Apr 2008, 16:31

Thank you ,Umesh . Awesome review.I loved the Kaavadi chindhu too.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 06 Apr 2008, 19:42

Great review Umesh!

Umesh wrote:I just wish that the evening would have comprised more juxtaposition of the three styles, rather than a bunch of different dances (or whole portions of a dance) performed solo in the different styles. For example, a nice touch would have been to split up one jathi or swara passage between the three dancers, so the viewer could make a direct comparison of adavu execution. This would have helped create a more cohesive program.

I assumed that that is what would be done! Unfortunate that it wasn't done.

Umesh · Post by **Umesh** » 08 Apr 2008, 10:41

Thanks. And me too, Ravi.

nrityam · Post by **nrityam** » 08 Apr 2008, 18:22

Can anyone post comments on the dance competition and the results?
Thanks

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 08 Apr 2008, 18:43

Don't know the details, but heard that experiences were similar to those of the participants in the singing competition. I did hear that for the most part (except for some very glaring exceptions) the standard was uniform, and rather high in all the groups.

neha · Post by **neha** » 08 Apr 2008, 20:27

For the most part the standard of the performances were high with a few glaring exceptions.Smt.Radha,Smt.Roja Kannan,Smt.Savithri Jagannatha Rao,Smt.Sudharani Ragupathy ,Ms.Narthaki and Sakti judged the events.The item the kids performed was preselected ( by the judges) from the three that they submitted earlier.Some of them performed Varnam and some a keerthanai and so on.Since the scope for each are different there were some disappointments.The results have already been announced .But have not been published.We will come to know soon.

neha · Post by **neha** » 12 Apr 2008, 06:26

I got this info from a post in Narthaki.com

These are the results from the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana Bharathanatyam competition which was on March 30, 2008:

1) Sub-junior Group (12-14)
1st prize: Sinthuja Devarajan, TX, (Guru: Rathna Kumar)
2nd prize: Swathi Anand, NY, (Guru: Sathya Pradeep)

2) Junior Group (15-18)
1st prize: Mathura Jaya Sridharan, OH, (Guru: Sujatha Srinivasan)
2nd prize: Shoba Narayanan, PA, (Guru: Shoba Sharma)

3) Senior Group (19 - 23)
1st prize: Pooja Kumar, OH, (Guru: A. Lakshman)
2nd prize: Vishaka Raguveer & Darshana Nair, IL, (Guru: Hema Rajagopalan)

The first prize winners from the Junior (Mathura Sridharan) & Senior (Pooja Kumar) Groups get to perform at a prestigious sabha in Chennai for the December Season 2008.

chitrashankar · Post by **chitrashankar** » 14 Apr 2008, 17:30

So, finally Pooja Kumar got what she deserves: the 1st prize (not just the 2nd!).
I am very happy. that the judges were more objective this time.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Apr 2008, 18:39

I heard Pooja Kumar was not just head and shoulders above the others!

neha · Post by **neha** » 15 Apr 2008, 02:11

Yes ,She dances so well.She is at par with any dancer from India, her age.