Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Widening the artistic scope
|
Trained in yoga, mridangam, vocal music, Sanskrit and Bharatanatyam, U.S.-based dancer Sujatha Srinivasan aspires to offer an integrated course in the art at her school in Ohio.
|
"MY passion for Bharatanatyam continues to take me on an interesting artistic journey," said Sujatha Srinivasan, well-known dancer from Chennai. Twenty-three years of committed work, has won this dynamic young dancer an enviable place in the cultural scenario.
Rarely does one comes across a combination of the three-fold approach — geetam (vocal music), vaadyam (instrument) and nrityam (dance) — in a Bharatanatyam dancer. Sujatha has equipped herself in these three crucial aspects, particularly in percussive arts. "I always felt the need to study the allied disciplines, essential for enriching a dancer. Hence, from an early age, I started my training in vocal music and mridangam, apart from yoga and study of Sanskrit. Today, it helps me interact with students of schools and universities abroad. Through an organisation called Young Audiences, my presentations on art education have become part of the curriculum. Sujatha holds a Masters degree in English Literature.
On a month-long trip to Chennai, she spoke about her teachers and early training (from the age of seven) in Bharatanatyam. Sujatha started learning the art at Saraswati Gana Nilayam under guru Lalita; continued learning later from Chitra Visveswaran, who conducted her arangetram in 1977. "I am privileged to be Chitra's first disciple. In 1978, she joined Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam's classes, besides specialising in abhinaya with guru Kalanidhi Narayanan's help. Kamala Rani of Kalakshetra trained her in Nattuvangam.
"My interest in mridangam was nurtured by Kumbakonam Narayanaswamy Iyer, brother of the renowned Rajappa Iyer. I underwent several years of training under him although I did not have a formal arangetram to be able to perform. My mother, who is a veena exponent helped me practise mridangam at home," says Sujatha. The nuances of nritta that she learnt from guru Udupi Lakshminarayana has helped Sujatha evolve a dignified and mature style.
Even as a teenager, Sujatha achieved accolades and several awards — M.G.R. Award for Best Young Dancer from The Music Academy (1987), Outstanding Young Person of India from Indian Jaycees (1988), Yuva Kala Bharati (Bharat Kalachar - 1991), Best Dancer Award from Narada Gana Sabha (1992), Natana Mamani (Kartik Fine Arts - 1993), apart from scholarships from Government of India and other cultural organisations.
Sujatha has performed widely in India and abroad. And she is at ease presenting the traditional repertoire, thematic presentations on stage and special features on the television. Though she is now settled in the U.S, Sujatha keeps giving recitals in Chennai. "Nothing can be more satisfying than performing here. Besides, teaching children at my dance school, Shri Kala Mandir in Ohio, I have collaborated with professional dancers pursuing other styles for thematic presentations such as "Natya Sangamam", "Swagatham Krishna" and "Ahimsa" (during the invasion on Iraq)." However, she aspires to offer an integrated course in Bharatanatyam comprising allied techniques like yoga, Sanskrit, music and mridangam at her dance school.
NANDINI RAMANI
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
