Profile and Background
Initiated into dancing as a toddler at the Children's Little Theatre (CLT) in Calcutta, I later learnt the dance styles of Bharatha Natyam, Mohini Attam and certain basics of Kathakali. My formal Rangapravesh or Arangettam was in both Bharatha Natyam and Mohini Attam under Smt. Thankamani Kutty of Kalamandalam, Calcutta. However, it is in the dance style of Mohini Attam I found my reckoning and I honed my art under the doyen of Mohini Attam, Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma and her daughter Smt. Sridevi Rajan at Tripunithura, Kerala.
I have also been going through intensive training in Abhinaya with my Guru and Mentor, Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan of Madras.
It was at CLT that I learned to love and enjoy dance and it reached its culmination with Kalanidhi mami with whom I learned to dance just for the sake of dancing.
I am a MFA in Dance from the Kalidas Sanskrit University of Ramtek, Nagpur and a Senior Research Fellow of the Cultural Deptt. of Indian Government, coalescing Dance and Yoga.
I am a diploma holder for Performing Arts from CLT and have also been awarded the the tile of 'Sringar Mani' from the Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai.
I have always had interest for choreography and experimenting with movements of the body. With my ground training in CLT, I got the opportunity to start my choreographic pursuits in Bangalore with the Aditi School and with an English theatre group the Artists Repertory Theatre (ART), with whom I choreographed for George Orwell's Animal Farm.
It was this interest of using the body in different movements for communications that attracted me to 'Chhau' and I became a disciple of Shri Shashadhar Acharya at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi, training in Seraikella Chhau. Chhau gave me a treasure trove of body languages.
Combining all my learnings I stared working on my innovative choreographic pursuits and my work can be termed as Indian Contemporary Dance, where I deal with issues relevant in present times. In 2003, I attended the American Dance Festival as an International Choreographer in Residence. With my learnings of yoga and Indian classical and traditional dances and the cross training that I recieved at the ADF, especially in improvisation finally got me on my way in truly improvising on all my learnings to develope a movement vocabulary for my own body.
Today my choreography greatly consists of improvising and developing dance vocabulary with the dancers that I work with. I hope to keep expanding and improving on my repertoire.
NOTE: This web page has been constructed by my son, Indrayudh, (the weapon -Ayudh- of Indra, Lightening).
Choreography
1. Kalidas' 'Meghdooth'
2. 'Jeeva' -Surya, Voices, and Jeeva as the complete production.
3. 'Ananda' with Chinese dancers in Hong Kong.
4. 'In Body and Mind' with the National University of Singapore Dance Ensemble.
5. 'Panchabhoota' - developed with Indian classical dances and Yoga
6. 'X- Project' - collaboration with Y-Space dance company (Contemporay dance), Hong Kong
7. 'Thumris' - Indian Contemporary work developed with the Nayika concept.
8. 'Karmayog' - Developed with Indian and Modern dancers, Singapore
Mohini Attam
Mohini - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu - is the ideal representation of feminine beauty and grace. This 'lasya' or feminine dance style hails from the southern state of Kerala in India.
This dance style is the heritage of the dance of the 'Devadasi' or temple dancers of South India.
In Kerala, historical research indicates that the 'Devadasis', known as 'Atta Nangas' or 'Deva Nangas' were prevalent from the time of developement of the 'Shaivite Cult' (worship of Shiva), which has an antiquity of 4000 years. Most of the stone inscriptions with reference to Devadasis have been discovered in Shiva temples.
There are ample references to the tradition called 'Dasiattam' in ancient Sanskrit, Dravida Tamil, Manipravala and Malayalam literature of Kerala.
Mohini Attam, earlier known as 'Tevatichi-attam', seemed to have developed as an indepentent dance form with the emmergence and developement of the Malayalam language.
The dance reached its golden period during the reign of Maharaja Swati Tirunal of Travancore in the 19th C. The form and repertoire was further enriched by the presence of many great scholars and poets in his court like Irayiman Thampi and the Tanjore Quatret - responsible for shaping the Bharatha Natyam repertoire.
Re-emmergence of Mohini Attam as a classical dance style after its decline during the British rule, was primarily due to the efforts of Mahakavi Vallathol. When he established the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1930, he included Mohini Attam to be taught as a seperate art form and with the help of scholars and dance masters codified and stuctured the present day Mohini Attam.
This graceful dance style comprises of sculpturesque poses depicted in the ancient temples of Kerala and represents the swaying palm trees and undulating paddy fields of the land, in movement. In its physical aspect, the dance owes its influences to other dance forms of Kerala, especially 'Tiruvatirakali'. The body is in almost constant motion in half circular, often pendulous movements.
The basic mood of presentation is one of 'Bhakti Shringar' (devotional love) relying strongly on enticing 'Abhinaya' or facial expressions. In this aspect, the influence of 'Nangiar Kuthu' - the theatre of the women in 'Koodiyattam' - ancient Sanskrit dance drama form, still prevalant and practised in Kerala, cannot be denied.
