Midlle East Vedic Dance Programme

June 9, 2006

‘Nrityadhara’ set to enthral audience at Al Falaj today

"It reflects in Vedic aphorisms as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’..."

MUSCAT — Nrityadhara, a colourful musical programme, is all set to take stage at Le Grand Hall, Al Falaj Hotel, today. ‘Nrityadhara’, a Gujrati cultural variety programme, is a production of Rasadhwani-Ahmedabad in association with Prayatna Parivar-Muscat.

Ashok Kumar Attri, ambassador of India, will grace the occasion as the chief guest for the evening. Iqbal Abdul Redha, head of finance at PDO and deputy chairman of OCC and director of Public Relation, Ministry of National Economy, will grace the occasion as the guest of honour.

The performance incorporates the ideology of universal brotherhood and the idea of hospitality, since time immemorial. It reflects in Vedic aphorisms as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the earth as one single family and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ the guest is honoured as god himself.

The beginning of Nrityadhara would have an item where routine activities are transformed into a metaphysical idea of worship. The second item reflects the same thought of god being omnipotent and omnipresent. There will also be a piece where the cycle of life and death if the cosmic play of lord himself and his legendary dance depicted in the temple of Chidambaram symbolises this cosmic mysticism. The finale is a tillana, the piece-de-resistance in any Bharatanatyam repertoire where the dancers weave intricate patterns through complex rhythmic movements and sculpturesque poses. When everything falls in place and is in total synchronization the beginning ultimately leads to the end and thus culminates into the absolute peace and auspiciousness.

Featuring prominently would be Dr Mrs Uma Anantani. The quest for learning and teaching dance led Uma to the basic training and to arangetram in 1969. She later joined Nalanda Nritya Kala Maha Vidyalaya of the University of Mumbai and obtained the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Bharatanatyam in 1987. She has remained a senior research fellow of the Department of Culture, Govt. of India and has a doctoral degree in dance from Mumbai University.

She has also taught and performed this dance form in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chicago since 1973. Uma has remained a faculty at the College of Du Page at Chicago. She has organised and conducted workshops for dance teachers from all over Gujarat on the topics such as Nritta in Bharatanatyam, enhancement of dance technique, abhinaya in dance etc.

She has choreographed, directed and produced Nartanmay Kavan Sandhya in Bharatanatyam style, based on Gujarati poetry and Hindustani music, Bhajanam Madhuram, a performance on temple rituals and so on. Rasadhwani is proud to the fact that many of her students are recipients of the prestigious Kak Ke Kalakar awards of the Gujarat Sangeet Natak Academy and Government National Scholarships.

Uma has also worked with the various cultural assignments on invitation of the government of Gujarat.

l She has co-ordinated a troupe of folk dancers coming from various parts of Gujarat for the cultural presentation of Republic Day celebrations at Gandhinagar in January 2003.

l Her students were part of the cultural programme presented to the members of a delegation of commercial trade and industries from Astrakhan, Russia at the residence of the chief minister on February 22, 2003.

l She was a member in the team of experts appointed by the government of Gujarat for socio-cultural research on the identified tribal dance groups of Gujarat as part of the government project, Vibrant Gujarat, 2003.

A dance item by Omani artists, choreographed by Kamil Mohammed and Yassir Haider, will be the highlight of the programme. Girls from the Indian school will perform a swagat (invitation) dance for the audience. This programme is sponsored by The Department of Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities of the government of Gujarat.

The multi–faceted nature of Indian classical dance form will be reflected through the five Kritis based on Bharatnatyam, to be performed by the troupe.

The performance will bring out the intricacies of rhythm, the melody of music, the beauty of shape and line, combined with simplicity of colors, pattern and poetry in a well-refined technique.

For invitations, please contact 99353411/99632252.

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