Kathak By Shovana Narayan

Natya Tarangini Institute Of Kuchipudi Dance is presenting Andhri, in the Parampara Series of the National Festival Of Music And Dance, from 31st August to 2nd September, at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium. This 3-day festival will feature some of the topmost dancers and musicians of the country, like Kuchipudi dancers Raja & Radha Reddy, Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan, mridangist Dr. Yella Venkateshwara Rao, tabla player Bikram Ghosh, Odissi dancer Sharon Lowen and ghazal maestro Hariharan.

Today, the 2nd day, famous Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan will perform. Shovana Narayan is one of the foremost dancers in the annals of dance today, and a name synonymous with Kathak, giving it new dimensions. Bestowed with natural beauty, talent and grace, Shovana, one of the leading disciples of maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj at Delhi, was initiated into Kathak as a child at the tender age of 4, by the well-known dancer-actress of the yesteryears Sadhana Bose at Calcutta, and by Guru Kundanlal at Bombay.

Her style represents a crystallisation of combined techniques acquired from the sophisticated elegance of the Lucknow gharana and the rhythmic precision of the Jaipur school. Her approach also bears the stamp of a mind influenced by the cultures of the world, projecting an individualistic attitude to the dance form that bring new pictures to the mind.

She was awarded the Padmasri by the Govt. of India, in addition to the Indira Priyadarshani Award, the Rajdhani Ratna Award, the Bihar Gaurav Award, the Srinagar Shiromani Award, the Rotary International Award, the Bharat Nirmaan Award and the Rajiv Smriti Puraskar. She has performed at every dance festival of the country, and has travelled to France, UK, USSR, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Hungary, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and many other countries of Europe, Africa and Asia for her performances.

Natya Tarangini is an institute of excellence devoted to the Kuchipudi dance. It's run by Padmabhushans Raja and Radha Reddy, and Kaushalya, over the last 29 years, with the aim of propagating the rich Indian heritage of a glorious music and dance tradition.

As part of its endeavor to redefine and rejuvenate this heritage in the arts, dance and music, Natya Tarangini has been organising major dance and music festivals titled the Parampara series. Under the series, Natya Tarangini has organized this series as Vaangmayee in 2004, Layaalayam in 2005 and Sambhavami Yuge Yuge in 2006, all in Delhi. This year, it is being held for the first time in Hyderabad, and is being called Andhri.

The entry to the festival is free for all. Please contact Natya Tarangini at 98662-67980 for further details.