Mohini Attam By Dr Neena Prasad: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR MOHINI ATTAM BY DR...

And there's only one dancer in India who has mastered the four dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohini Attam and Kathakali.

Parampara, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, is organising the Abhinaya Sudha 2006, a festival highlighting the expressional aspect of Indian dance traditions, from 1st to 3rd December. Six renowned dancers will perform the six dance forms of India: Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Mohini Attam, Kathak, Odissi and Vilasini Natyam.

Today Dr Neena Prasad will be presenting the Mohini Attam recital at the Bhaskara Auditorium of B M Birla Science Centre. Dr Prasad is the only dancer in India who has mastered the four dance forms of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohini Attam and Kathakali. She learned Bharatanatyam from Padmashri Adyar K Lakshman for 11 years, Kuchipudi from Padmabhushan Vempatti China Satyam for 12 years, Kathakali from Vembayam Appukuttan Pillai for 10 years, and Mohini Attam from Kalamandalam Sugandhi for 8 years and from Kalamandalam Kshemavathy for 3 years.

Her quest for a firm academic foundation took her to Rabindra Bharati University, where she became the first South-Indian to receive a Ph D in dance. She was recently awarded a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship from the AHRB Research Centre for cross cultural music and dance performance, of the University of Surrey, UK.

Dr Prasad is the Director of the Bharatanjali Academy Of Indian Dances in Thiruvananthapuram, and of the Sougandhika Centre For Mohiniyattam in Chennai, both her own dance schools, where she teaches Bharatanatyam and Mohini Attam.

Through Abhinaya Sudha, Parampara tries to explore the many dimensions of the expressional element in Indian dance traditions. With expansive dancing becoming the order of the modern day, a very important aspect of Indian Classical dance, saattvikaabhinaya, or dance which comes from and deals with the matters of the heart and soul, is probably being neglected, making people lose out on the aesthetics of the portrayal of myriad moods and sentiments.

As a step in highlighting this abhinaya, Parampara and its director Sanjay Kumar Joshi, a renowned dancer himself, will be showcasing a galaxy of illustrious dancers in several dance traditions of India. Besides, there will be lectures with demonstrations on the various aspects of abhinaya by some expert dancers.

For further details, please contact Sanjay Kumar Joshi at 2756-7626, 98493-16526.