Vilasini Natyam By Swapnasundari: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR VILASINI NATYAM BY SWAPNASUNDARI

Parampara, on the occasion of its 11th anniversary, is organising Abhinaya Sudha 2008, a festival highlighting the expressional aspect of Indian dance traditions, from 6th to 8th March. Seven renowned dancers - Padmabhushan Swapnasundari, Dr. Anupama Kylash, Bragha Bessell, Dr. Yashoda Thakur, Purvadhanashree, Sanjay Joshi and Mangala Bhatt - will perform 3 dance forms of India, Vilasini Natyam, Bharatanatyam and Kathak.

Today, the 2nd day, Swapnasundari will perform a Vilasini Natyam recital. She will also be explaining the various aspects of abhinaya (expressions) after each performance.

Swapnasundari was trained in Kuchipudi under renowned masters Pasumarthi Seetharamaiah and Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her gurus in Bharata Natyam include K N Dakshinamurthy, Adyar K Lakshmanan and B Kalyana Sundaram. She received specialized training in abhinaya from the veteran performer and teacher Kalanidhi Narayanan, who is recognized for her mastery over the histrionic aspect, or the characteristic stylized mime, of Indian classical dance.

Swapna's painstaking research into the temple dance traditions indigenous to the region of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of a nearly defunct dance genre, Vilasini Natyam. She had received guidance in this art from Maddula Lakshminarayana. As the founder-director of the Kuchipudi Dance Centre in New Delhi, she has trained a number of students and produced several ballets.

The Delhi Government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Award and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the Government of India are among the many honors that have been conferred upon Swapnasundari for her contribution to the arts. She is perhaps the youngest dancer who was presented with the national title of Padma Bhushan in recognition of her research into ancient dance forms and in the revival of the long lost dance art form, Vilasini Natyam.

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. There will also be lectures with demonstrations on the various aspects of abhinaya by some expert dancers.

Please contact Sanjay Kumar Joshi at 2756-7626 / 98493-16526 for further details. for further details.