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2005
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Appreciation
for Thirukkural Bharatam by The Pathmarajah sisters
By Rathika
Nirropan
I organized
a fund-raiser event by The Pathmarajah sisters here in Canada on Sept.11th.
It was a success.
What a classy
show it was! Kavitha, Meera and Anjana danced so beautifully in unison
without a glitch to the appreciative audience in the 462 seat capacity
theatre. The complements received after the show was phenomenal. Since
the Thirukkural was portrayed through Bharatanatyam, it drew a lot of crowd.
It is one of a kind of theatrical production I have ever seen in Canada
- Choreographed by the The world renowned dance couple, gurus and Choreographers,
The Dhananjayans. Akka's announcement was brilliant. Congratulations!
Dancers from
India do performances here, mostly Solo�and they are professional dancers
so naturally the expectation of performance from rasikas is high. Kavitha,
Meera and Anjana are involved in many other activities and they are not
professional dancers yet they presented the show with such perfection.
I was indeed glad that I tried my best to bring them to Canadian Stage
and won the appreciation from the huge audience. Actually we made a profit
of $11, 816.00 Canadian Dollars to donate to a housing project for Orphanage
in Srilanka. The dancers were generous enough to perform it for free and
all proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Tamil Children's Endowment
Fund, who supported me financially to organize this program. |
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Bharatanatyam
dancers/gurus Kamala Laxman, Vyjayanthimala Bali and the Dhananjayans from
Chennai were honored by The Indian Cultural Heritage Foundation (ICHF)
& Arti School of Dance Texas during the NATIONAL ASIAN INDIAN DANCE
CONVENTION 2005 held in Dallas, Texas, from 22nd to 24th July 2005. Several
other Indian artistes who have contributed to the promotion, propagation
and preservation of Indian art & culture in North America were also
recognized, which included the pioneer immigrant dancer Ratna Kumar. |
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Bharatakalanjali
& Bhaaskara jointly presented the new dance feature on Valluvar's "Thirukkural-Bharatam"
on 11th and 12th June at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Chennai.
Tamizh poet
Sri. Vairamuthu presided and appreciated the great endeavor of the Dhananjayans
- making a vision visible to the world. He greatly appreciated the
sisters Kavitha, Meera and Anjana for their dedication and they were awarded
the plaque "Award of excellence" by H.H.Mathioli Saraswathi Amma.
On both days the hall was full. The music CD of the production was also
released on the occasion and sold.
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The former Editor
of The Hindu (daily) Sri. K.Narayanan writes:
"I came
with doubts. Can the abstract verses of Kural, ideas bereft of emotion,
be interpreted in nritta- natya? As I watched, the doubts turned
into admiration. It was an experience to cherish.
Innovative
choreography, minimal but effective backdrops and skilful lighting. Extraordinarily
pleasing music provided by impressive orchestration, And above all, the
sisters - Kavitha-Meera- Anjana trio's arresting work on stage, displaying
excellent team work, commitment and dedication. Their costumes drew attention
by their simplicity.
Most important
was the precision with which the show was conducted. It began punctually
and no time was wasted. The citations were crisp and precise.
The bonus
was Vairamuthu. His ideas and and choice words were stunning. As an Editor
I could not find one word that was superfluous."
This personal
letter sent by Sri. K.Narayanan to Dhananjayan exemplifies the success
of the production. |
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Bhaaskara,
Art & Education Trust founded by The Dhananjayans conferred this years'
(2005) Bhaaskara Puraskaar of "SANGEETA BHAASKARA" to Prof. D.Pasupathy
(Former Principal, Sri Venkateswara College of Music, Tiruppathi and former
Vice Principal, Kalakshetra) and "ILAKIYA BHAASKARA" to Prof. (Dr) S. Raghuraman,
(Tamizh Professor, Jain College, Chennai). The Bhaaskara Puraskaar carried
a purse of Rs.10, 000/-, citation, plaque and Ponnadai which was awarded
on the occasion of the inauguration of the "THIRUK-KURAL BHARATAM" on 11th
June, 2005, Saturday at Bhaarateeya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore. Kaviperarasu
Vairamuthu and Her holiness Mathiyoli Saraswathi Amma conferred the honour
on the recipients.
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The former recipients
of Bhaaskara Puraskaar are Prof. A. Janardanan, Former Principal, Kalakshetra,
Chennai, Kathakali Asaan Sadanam Balakrishnan, Principal International
Kathakali center New Delhi and Kaithapram Damodaran Nambuthiri, the celebrated
lyricist and film music composer.
V.P.Dhananjayan
(Managing
Trustee, on behalf of the Trustees and members of Bhaaskara) |
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Bharatanatyam guru V P Dhananjayan was
honored by the Madras Music Academy at their 78th annual conference and
concerts, with the title of SANGEETA KALA ACHAARYA on 4th January 2005,
5 pm. |
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