Program for Kalpana 2019 1. Triumph of Spring Presented by Madhuri Kishore School of Kuchipudi ​ Composer - Swetha Prasad ​ Talam - Adi ​ Ragam - Ragamalika ​ Choreography – Madhuri Kishore in collaboration with her students. ​ This dance describes the celebration of the spring season. While nature celebrates spring with the blossoming of flowers and animals dancing with new joy the gopikas celebrate spring by playing Holi with Krishna. The quintessence of Kuchipudi technique meets the triumphant mood of spring in this dance presentation. Dancers: Nikita Karra, Anjali Thontakudi, Yesasvi Punugunti, SriLakshmi Panda, Aarya Prabhakar, Niyati ​ ​ Mummidivarapu 2. Nrityaswaram Presented by Subashini Rajagopal, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Composer - Tanjore Quartet ​ Ragam – Ragamalika ​ Talam – Misrachapu ​ Choreography - Subashini Rajagopal ​ This song celebrates the seasons through festivals. Pongal – Harvest festival, Holi – the festival of colors, Chithirai Thiruvizha – the celebration of spring itself are some of the festivities that the dancers traverse through using the musical meanders offered by this Jathiswaram. These festivals are celebrated in different societies and cultures in India to welcome the onset of the seasons. Dancers: Subhashini, Reeba Alex, Seetha Apartim, Becky Alex, Jeevika Adda, Ilavardhini, Rashmika, Sruthi ​ ​ 3. Smriti Presented by Nritanjali Dance Academy, Mohiniattam ​ ​ Composer – Gur Madurai R Muralidharan , Shri Sharreth ​ Choreography - Athira Pratap with guidance from Bindu Pratap ​ Smriti takes us on a journey back to the ancient cherished traditions and celebrations of Kerala’s very own Thirvathira Festival celebrated during the Malayalam month of Dhanu between December and January. Dancers: Arya Pratap, Malu , Siyona, Diya, Hita, Amy, Meghna, Tina ​ 4. Vasantham Presented by Nrityalayadarpan School of Dance, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Text and lyrics – RituSamharam by MahaKavi Kalidasa ​ Music composition - Sri. K. Venkateshwaran ​ Ragam - Ragamalika ​ Talam- Adi ​ Choreography - Team Vasantham with inputs from Vinay Srinivasan and Nandini Ravi. ​ In this beautiful mythological story Vasantham, spring, teaches the god of love, Manmatha, to fall in love all over again with his beloved Rathi. As they instill love in the plants, flowers, animals around them they see that a flower transforms itself into a beautiful, enchanting woman. Vasantha helps Manmatha recognize that it is, in fact,Rathi--she is Prakriti (nature) itself--she is everywhere. Manmatha and Rathi reunite in passionate love. They dance merrily, and with Vasantha, spread the fragrance of love to all beings. Dancers: Sudha Krishnan, Anamica Srinivasaraghavan, Dishaa Ramesh. ​ ​ 5. Harmony of Seasons Performed by Natyalaya Kuchipudi School of Dance and Nrityananda Dance, Kuchipudi ​ ​ Composer - Anoushka Shankar, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt ​ Ragam - Jog ​ Talam - Adi ​ Choreographer - Collaborative work by all participants ​ Myths reveal to us stories of origin. Here is a lovely myth that is found with its own regional flavor across many cultures, especially in parts of Europe that explain the harmony of the seasons. As the spring season commences, men and women are seen enjoying bountiful harvests and perfect weather. This nurturing mood unravels a bond of love between the Princess of spring and the King of winter. When the King of winter takes the Princess of spring with him, Earth is dawned with a sudden winter. Crops die, animals freeze, and the mood sinks to solemnity. This dance depicts the compromise of winter and spring, where in the end neither side wins but rather they coexist. Dancers: Meena Vemuri, Anjali Vemuri, Savita Sastry, Krishna Kurra, Neha Kidambi, Vedya Spurthi Konda, ​ ​ Saisamkalpa Mantrala 6. Varsha, an ode to the rain goddess Performed by Samudra Dance Creations, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Music arrangement : Snigdha Venkataramani ​ Choreography : Jyotsna Vaidee ​ This piece explores an ancient Sanskrit verse from the Valmiki Ramayana that beautifully describes how the sun's Rays absorbs the ocean water to create clouds that then give birth to life's elixir, Rain! This is followed by the beautiful Muthuswamy Dikshtar Kriti, which he is believed to have sung when the district of Tirunelveli district was in drought and yearned for water. The words - "Varshaya, Varshaya, Varshaya" is the popular refrain associated with the song when he beseeches goddess Bhavani to bring down rain. Dancers: Aishwarya, Kaavya, Yashodha, Jyotsna ​ ​ ​ 7. Vasanthamritham Performed by Prahelika Rajagopalan and team, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Concept & Compilation - Dr. Sujatha Mohan ​ Raagam - Raagamalika ​ Taalam - Taalamalika ​ Choreography - Prahelika Rajagopalan ​ Vasanthamritham, a collaboration between dancers, welcomes Spring. The earth is an important player in the onset of spring.Trees sprout tender new leaves, flowers bloom, and grass turn lush and green. Muthuswamy Deekshitar's Panchabootha Stalam strotram venerating mother earth has been chosen to celebrate earth’s role in the onset of Spring. Following this is an excerpt from Kalidasa's Ritusamhara that shares the joy of spring. The rhythmic passages through the dances have been used to convey the joy and exuberance of the spring season. Dancers: Prahelika Rajagopalan, Sharanyaa Ganesan, Surya Ravi, Hema Arugumugam ​ ​ 8. Ekata Performed by PAMPA Dance Academy, Bharatanatyam and Kathak ​ ​ Composer - Praveen D Rao ​ Ragam - Ragamalika ​ Talam - Talamalika ​ Choreography - Students of PAMPA under the guidance of Guru Nirmala Madhava ​ Whatever differences people have, be it class, culture, religion, color when a calamity strikes, the community finds each other to support and survive. Through a gripping narrative this dance brings forth the power of community. On one end disaster, be it fires, earthquakes, disease does not differentiate. We all bleed, we all suffer and we all feel loss. But from this depth of despair we seek and find humanity. We celebrate our rebirth as one unit bound by compassion. As one we celebrate spring. To further this message this presentation finds synergies between different dance forms to bring forth the power of working together. Dancers: Sandhya Acharya, Deepti Chafekar, Smriti Jayasimha, Rhea Kamath, Suchita Kaundin, Siri Konanoor, ​ ​ Kamakshi Narasimhan, Ashwini Pullur, Antara Rao, Meghana Rao, Shreedevi Rao 9. Jogkauns Tarana Performed by Antara Asthaayi Dance, Kathak ​ ​ Composition - Pandit Chitresh Das ​ Raag – Jogkauns ​ Taal – Teen Taal ​ Choreography – Originally by Pandit Chitresh Das. Antara Bhardwaj has reworked part of it to align this piece with our ​ present theme of seasons. Pandit Chitresh Das's ‘Jogkauns Tarana’ is a highly technical piece, replete with lightning fast footwork and crisp pirouettes. For this special performance, a part of the original choreography has been reworked to bring in the elements of nature & seasons. The piece cleverly works through Kathak technique to bring forth the mood of the seasons. The ‘Tayari’ or technique and ‘Layakari’ or the ability to play with beats has been used to work the rhythm of rain and thunder. The ‘Khoobsurti’ or beauty and ‘Nazakat’ or delicacy has been invoked to show the picturesqueness of spring. Dancers: Ojaswee Chaudhary, Suhani Chaudhary, Sana Indap, Shreeya Indap ​ ​ Intermission 10. Surya Presented by Laya Dhwani School of Dance and Music, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Music Composition - Guru Thanjavur R Kesavan and Dr. S. Vasudevan Iyengar ​ Rhythmic Composition - Guru Thanjavur R Kesavan ​ Ragam - Vasanthi ​ Talam - Misra Chapu/Chaturasra Ekam ​ Choreography - Snigdha Venkataramani ​ This presentation is based on Surya - the Sun God. He is the Source of all life. The summer season is where the sun’s power is displayed in full. Snow caps melt from the mountains thereby flooding rivers, lakes and seas. The body is more active due to the longer days. The warm healing rays of the sun in the early mornings of summer help in regaining the energy consumed during the winter seasons. In the summer months, the flowers are fully blossomed and there is light and growth everywhere. The fire element in the sun is dominant in the summer through the scorching rays in the mid morning. These rays may prick through our skin, but help in curing us from any disease and negative energy. The calming evening rays in the summer make us feel rested and serene and get us ready for the next day. The sun is venerated through many rituals across cultures and geographies. Dancers: Ambika Gopalan,Gauri Kaushik, Roshni Srivastava, Anjali Sankar, Anagaa Nathan, Kriti Iyer, Rhea Kalra ​ ​ 11. Vasanta Vallari Presented by Kuchipudi Art Center, Kuchipudi ​ ​ Composer - DSV Sastri ​ Ragam - Raagamalika ​ Talam - Adi ​ Choreography - Sunita Pentakanti ​ Vasantam, or spring, is the season of new beginnings. Vasantam is characterized by blooming flowers, chirping birds, and dancing peacocks, fluttering butterflies. Spring brings with it a scent of pure sweetness. The spring atmosphere, symbolic of hope, growth, and beauty, is perfectly set for a budding romance, as depicted by the rasa kreeda, or dance of Krishna with Gopis. Dancers: Shrita Pendekanti, Eesha Marri, Anisha Rayapudi, Mahati Vurimi, Bhanu Surabhi Upadhyayula, Eesha ​ ​ Challa, Kalyani Veliyaveettil 12. Swaralaya Presented by Nrityaarpana Dance Academy, Bharatanatyam ​ ​ Composer - M S Sukhi ​ Ragam - Ragamalika ​ Talam - Adi ​ Choreography - Roopa Anand ​ This piece foregrounds rhythm and technique in Bharatanatyam to bring out the essence of the seasons. The increasing intensity of rain