Saptami Foundation Music & Dance Competition Finals
November 19th
Saptami Foundation conducted their annual Music and Dance competition's Nationals on 18th and 19th November at Plano Texas. GVRNKF Dallas was invited to perform the Hanuman Chalisa at the evening award distribution ceremony.
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The presentation began with Seema Rao performing the Ramayana Laali, in Raag Maru Behag and taal Misrachapu, composed by Shri Karthik Hebbar and Sumitra Rao provided live vocal support. This was followed by Hanuman Chalisa, in Sooryagayatri's voice, by all other students. Both the presentations received overwhelming crowd support, with the crowd joining in chanting the chalisa during the performance.
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Thank you to Saptami Foundation for inviting the team and providing a platform for sharing our art.
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Performers: Manya, Dithya, Niaa, Saanvika, Anjana, Nayana, Sumitra, Nikita, Aditi, Kavya and Saanvi.
Natya Seva at Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple
November 4th
GVRNKF Dallas had the opportunity to offer Natya Seva on the occasion of Diwali at the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple (KSHT)
The presentation began with Seema Rao performing the Ramayana Laali, in Raag Maru Behag and taal Misrachapu, composed by Shri Karthik Hebbar, with live vocal support provided by Sumitra Rao. Senior dancers of the school then presented a Keertanam 'Nadanam Adinar' in Raag Vasanta and Ata taalam, composed by Gopalakrishna Bharati. This was followed by Hanuman Chalisa by all other students. Both the presentations received overwhelming crowd support.
Thank you KSHT cultural team for the opportunity for sharing our art.
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Performers: Manya, Dithya, Niaa, Saanvika, Anoushka, Asmi, Nayana, Sumitra, Anjana, Sonal, Nikita, Aditi, Kavya, Saanvi.
Vijayadashami Celebrations
October 24th
Vijayadashami is celebrated on the 10th day of Navaratri, also known as Dussehra and signifies the victory of good over evil by Lord Sri Rama. It also marks the end of nine days of worship of various forms of Devi, marking the victory of goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
Some parts of India also celebrate Vijayadashami as the day of goddess Saraswati, making it one of the most auspicious days to begin pursuing learning of any sort. The indian classical arts fraternity also calls it 'vidyarambham' day. All students visit their teacher, worship the tools and books related to their art form, take blessings from their teacher and learn something new. It is also customary to honor the teacher with some form of guru dakshina and symbols of auspiciousness like fruits, flowers etc.
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GVRNKF, a school formed on the basis of tradition celebrates Vijayadashami every year with the same fervor. Some photos of the festivities attached.
Natya Seva at Sree Ganesh Temple, Plano
October 22nd
GVRNKF Dallas was invited to offer natya seva at the Navratri Kala Samarpanam at the Hindu Temple of North Texas, Plano or Sri Ganesha Temple.
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Seema Rao and her disciple & daughter presented a few items from their repertoire. Seema started the presentation with a Devi Keertanam, 'Panchakshat Peetharoopini' in raag Karnatakadevagandhari glorifying the beauty of goddess Rajarajeshwari. This was followed by 'Yethannai sonnalum', a padam in raag Saveri, composed by Sri Subbarama Iyer, bringing the conversation between mother and daughter on stage. Aditi then presented a Keertanam Nadanam Adinar, in rag Vasanta, based on Lord Nataraja. Both of them then concluded the performance with Thillana in Raag Behag and taal Aadi.
Many thanks to the cultural committee of Sri Ganesh Temple for arranging this.
Hosting Punyah Dance Company in Dallas
Workshops, Performance & Informal Interaction
August 23rd - 30th
August 2023 will be a memorable month for many reasons. One big reason will be getting up, close and personal with Punyah Dance company dancers/founders - Shri Parshwanath Upadhye, Smt. Shruti Gopal and Shri Adithya PV. GVRNKF Dallas was fortunate enough to be able to host them in Dallas for workshops and a Baithak performance as a part of their 2023 US Tour.
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Shri Parshwanath Upadhye has worked in the past with GVRNKF Mumbai, and that set the foundation for us to be able to approach him for this stint in the US. The sheer expertise, brilliance of these artists was very evident from the time they set foot in Dallas.
Workshops for two different groups were conducted at two different locations, covering two compositions, Ravana Stotram and a Kriti on Devi Parvati. But for most of us, it was never about learning an item or a composition. Watching the process of teaching, the thinking behind the choreography, the treatment of the composition, the inclusion of charis and some specific mysuru bani adavus was all very fascinating.
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Baithak - a performance in an intimate studio setting, an experience which ended up being way more special than attending a full-length performance in an auditorium, was a treat to one and all. The artists performed two shows back to back, after the first one was sold out quickly, and then later so was the second one. Parshwanath, Shruti and Adithya performed excerpts from Abha followed by solos by each of them. Shruti's ashtapadi, "Sakhi hey" was steeped in sringara and was a treat to watch. Adithya delved into Bhakti rasa performing Chamundeshwari for one session and Shaila Sute Shiva Sahite for the second session. Every move, every adavu, every nuanced Abhinaya in both compositions executed flawlessly. Adithya moved around the stage so effortlessly that it made Bharatnatyam look very natural and simple to the viewer. The finale by Parshwanath was the ever so famous Choodare with his now famous twist in the tale, men gossiping about women. Many of us have drooled over this piece performed at the Music Academy of which we watched excerpts online, but watching this melodramatic version unfold in front of your eyes with the fantastic humor element left us laughing and crying in joy at the same time. The Baithak was wrapped up with audience interaction, with the visiting artistes sharing their perspectives on various questions.
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Students of GVRNKF Dallas, were awarded with another opportunity for a exclusive interaction with the experts which was also very inspiring and motivating.
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To sum it all up, the power of Sadhana can be transformative, is what was our key take-away from this experience.
Natya Pradarshanam 2023
April 30, 2023
Natya Pradarshanam 2023, the annual showcase by students of the academy was successfully completed on 30th April, 2023 at the Cox Playhouse, Plano.
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