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Sri V. C. Chandrashekar Sri C.V. Chandraskekar is a Bharata Natyam dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, musician, music composer, scholar, academician and administrator all rolled in one. His life and career have been greatly influenced by his mentor Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale. He, along with his wife Jaya, also a dancer established 'Nrithyashree' a school for teaching and choreography at Vadodara and now functioning from Chennai. Chandrasekhar varied interests and academic pursuits include a master’s degree in Botany, fluency in many Indian languages, a diploma in German and work as a Co-director and actor in classical Sanskrit plays.
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Ms. Geetanjali Lal An accomplished Kathak dancer, Geetanjali is the daughter of the well-known vocalist Late Shri Rajnikant Desai who belonged to Baroda. Trained under Roshan Kumari, Shri Gopi Krishna, Shri Mohanrao Kalyanpurker and the late Shri Devi Lal. Geetanjali has imbibed and adapted a synthesis of different styles and is adept in all aspects of Kathak. Geetanjali has performed in many items choreographed by Pt. Birju Maharaj. She has been awarded the title of Natya Kala Shri, Nritya Sharada and Kala Shri. Some of the items she has choreographed are "Surya Sharanam" for Sahitya Kala Parishad, "Taalatmika", "Shringar Chandrika", " Udaan", and "Varsha Mangal" for Kathak Kendra’s "Mahotsava" programs |
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Sri Guru Mayadhar Raut Guru Mayadhar Raut was born in the village KANTAPAHARA, Orissa, on 6th July 1933. He joined the Orissa theatre at the age of eight. There he learnt the GOTIPUA style of Odissi dance under Shri K. C. Patnaik, Shri Durlava Singh and Shri Mohan Mahapatra. In 1945 he joined the ANNAPURNA Theatres of Puri and learnt the Abhinaya of Radha-Krishna from Shri Mohan Sunder Deva Goswami. In 1947 he joined the Annapurna training for modern and creative dance under Shri Dayal Sharan. Later he studied Jaipur Gharana Kathak with Pandit Ram Gopal Mishra. He topped the examination held by the Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth, Lucknow. In 1952 Guru Raut joined the Kala Vikas Kendra as the first Odissi Guru where he trained Surendranath Jena, Harekrishna Behera, Ramani Ranjan Jena, all of whom are established Gurus of today. In 1955, he was awarded a scholarship by the Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi to study dance at KALASHETRA in Madras. In Madras, he studied Kathakali under Shri T. K. Chandu Paniker, Bharat Natyam under Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, ABHINAYA with Gouri Amma and Bhagvat mela Natakam under Bala Bhagavatta Shastrigal. After his training he went back to Kala Vikas Kendra and choreographed dance dramas such as Tapaswini, Meghadoot, Brijleela, Singhala Kumari, Krishna Charitam, and Geetagovindam. In 1967 Guru Raut joined Nritya Niketan, New Delhi, as Odissi Guru.in1970 he joined Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra as head of the Odissi dance department and continued for25 years. Guru Raut also started Odissi dance classes at the Jagannath Temple in Delhi in1972 and taught there for 16 years. Guru Raut style is known for its grace, depth of expression and technical perfection. He is the first Odissi Guru to introduce SANCHARI BHAVA in the Odissi dance items. Guruji is considered a master of Ashtapadis. Students from all over the world, pursuing any form of classical Indian dance, be it Bharatnatyam, Odissi or Mohiniattam come to him to learn Abhinaya on the poems of Geetagovindam. for further details [email protected]. |
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Ms. Bharathi Shivaji Bharathi tryst with Mohiniyattam began at a time when this dance form was languishing in Kerla. At that time, she was already acclaimed as a Bharatanatyam dancer but decided to pursue research in Mohiniyattam which eventually became the cause of her life. She has played a significant role in the reconstruction of the dance form, through reorienting and revitalizing the concert format and expanding the parameters of its techniques and idiom. Bharathi travelled extensively in Kerla, imbibing the regional ethos and studying the DSI traditions of kerla, and interacting with several regional art forms and their characteristics. Bharathi Shivaji is the Founder-Director of Center for MOHINIYATTAM, which exclusively imparts training and research into Mohiniyattam to aspiring students. She authored a comprehensive text, in English, on Mohiniyattam. |