Event Date : October 9th, 2005, Time: 3:00 pm
Venue : Littleton High School Performing Arts Center
56 King street, Littleton, MA 01460
Web : www.kaneusa.org

Kerala Association of New England proudly presents  “Shyama “ , the mystical Indian Woman, a classical Dance Ballet by  Shobana & an ensemble of four artists. A must- see program for all the south Indian classical dance lovers. For further details visit  www.kaneusa.org, or email arts@kaneusa.org.

About the program :
A rare amalgamation of four outstanding Indian dancers, led by the renowned dancer / actress Shobana, brings forth this unique  dance drama  named  “ Shyama”. The ballet skillfully explores the plight of  “ Shyama “, a contemporary Indian woman with traditional values,  by  symbolically drawing parallels with  Indian mythological female powers like Kali, the gentle mother yet a fierce warrior and destroyer of sin who destroys only to recreate, and Radha ,  the eternal consort and  “ Shakti ”  of Krishna, who is described as being the “ Mula Prakriti,” or the root source of all existence. The dance drama also beautifully portrays the significance of  “Shakthi “ ( power or energy ), which  is an exclusively feminine principle in ancient Hindu literature.
The show  is  designed to entertain both  the connoisseur and lay  rasika , with  some vibrant and graceful  choreography, which is innovative,  still retains the classicism of Nrithya.  The rhythmic aspects of Bharathanatyam   is effectively used to explore and  express  the dramatic content , supplemented by  the deep delicacy and tenderness of  Carnatic and Hindusthani music. Over all, the ballet is rated as a wonderful feast for the mind and soul.
Here are a few acclaims from the popular media.

"Subtle artistry that continues into effervescent group choreography and finally brimmed over with excitement of movement and rhythm"
- The Hindu

“She lends her performance the languid grace which marks out the very best of her tribe from the rest. At times this danseuse was pure poetry in motion, the supple body and graceful movements adding to the viewers delight”
-Indian Express

 â€œShe laid great emphasis on making the intricate Bharatanatyam much more communicative, and thus more interesting to the uninitiated, than its other great exponents usually do”
-Gulf Times

“Shobana sparkles like the world famous sapphire on a colorful performance”
-Chicago Tribune

About Shobana:
Shobana, one of the foremost among the classical dancers from India today, and has performed in India, U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Shobana the dancer has been the in the field for the last 30 years. After her initiation under Guru K.J. Sarasa, Shobana did her advanced training under Smt. Chitra Visveswaran. Shobana branched out as an independent, individual performing artist when she entered her twenties. Ever since, Shobana has established herself as a pre-eminent exponent of Bharathnatyam, performing in a wide range of traditional and contemporary platforms. Shobana has also performed along with artists of stature such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayak Ram, Sonal Mansingh, and Padma Subramanyam.

Shobana the choreographer was born along with Shobana the dancer. Her choreographic works have been particularly appreciated and attributed to her rigorous and holistic training in the arts. Shobana’s basic training in the mridangam for laya and tala; the flute and vocal Carnatic music for musical knowledge has given her a rare incite into all dimensions of choreography and composing. Shobana’s excellent performance caliber, along with her choreographic capabilities, has won her many accolades and awards all over the world.

Shobana the teacher was incarnated after she became an active and mature performer. Shobana realized that teaching would enable her to share her cumulated knowledge with others of the next generation, as well as enable her own growth and evolution as an artist. Kalarpana Trust was set up in 1994 to impart training in all aspects of dance, with a modest five students. Today, Kalarpana benefits 92 students, mostly girls from the poorer classes, and two generations have students have already been prepared as teachers, trainers, performers and performance conductors - nattuvanaars). Some of these students have even branched out to open their own schools of dance.

Shobana the cinema artist did her first film at the age of nine, and even won her first award as child artists for the film Mangalanayaki (Tamil). She has worked in the widest possible range of films, totaling close to 200, in all four south Indian languages. Some directors she has worked with are Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan, Manirathnam, K.Balachander, K.Raghavendra Rao. Shobana has won Two National (President’s) awards for Manichitrathaazhu (Malayalam) in 1994 and Mitr, My Friend (Indian/English), 2002.

Shobana the classical dancer, choreographer, teacher and actress have culminated in a distinguished well-rounded artist who has brought pride to Indian traditional and contemporary culture not only in India but also around the world. Her constant innovations and creativity in both the fields has led one of her eminent cinema colleagues to publicly claim that Shobana is probably the only artist in her generation who is capable of inventing a new genre of movement and aesthetic in dance.

Accompanying artists
Bhavani Thiagarajan has been performing for the past 5 years with Shobana all over the world. She is presently doing her PhD in Bharatha Natyam Classical Dance Form

Aswini Arun, one of Shobana's senior disciples, is a faculty at Kalarpana

Revathy Kumar, the voice of 'Shyama', is a multi-faceted artiste. She has been learning from Shobana for 8 years and offers vocal concerts

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