ON GOING PRODUCTIONS @ Dehee

Those who are interested in learning & performing in either of the following three production which involves both 'Bharatanatyam 'and 'Sringa Nrityam', are welcome to apply for auditions to be held this summer in june and july 2005.Voluntary managerial posts are available for various presentational, media, publicity, ticketing, sound, light and computor personels as well. Those interested may apply at this web cite.

Earlier dance experience is a must for the participant however it could be from any classical dance style.

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1. Visthruth sampradaya a Bharatanatyam production: As per Indian dance history, the originators or the epochal adapters basically discovered a potential dance ritual (Generally from temple rituals); adapted it to a stage format; and renamed the dance form. These aesthetic classical adaptations, when taught by the originators and performed by their students through a period of time, brought about recognition for the dance form across the country and later, across the world, under their new names.For example: The Tanjore Quartet (Four nattuvanars/ dance conductors and accompanying musical vidwans or maestros) in the late 18th century discovered from within the temple walls, the temple ritual called Sadirattam, and adapted it to the stage. Then they renamed it as ‘Bharatnatyam’, and established it at the Tanjore King Shahji’s (Late! 7th to 18th century) Court. Now this classical dance form has found its place in many countries across the world, as the first Indian classical dance form to have originated (amongst the seven), and won great enthusiasts around the world.

2. Vikasith Sampradaya: Sringa Nritya and Bhratanatyam 3. ‘Yet another Classical Dance form of India’ ‘Sringa Nritya’-Book release The eight Indian classical dance forms seem to have gone through different stages of evolution from discovery to adaptation under their originators. After Usha’s discovery of Arrayar Sevai, the ancient temple dance, she adapted, re-created, and renamed it as ‘Sringa Nritya’. In contrast, the other dance forms of India were adapted more than a century ago and Sringa Nritya has evolved only in the last 30 years. Hence while judging the impact of ‘Sringa Nritya’ in the Global context, one should not forget the short time in which Sringa Nritya has substantially evolved and achieved recognition in India and U.S.. Also one cannot deny that it is rare to come by a discovery of a classical dance form and that Usha’s creative contribution in the late 20th century has no wonder found it's place amongst the works of other stalwart originators as evidenced in the Indian Limca Book Of Records 1991 and elsewhere. Years of dedicated time testing work by Usha as an originator of one more classical dance form of India has been honored in the U.S. with a life time achievement award given by the Indian community here at the Youth Festival 2005 San Francisco.

Please note that the facts and the text presented on this page are excerpts from a Book 'Yet another Classical Indian Dance' by Usha Narayan. Permission from the publisher Dehee Performing Arts is needed for reprinting it in any form.

The context of Sringa Nritya and its origination amongst the other Indian classical dance forms One needs to know in the historical context, the origins of the Indian classical dance forms, their originators name & contribution through the last four to five hundred year, in order to understand the origination of Sringa Nritya and Ushas place amongst the other originators of Indian classical dance forms.

A. Origins of Indian classical Dance Forms.

“Forms which are considered, primarily dance, include many diverse styles from every geographical region of India, such as Tamil Nadu’s now well-known Bharatanatyam, a renamed modern recreation of the temple dance tradition of south India: Kerala’s lesser-known Mohiniattam (the ‘dance of Goddess Mohini”); the Odissi (Orissi) - dance of Orissa in north-eastern coastal India; Manipuri dance on-----); Kathak, the primary form of North Indian classical dance of.…….. Some of these dance forms (Bharatnatyam and Odissi) are known to have originated as devotional temple dance performed by women given in service to a temple. (Marg, 1985). The recent revival of these devotional dance genres has reconstituted each dance style and reformed it for performance on the modern dance concert stage. Today these dance forms are considered “classical”; the adjective classical reflects the western model of the reformers. Indian classical dance connotes a status on a par with Western classical ballet...” – “Indian Theater - Traditions of Performance” By P. Richmond