The dhananjayans trace their creative journey

Under the auspices of sri thyaga brahma gana sabha, Natyacharyas vp and Shantha Dhananjayan Conducted A Thought-Provoking Session on the Need to Undrstand the Nuans of the Nuans of the Nuans of the Nuans of the Art Form to be alig Into Tradition.

Delving directly into the technicalities involved in the construction of alarippu, dhananjayan spoke about the need for a dancer to understand that the human body is broadly classified as aNGA,upanga and pratyangaWhen the anga Coordinates with the Pratyanga and upangaThe Dancer Gets Anga Shuddhi Or perfection. One should also be cognisant of the ten mandalaS used in the construction of this seemingly simple element of dance, the basic one being Ardha Mandali.

To get this posture right, one should comprehend the karanas involved. The Natyashastra Speaks about the 108 karanas or postures, sculpted in the chidambaram temple, dhananjayan said. Based on today’s practice, dhananjayan has installed 60 nava karanas In Dakshinachitra, The Heritage Village in Muttukadu.

VP Dhananjayan at a Workshop Held for Students and Teachers at Bharata Kalanjali in Chennai. , Photo credit: sr raghunathan

The Veteran Dancer Gave a Comprehensive Explanation of Natyanjali, Nritta SWARAVALI and NRITYOPAHARAM, and students of Bharata Kalanjali, Founded by the Dhananjayans in 1968, Demonstrated thes. Natyanjali, is a judicious increase of all the main aspects of alarippu, jatiswaram and sabdam; New mnemonics and patterns was added to jatiswaram to make it nrittaswaravali; And nrityopaharam is a variation of varnam, where abhinaya was introduced for swaras, and where the story would be introduced before the saahityam. Bharata Kalanjali’s Creative Director Shobana Demonstrated The Same.

Dhananjayan said these innovations initially met with Severe Criticism, but their Continuing Popularity is Testimony of their acceptance.

Togeether in life and art | Photo Credit: KV Srinivasan

Themetically, Dhananjayan and Shanta brough in new thoughts in their various productions, the first one being Mary Magdalene for Doordarshan, which is an award for the best production. “For the dance drama Karuna, We wanted to show the seasons depicting the passing of time… new karanas for animal movements from the Natyashastra And sanskrit treatise Abhinaya darpana Were used and the music was taken from ravel’s most famous composition bolero, “Dhananjayan said.

Another novelty was producing rama Natakam in Ekaahya Lasya – Using a Single Attire, Simple Costume and Lighting, where the dancers portray different characters were characteristic costumes. When this production was staged in russia, a newspaper observed that ‘it is a choreography marvel’. “It showed how a production can be successful without

In the final segment of the lec-dim, dhananjayan spoke about the recreation of Jungle BookThe united kingdom commissioned Shanta and dhananjayan to produgeting novel in 1984. “We were asked to involve Indian solo dancers in longon for the production. So, the dance ChoreGRGRHY WAS DON Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri and Odissi. We pulled it off, and it did about 300 shows in and Around London, “He Recalls.

Two Diverse Cultures Came togaTher When the Dhananjayans Collaborated With the Russian Ballet Company to Produce Jungle Book With a russian choreography. Seeing that Indian movements were mainly grounded, the russian choreography used movements that was up in the air, lending an entryly new dimension to the show.

Every time they create something new or revisit a traditional composition, the dhananjayans show how to how to constantly be inspired by one’s artistic roots and annovative.