Medley of Classical Dance and Music
Over 300 classical dance and music enthusiasts gathered at the Southern Polytechnic auditorium on October 18, for the annual recital of the Narasimha Academy of Arts. The Annual Recital 2003, which was directed and choreographed by Preeti Vinayak Shah, featured 30 Bharatanatyam dancers and 20 Carnatic vocalists. Author Meera Prakash was the guest of honor.
Bharatanatyam blended with Carnatic vocal music to make the recital a memorable one for the audience. The program began with a traditional prayer song and a pushpanjali (offering of flowers) to the Gods. A piece titled, Madhurashtakam, was presented by the younger participants with such perfection that it led the guest of honor to say, "To see many young children so coordinated and synchronized was beautiful". The advanced students of the academy also presented several solo pieces. Sangita Kumar and Sushma Shenoy presented a Thillana. The dancers described the seven musical notes or the saptha swara, thus bringing together the worlds of dance and music.
The evening ended with an impressive performance by the academy's founder, Preeti Vinayak Shah.
"Whenever I see her (Preeti) dance, I am moved to a different place. She has been called ?Poetry in Motion' by critics in Florida and tonight you can all see why. Her energy, facial expressions and stage presence captivate me always. I am sure she was an inspiration to her students tonight and they will now be motivated to reach higher as artists", said Meera Prakash. She also stated that the program was a big undertaking and a lot of effort must have gone into making it successful.
The academy's founder/director, Preeti Vinayak Shah, thanked the audience, the guest of honor and the sponsors for making the recital a memorable and well orchestrated one. The next big project from the Academy is a dance ballet titled Panchali Sabadam from the epic Mahabharat.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
