Talk: The Devadasi Heritage of South India

 

 

 

08 Nov '2014, 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

Auditorium, Bangalore International Centre TERI Complex, 4th Main, 2nd Cross, Domlur II Stage, Bangalore – 560 071

Entry :

Free 

 

 

 

Bangalore International Centre (A TERI Initiative), in association with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) presents 'The South India Heritage Lecture Series'. 

The fourth in the series will be a talk on "The Devadasi Heritage of South India" by Smt. Lakshmi Viswanathan, Bharatanatyam Exponent , Author & Choreographer and Performing Artist. 

About the Talk
Lakshmi Vishwanathan, dancer and scholar will talk about the Devadasi Heritage of South India based on her book "WOMEN OF PRIDE" ( Roli books).  She has done extensive research on the subject and has interacted with the last of the Devadasis of Tamil Nadu. She throws light on the subject with some authority, and enthuses her audience with historical facts, anecdotes and fascinating details. From her repertoire of dances, she demonstrates the subtle magic of Padams and Javalis composed in a bygone era.
About Smt.  Lakshmi Viswanathan
Bharatanatyam exponent , author and choreographer, performing artist Performed in all major institutions in Madras, and in India. She has Performed in about ten countries abroad in important festivals like the Jacobs Pillow International Festival USA.  Visited as Artist in Residence and performed and conducted master classes at Brandeis University, Wesleyan University, Mark Morris Dance Centre, all in the USA.
Her big productions with a group have been path breaking and well appreciated. They are BANYAN TREE, Chaturanga, Vidya Sundari, Tyagaraja Ramayana and Tiru Mayilai. The first two productions have been featured repeatedly on National Television DD,  Asianet and Singapore TV.
Described as a poetic dancer and a dancer’s dancer, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, a prime disciple of Guru Kanjeevaram Elappa Pillai, is an exponent of the Thanjavur style of Bharatanatyam.  She has been a noted artist for the last forty five years, performing in India and also in several international forums and academic institutions.  Special to her technique are graceful movements, intricate footwork and evocative abhinaya.  She is a trained vocalist of Karnatic Music. She has received research fellowships from ministry of Culture, both junior and senior. Her research subjects include, Temple Dance tradition of Tamil Nadu, Comparitive Abhinaya of Dance forms, and Ramayana in Performance. She is the author of several acclaimed books: Bharatanatyam - the Tamil Heritage, a biography of Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbulakshmi - Kunjamma - Ode to a Nightingale,  Kapaleeswara Temple, and Women of Pride -The Devadasi Heritage.  Her film ‘The Poetry of Dance’ was commissioned by the Festival of India.  The Mahabalipuram Dance Festival started in 1991 was Lakshmi’s brainchild. Lakshmi is a contributor on Dance and other Arts to journals and newspapers. She has a regular column on Dance in Narthaki online. She is editor of the revived Kalakshetra Journal.  As a guru she has trained senior scholarship students, and has presented several lectures and workshops both in India and abroad. Lakshmi has been honored with awards like the Tamil Nadu Kalaimamani, Nritya Choodamani, Nritya Kala Shiromani, Natya Kala Sikhamani and the Presidential national Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.  She has served on several arts committees.  She has served as elected Vice President of Music Academy Madras, and has been member of South Zone Cultural Centre. She has also served in the advisory boards of All India Radio, and Doordarshan.She has also served as President of the Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India.

About IGNCA:
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) was established in 1987 as an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, as a nodal centre for research, academic pursuit and dissemination in the field of the arts. ‘The Arts’ encompass a wide range of subjects - from archaeology and anthropology to the visual and performing arts, enveloping them in a complementary, integrative and non-demarcated vision. Through workshops, seminars and conferences, concerts and performances and exhibitions, these cultural artifacts are disseminated to the public at large. The Southern Regional Centre (SRC) of IGNCA isheadquartered in Bangalore. Spread over ten acres outside the precincts of the Bangalore University campus, its establishment in 2001 was aimed at intensifying the Centre’s studies on the southern region’s art and cultural heritage. For details please contact executivedirector.igncasrc@gmail.com or igncasrc@hotmail.com