The Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose will present its Fall 2024 concert Draupadi-The Unsung Warrior on November 16 and 17, at the School of Arts & Culture theater in the Mexican Heritage Plaza.
Aiming as always to present an ‘eclectic mix of percussion and melody’, the performance promises to be a visual treat that will transport audiences to the intricacies of Indian culture, poetry, and classical South Indian dance. Elegant narration in English will be integrated to enhance audience appreciation of the traditional theme presented.
This production takes the audience on a journey through the travails of Draupadi, the heroine in the ancient epic Mahabharata from Hindu mythology.
The performance will employ traditional conventions of South Indian Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music to explore the narrative, symbolic, and metaphorical meanings of one of the central female characters appearing in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic that tells the story of an internecine struggle for power between two branches of a royal family.
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This traditional Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music concert will embody the larger struggle between righteousness and evil. Throughout the Mahabharata, Draupadi experiences moments of triumph and tragedy. She is married to 5 brothers—the Pandavas— and her unusual marital situation causes her to be held in social contempt. Although she endures humiliation, she remains fiercely loyal to her 5 husbands. She maintains her sense of self amidst challenges, never compromising her dignity or allowing herself to be defined solely by her circumstances.
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Tickets
Go to www.abhinaya.org or 408-871-5959 email: abdanceco@gmail.com
November 16 – 6 pm
November 17 – 4 pm
School of Arts & Culture theater in the Mexican Heritage Plaza
$50 donor, $35 general, $25 student/senior
Production
Choreography: Mythili Kumar, Malavika Walia, and senior dancers
The performances will be preceded by a short presentation by Abhinaya’s Junior Dance Company, directed by Malavika Walia.
Music: Asha Ramesh
Sanskrit Lyrics: Arjun Bharadwaj
Rhythmic Composition: D.V. Prasanna, Mythili Kumar, Malavika Walia
Dancers: Sweta Ravishankar, Aishwarya Venkat, Vaishali Ramachandran, Priyanka Raghuraman, Swati Ramesh
Abhinaya post arangetram dancers: Samyuktha Ramanan, Maitreyi Patel, Nikita Shenoy, Aditya Romfh, Prisha Balan
Junior Dance Company: Aditya Romfh, Prisha Balan, Srilakshmi Ramanan, Eesha Iyer, Leela Ganapathy, Niharika Ramanatham, Dhrithi Balan, Dhriti Bharadwaj, and Namita Shenoy.
Narration: Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
About Abhinaya Dance Company
Abhinaya Dance Company strives to present innovative and professional quality performances of South Indian classical dance forms. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged several full-length dance productions such as Shiva – the Cosmic Dancer (1986), to Jwala – the Immortal Flame (2011), Gandhi ( 2012), Arjuna (2014), and Vaanara Leela (2016), which received an Isadora Duncan Award for best performance. Abhinaya has been awarded several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from state and city agencies. The company has collaborated with Kathak and modern dance companies, Japanese Taiko drummers, ShadowLight Theater, and a Balinese gamelan ensemble. From 2017 to 2019 Abhinaya presented the theme of social justice through the experiences of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Choreographer: Mythili Kumar is the founder and artistic director of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose. An accomplished artist, Mythili performed extensively in India before moving to the U.S. in 1978. Her artistic ability and high quality of her dance choreography have been recognized in the U.S. where she has been awarded several Choreographers’ fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival Committee honored her for her outstanding artistry and contribution to world dance, and conferred the Malonga Casquelord Lifetime Achievement award on her in 2010. She received a “Sustained Achievement Award” by the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award Committee in March 2011. She was the winner of the 2015 Legacy Laureate Award from Silicon Valley Creates for her outstanding dedication to the art form.
The Artists
Lyricist
Arjun Bharadwaj –(Sanskrit Lyrics) is an author, researcher, and translator with deep interest in classical literature, arts, and philosophy. He is well- versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, German and Greek languages. Arjun has co-written and translated many books and authored over 50 research articles. He is also a visiting faculty at many educational institutions in Bengaluru and abroad. He enjoys composing poems and plays the Carnatic flute.
Musicians
Asha Ramesh (Music Composition, Music Direction, and Vocals), is a highly accomplished vocalist who has been enthralling listeners worldwide with her mellifluous voice and bhava laden renditions. She is a disciple of Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri. D. K. Jayaraman and Nanganallur V. Ramanathan. Asha has won several awards in recognition of her immense talent. During the Music Festival of Chennai 2010, Asha was awarded the Vijayalakshmi Memorial Award for Best Vocalist for Dance by the prestigious Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and the title of Isai Arasi by Trinity Arts Festival of India, Chennai in 2013.
Asha is the founder and artistic director of Ragamalika School of Music in San Jose, California since 1992. As a concert musician she has performed frequently in USA, Canada, India, UK and the Netherlands. In 2021 Asha collaborated with her son Rohith Jayaraman, of the Grammy nominated Berklee Indian Ensemble, to release an original album Manam, which explores current social issues. She has composed the music for all of Abhinaya’s original concerts since 1993.
Malavika Kumar Walia (Rhythm Composition & Nattuvangam) is a senior company dancer, choreographer, and teacher for the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose. She is the daughter of Artistic Director Mythili Kumar and has performed in many of Abhinaya Dance Company’s productions since 1992, as well as toured with the company to India and around the U.S.A. Malavika has been performing nattuvangam for the Abhinaya Dance Company since 2000 for both its Bay Area productions and on tour. In a 2004 performance in Chennai, she was lauded by a critic as ‘the star of the show’ for her ‘precise, well-intoned nattuvangam’. She currently is one of the main nattuvanars for Abhinaya’s annual company productions, arangetrams, and Rasika Kumar’s solo performances. She additionally has composed numerous jathis and choreographed items for solo and group performance. In January 2020, she was appointed as the Director of the newly launched Junior Dance Company. The junior dance company members will open the 2024 fall concert with a special presentation.
D V Prasanna Kumar (Rhythm Composition) is a percussion artist who performs Nattuvangam, as well as other percussion instruments such as Mridangam, Kanjira, Morsing. Ghatam, Chande & Rhythm Pads. He was trained under late Smt.Kamalarani of Kalakshetra, and for morsing under Shri S.V. Giridhara. Prasanna has worked with several dance organizations in Bengaluru and in North America composing jatis as well as performing for many dance productions. An award winner, he has also performed for many dance recordings in Doordarshan Regional & National TV networks. Prasanna is a contributor to reputed percussion ensembles like Layatharanga, and Nandi.
Ashwin Krishnakumar (Flute) was trained in Carnatic classical flute by Sri. A.V. Prakash in Mysore and Late Sri. B.N. Suresh in Bangalore. He was awarded a scholarship from the Central Government of India (CCRT) for advanced training. He has given several solo performances in India and the US and has also accompanied various classical dance and light music productions. He is furthering his musical interests under the guidance of Dr. T S Sathyavathi – a renowned musicologist and prime disciple of Sri. R K Srikantan.
Shri. Vikram Ragukumar (Violin) had his initial training under legendary violinist Vidwan H.V. Krishnamurthy at Vijaya College of Music, Bangalore. He later pursued intensive training under the able guidance of All India Radio “ A” grade Violinist Vidwan B. Raghuram. Vikram has performed extensively in India and the USA as a solo violinist and as an accompanist for classical music and classical dance performances. He is currently furthering his understanding of music by training under the guidance of Vidushi. Smt. Asha Ramesh. By day he works as a software engineer in the Bay area.
Amit Ranganathan (Mridangam) is a disciple of Sri. Ravindra Bharathi Sridharan and performed his mridangam arangetram in 2013 accompanying Isai Peroli Sri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan. Amit regularly accompanies musicians and dancers of various Northern California music and dance schools. He has played under the auspices of several organizations including SIFA, LOTUS, Nandalala Mission, SR Fine Arts, Swaralahari and Sacramento Aradhana. Amit is a regular performer in the Chennai December season and in Fremont Margazhi Utsavam. Amit graduated from San Jose State University majoring in Computer Science and continues to support the Carnatic music community all around the USA on a regular basis.
Akshara Raghu – Rhythm Pad is a sought-after performer in the Bay Area for music and dance productions. He is well-known for creating sound patterns of instruments such as ghatam, kanjira, chendai, pakhawaj, tabla, etc.
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan (Narration) is an author of a dozen works of fiction & nonfiction & an award-winning voice-over artist who won the 68th National Film Awards, India for Best Narration in 2022. Shobha has recorded voice work for documentaries, educational programs, journalistic initiatives, & audiobooks, & her distinct mellifluous voice embellishes her own narratives as well. She has been featured on radio and TV, and profiled in magazines, and one of her stories was dramatically performed by Silicon Valley Shakespeare, California. Her books have been included in school curricula in India and a few translated into Malayalam.
Dancers
Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam performing artist, teacher, and choreographer. Sweta began her journey in this art form three decades ago. She performs extensively throughout the US and India as a solo artist and freelance dancer. Sweta holds a Masters in Bharatanatyam and has been teaching Bharatanatyam and Nattuvangam at Sarada Kala Nilayam in Beaverton, OR, and the Bay Area for the past 12 years. Sweta is a recipient of the Senior Scholarship from the Government of India, as well as several grants that have supported her work in advancing the performing arts. Her students have also benefited from professional development support from the California Arts Council. Sweta is committed to building and nurturing strong community bonds, supporting emerging artists, and growing together as a community.
Aishwarya Venkat is an accomplished Bharatanatyam artist and a passionate advocate for the performing arts, with over 2 decades of experience in both India and Bay Area. She has been a recipient of many scholarships and awards and is also a Graded artist in Doordarshan India. She holds a Diploma in Fine Arts from Bharatidasan University, India, and continues her journey as teacher and collaborator through her school Vipasya Arts. She continues to learn under the guidance of mentors like Smt. Mythili Kumar and other visiting guest artists. Aishwarya has been a company dancer with Abhinaya since 2015 and has worked in notable productions such as Guru Mahima, “Trial by Fire”, “Through the Eyes of Apsaras”, “Gandhi”, “Love Exquisite”. She is also a teacher with Abhinaya Dance company since 2016 and teaches the pre-arangetram batch.
Vaishali Ramachandran has been a student, performer, and teacher of Bharatanatyam for over 25 years. She began her training at the age of four in Mumbai, then trained for 16 years in Bengaluru with Guru Dr. Padmaja Suresh. She has performed in many major dance festivals in India, Europe and USA and is a resident of Fremont California, where she continues to teach under the banner Dayananda Kalalayam. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Bharathanatyam and advancing her training in Nattuvangam from Sri D V Prasanna Kumar. She is the Production Coordinator & company dancer at Abhinaya since 2019.
Priyanka Raghuraman has been dancing with Abhinaya since 2022. She is a senior performer & faculty of Anitha Guha’s Bharathanjali and currently teaches through the banner of Priyada Arts. She started learning Bharatanatyam from her mother, Smt. Kamala Raghuraman at the age of 4. She has 22+ years of training combined with the experience of being an ensemble performer, teacher, choreographer and a Doordashan graded soloist. Priyanka is also a professional television anchor, theatre actor and a professional make-up artist.
Swathi Ramesh completed her arangetram under Smt. Padmini Ramachandran, Bangalore. Since then she has been undergoing training from Smt. Shirisha Shashank. She has performed on numerous occasions around the Bay Area. She performed for Smaran Dance Festival in 2014, was selected as a finalist for Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, and was a member of Natya at Berkeley. In 2019 she participated in Earth Speaks, a production by Samudra Dance creations as well as Storm, a video production which was selected for the Erasing Borders festival. Additionally, she was selected as a fellow with Indian Raga in 2021.
Post-Arangetram dancers: Samyuktha Ramanan, Maitreyi Patel, Nikita Shenoy
Having completed their arangetrams, these dancers who are studying in University of California campuses, are included in today’s production.
Post arangetram dancers Aditya Romfh and Prisha Balan have been part of the junior dance company directed by Malavika Walia for several years.
Other dancers (pre-arangetram) listed below are also part of the junior dance company
Srilakshmi Ramanan, Eesha Iyer, and Namita Shenoy
Abhinaya’s programs are supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose; the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts, SV Creates; California Arts Council; individual donations, and matching corporate donations. To know more about the concert, click here.
