BASANT UTSAV ~ Spring Dance Festival 2024

April 7, 2024. 3pm
James Armstrong Theatre. Torrance, CA

Presented by Shakti School of Bharata Natyam & Arpana Dance Company. In a single sublime evening audiences witnessed expressions of India’s treasured legacy offered to us by the remarkable Bharata Natyam artists from India – Rama Vaidyanathan & Vaibhav Arekar.

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Photos by Surendra Prakash

Rama Vaidyanathan’s North American premiere of “New Dimensions to the Margam”, blossoms with classic compositions re imagined with her distinctive choreographic vision. Here, the poetry of India’s myriad tongues is a dance of dialects and rhythms brought to life under Vaidyanathan’s brilliance. Solo and ensemble performances merge, accompanied by the vibrant orchestra.
Vaibhav Arekar’s Pravaha weaves the physical with the metaphysical, the self with the sublime through the motifs of Ardhanarishwara, Varnam, and Harihara. The 2nd half of his margam breathes life into Tagore’s Debotar Grash offering a tapestry of verse flowing in Bengali and English, Hindustani and Karnatic melodies & rhythms.

Learning Sessions

Students from Shakti & Arpana dance schools had the wonderful opportunity to attend Bharata Natyam workshops with dancers – Rama Vaidyanathan & Vaibhav Arekar.

Los Angeles April 2024