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| Bharatanatyam dance |
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Led by: Marta Krzemieñ-Ojak and Zuzanna Kann Studio i Teatr Tañca Nataraja 9–11 December Instytut Grotowskiego, Rynek-Ratusz 27
Wyk³ad ilustrowany tañcem
In two-day workshops we will introduce the most important aspects of this beautiful yet complicated and patience-testing dance. We will present two most important faces of Bharatanatyam: nritta, abstract dance with no meaning, and nritya, a dance that conveys meanings, tells stories. To prepare the body, unaccustomed to this kind of movement, we will begin with the standard warm-up incorporating elements of the semi-classical dance Chhau and the classical Indian dance Odissi. Then we will demonstrate the basic head, eye and neck movements, and teach some body positions and steps. We will then use these elements to create a tirmana, a short sequence of movements used in traditional Bharatanatyam choreographies. We will also study some mudras, hand gestures with which Bharatanatyam dancers express meanings and emotions, and use them to tell a short story from Indian mythology. Bharatanatyam is a classical dance from Tamilnadu, South India. It is a dance of body and soul combining fast movement with subtle mystery and sensuality, embodying beauty, precision and grace. According to one theory the name Bharatanatyam is an acronym of the three words describing the three quintessential components of the dance: “bha” (from bhava), meaning “mood”, “emotion”; “ra” (from raga), meaning “melody”; and “ta” (from tala), or “rhythm”. The second part of the name, natyam, means “dance”. Originally closely connected with temple rituals, Bharatanatyam has come to be seen in the 20th century as a refined, complex artistic dance. Today it is popular all over the world, always bringing delight with its originality and passion.   Marta Krzemieñ-Ojak graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture. She is a dancer and instructor of the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, which she has studied since 1996. Since then she has worked with Anna £opatowska, then also at the Nataraja Theatre and Dance Studio. Marta Krzemieñ-Ojak has honed her dance skills through numerous workshops (Bharatanatyam with Anna £opatowska, Radha Anjali, Komala Varadan, Joanna Ponikiewska-Ranjan and Aleksandra Michalska-Singh; Kathak with Swati Sinh and Anuradha Thakur). When in India in 2005, she studied Bharatanatyam at the Triveni Kala Sangam Academy of Dance in New Delhi (with Jayalakshmi Eshwar) and Kathak with Swati Sinh. She teaches classes and workshops in classical Bharatanatyam. She has performed throughout Poland, also in theatre dance performances, including at Stara Prochoffnia, Warsaw’s National Theatre, Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Nowa Huta’s Culture Centre, and in television shows and concerts. She was the runner-up in the 3rd Creative Valley choreography competition, a scholarship programme run by Polish Television. She is a co-author of lectures and talks on Indian culture and art presented at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruñ, Bia³ystok’s branch of the Polish Association of Cultural Studies, and the Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw. Zuzanna Kann is a student of cultural studies at the University of Warsaw. She is a dancer and dance instructor. She has practiced dance since age six, but her ideal technique proved to be Indian dance which she began to study in 2006. Her first experience in this field was Masala, the dance performed in Indian music videos, popularly called Bollywood dance. She began studying Bharatanatyam in India, in Madras, under Kalakshetra school dancer Pridveeji Balagopalan, and now continues her studies under Aleksandra Michalska-Singh and Marta Krzemieñ-Ojak at the Nataraja Dance and Theatre Studio. Zuzanna is developing her skills through dance workshops: Manipuri (Sohini Ray), Odissi (Aleksandra Michalska-Singh, Ashok Kumar Das) and Bharatanatyam (P.T. Narendran), and through dance and acting workshops (Filiz Ozcan). When creating Bollywood choreographies she also draws inspiration from jazz dance, hip hop and other western dance classes. Kann has performed in many Polish cities, including at Teatr Nowy in £ód¼ with Anna Redlin’s Oriental Revue, the Embassy of India, at the opening of Bollywood Festival in Warsaw’s Multikino, during an Indian night in Teatr Equus and at various festivals celebrating Indian culture. She is a co-creator of the dance event “W Rytmie Indii”. She has taught Indian dance workshops in Warsaw and £ód¼. Zuzanna is currently working as a dance instructor at Anna £opatowska’s Nataraja Dance Studio and at other Warsaw schools. |