Training sessions with Sankar Lal Sivasankaran Nair and Justyna Rodzińska-Nair

Fri-Sun 17–19 May, 9:30am–11am
Na Grobli Studio (Studio Space)

Fee for one session: 7 EUR

Contact and registration: To register, please e-mail Justyna Rodzińska-Nair at justyna@grotowski-institute.art.pl. The number of places is limited. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The sessions will be conducted in Polish and English.

Kalarippayattu is a martial art from Kerala, South India. Its origins can be traced to at least the 12th century. Rich in ritual, Kalarippayattu includes the study of movement sequences, incapacitating locks, close combat techniques and handling wooden and metal weapons (sticks, knives, swords, and spears) as well as strengthening, stretching and breathing exercises. The three styles of Kalarippayattu, commonly distinguished as the Northern, the Southern and the central one, differ in movement sequences and weapon combat techniques.
Physical training is complemented by a unique healing system closely related to Ayurveda. It includes, among other things, massages that heal the body and make it more flexible, and the knowledge of marmas, the vital points of the human body.
Elements of Kalarippayattu have for centuries been used in the traditional training of Kerala actors and dancers, e.g. in Kathakali.
Through regular practice of Kalarippayattu you achieve flexibility, agility and body coordination; you develop strength, stamina and concentration; and – most importantly – you become aware of your potential and able to control your energy and hone your spiritual awareness.
Thanks to its multi-faceted character Kalarippayattu has something to offer martial artists, yoga practitioners, actors, dancers and anyone seeking a form of exercise that involves conscious work with body and soul and enables physical expression of their emotions.
In these Southern Kalarippayattu training sessions, participants will learn the traditional salutation, basic movement sequences and the skill of stick spinning. The workshop will also include stretching and strengthening exercises.
More: www.studiokalari.art.pl

Sankar Lal Sivasankaran Nair is a Kalarippayattu teacher and certified Ayurvedic massage therapist born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Sankar started studying the Southern style of Kalarippayattu in 1990. His masters have included Tirupuram C. Madhavan (Anjaneya Kalari Sangham), Jayachandran Nair (Kerala School of Martial Arts), Thankappan Assan and Ajith Kumar (Maruthi Marma Chikilsa Kalari Sangham and Ayurveda). Currently his master is Raja Gopalan Assan. Between 2005 and 2008 he worked with Milón Méla, an Indian theatre group, co-conducting numerous workshops and performing at festivals across India and Europe. In 2008 he moved to Wrocław, Poland. Sankar teaches Southern Kalarippayattu (he runs regular classes in Wrocław as well as workshops in Poland and abroad, among others in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and India) and practices Ayurvedic massage. He is a co-founder of Studio Kalari.

Justyna Rodzińska-Nair comes from Wrocław, Poland. She graduated from the Interfaculty Individual Studies in the Humanities at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, with an MA on Kalarippayattu and performing arts. Since 2004 she has collaborated with the Grotowski Institute (the Grotowski Centre until 2007) in Wrocław, initially as a participant in workshops, volunteer and translator, and since 2005 as a co-ordinator of workshops and international projects. She has practised the Southern style of Kalarippayattu since 2005 and trains in India for a few weeks/months every year. She has practised in Thiruvananthapuram under Jayachandran Nair (Kerala School of Martial Arts), Thankappan Assan and Ajith Kumar (Maruthi Marma Chikilsa Kalari Sangham and Ayurveda) and Ashokan Kutappan (Anjaneya Kalari Sangam). She practices under Sankar Lal Sivasankaran Nair and co-leads training sessions and workshops. She is a co-founder of Studio Kalari.