Samavesh II - A Mohiniyattam Collective by Lasyatarngini

“The story of the Journey of Mohiniyattam told through pictures, talks and dance”

In continuation with Samavesh 2011, Lasyatarangini an online forum for Mohiniyattam, together with Alliance Francaise, Chennai, is putting together yet another event, Samavesh II this season from Jan 7 to 13 to tell the story of Mohiniyattam to the dance lovers of Chennai and those visiting the city to soak in the essence of Indian artforms.

Samavesh II takes us through the Journey of Mohiniyattam over the
years with a Pictorial Essay of the art form and talks and lecture
demonstrations by eminent Mohiniyattam scholars and artistes.
The event will be inaugurated on 7TH January at 11am at Alliance
Francaise in the presence of exponents and rasikas of Mohiniyattam.
This will be followed by a lecture demonstration on Mohiniyattam by
Guru Sreedevi Rajan and Smt. Smitha Rajan, daughter and grand daughter of the doyenne of Mohiniyattam “Kalyanikuttiyamma”. They will enlighten on the story of Mohiniyattam as envisioned and unfolded by their Guru Kalamandalam Kalyanikuttiyamma and how they keep this tradition alive even today. Smt Smitha Rajan is one of India's finest and internationally acclaimed Mohiniyattam performers blessed to carry forward the cultural lineage passed on to her. Smt. Sreedevi Rajan is a renowned dancer and teacher who laid the foundation for Smitha’s calling.

The exposition on the paths traversed by the art form will be open
from 7th to 13th January. There will be talks on the various facets of
the dance from 11th to 13th. The Journey of Music in Mohiniyattam will be explored on 11th morning with a lecture demonstration by Smt Nanditha Prabhu, daughter and disciple of Mohiniyattam exponent Guru Kalaratna Kalamandalam Sugandhi. Nanditha Prabhu is a dancer and research scholar who is at present unravelling the intricate and almost extinct rhythms of Kerala. This will be followed by an interesting and intimate talk by one of the senior most torch bearers of Mohiniyattam, Kalamandalam Kusumam Gopalakrishna who learnt in the premier institute for the dance form; Kerala Kalamandalam during 1961 to 1963 while Guru Chinnammuamma was teaching the dance form. She will share her five decades of association with the dance form and memories of her encounters with the foremost Mohiniyattam pupil at Kerala Kalamandalam Smt.Thankamaniamma.

12th January will see the global journey of Mohiniyattam by dancers Euginea Carillo from Spain and Anne Dietrich from Germany. Both of them have embraced Mohiniyattam enamoured by the lyrical beauty of the dance. Various experiences while learning and later propagating this dance form in their own native lands to uninitiated audience will give a new perspective to Mohiniyattam. This will be followed by the screening of a documentary by Bharati Sivaji, which shows the evolution of Mohiniyattam in the latter half of the last century.

13th January will be the final day of the exposition and the talks.
The day will witness a lecture demonstration by Mohiniyattam exponent Smt Pallavi Krishnan, an alumnus of the two most reputed art academies, Shantiniketan and Kerala Kalamandalam. Her experiences with the dance at these centres of learning and with various eminent Gurus along her journey with the dance form will enrich the event. Her lecture demonstration, on “Journey of Mohiniyattam, over the years” will be an apt finale to the week-long event.

Samavesh, the Mohiniyattam Collective will be supported by Nrityasree Foundation, Palakkad. The Photo exhibition will be open from 7th to 13th January.

Venue : Alliance Francaise, 24, College Road, Nungambakkam,
Chennai 600006. Phone: 91 44 28279803. All are welcome.