BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
IRVINE, CA - ‘Pragati’- A benefit concert for the Leela Endowment featuring reputed Mallika Sarabhai with the Leela Dance Collective stunned an audience of almost 500 at the Barclay theatre, UCI here on Sept 9. The North and South of India came together for the concert in the form of Sarabhai’s ensemble focusing on Bharatnatyam...
IRVINE, CA - ‘Pragati’- A benefit concert for the Leela Endowment featuring reputed Mallika Sarabhai with the Leela Dance Collective stunned an audience of almost 500 at the Barclay theatre, UCI here on Sept 9. The North and South of India came together for the concert in the form of Sarabhai’s ensemble focusing on Bharatnatyam...
 |  |
and the Leela Dance Collective on Kathak. Together they gave a scintillating performance merging dance, music, rhythm, poetry, and storytelling while seamlessly bridging history and progress, tradition and innovation. The act was also a way to pay homage to the legacies of two iconic artists- Mrinalini Sarabhai and Pt. Chitresh Das- while bringing a contemporary voice to both the art forms.
The opening act was brilliant as it was performed by the young and talented students of the Leela Dance Academy. Their ‘jugalbandi’ was one of the most applauded acts of the nearly two-hour long show.
The first act ‘Ardhanari’ was presented by Leela Dance Collective and showcased Kathak in its fullest manifestation as a synthesis of ‘tandava’ and ‘lasya’, the masculine and feminine energies that reside within every individual and are revealed in the image of Shiva-Shakti Ardhanarishvara. Other performances included an invocation to Goddess Durga, nritta (pure dance) through Kathak Yoga, and a brilliant high energy tarana in Raag Darbari Kanada.
The act showcased by Leela Dance Collectors- Seibi Lee, Rina Mehta, Rachna Niwas, Sarah Morelli, Shefali Jain with Jayanta Banerjee on the sitar, Satyaprakash Mishra on tabla, Vaibhav Mankad performing vocals, was both extraordinary and awe-inspiring.
One of the founders of Leela Dance Collectors,Mehta told IJ, “We at Leela believe in the intrinsic value of India’s artistic traditions and that they have the power to elevate and uplift not only our community but the entire world. As such, we have launched a bold initiative, The Leela Endowment and are asking our community to come together to create the financial infrastructure and patronage systems that are critical to ensuring the preservation and advancement of Indian art and culture.”
“The Leela Endowment is the first and only one of its kind initiative aiming to provide the financial infrastructure necessary to elevate Indian classical dance and music to the world stage and ensure the continuity of these traditions for generations to come. The organization has successfully raised $350,000 to date and aims to reach its goal of $1 million by the end of this year,” she added.
Well, great art is extraordinary in effort, courage, and selflessness and so stands true for the second act ‘Nataraja Vandanam’ which was accomplished by none other than the talented Sarabhai and her ensemble from Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, India.
The act followed the different emotions of ‘nayikas’ (heroines) in their journey of love for Lord Shiva. Some described Shiva’s amazing dance with Parvati in Chidambaram while another asked her friend to help bring him back to her. One heroine gently scolded the lord for neglecting her when she had come to embrace him. Finally, in a joyous ‘thillana,’ a pure high energy dance piece, they celebrate Shiva. Though the act was impeccable it was Sarabhai in a yellow traditional outfit that stood out. On stage, she dazzled and it seemed that during her performance she was many people at the same time all of them vying for brilliance.
Other artists that brought life to the act included Revanta Sarabhai , (Sarabhai’s son), Pooja Purohit, Jayan Nair and Hemvati Bhaumik. Another part of the show was a brief intermission when Pragati’s supporter Dr Jasvant Modi came on stage and spoke to the audience about The Leela Endowment program.
The opening act was brilliant as it was performed by the young and talented students of the Leela Dance Academy. Their ‘jugalbandi’ was one of the most applauded acts of the nearly two-hour long show.
The first act ‘Ardhanari’ was presented by Leela Dance Collective and showcased Kathak in its fullest manifestation as a synthesis of ‘tandava’ and ‘lasya’, the masculine and feminine energies that reside within every individual and are revealed in the image of Shiva-Shakti Ardhanarishvara. Other performances included an invocation to Goddess Durga, nritta (pure dance) through Kathak Yoga, and a brilliant high energy tarana in Raag Darbari Kanada.
The act showcased by Leela Dance Collectors- Seibi Lee, Rina Mehta, Rachna Niwas, Sarah Morelli, Shefali Jain with Jayanta Banerjee on the sitar, Satyaprakash Mishra on tabla, Vaibhav Mankad performing vocals, was both extraordinary and awe-inspiring.
One of the founders of Leela Dance Collectors,Mehta told IJ, “We at Leela believe in the intrinsic value of India’s artistic traditions and that they have the power to elevate and uplift not only our community but the entire world. As such, we have launched a bold initiative, The Leela Endowment and are asking our community to come together to create the financial infrastructure and patronage systems that are critical to ensuring the preservation and advancement of Indian art and culture.”
“The Leela Endowment is the first and only one of its kind initiative aiming to provide the financial infrastructure necessary to elevate Indian classical dance and music to the world stage and ensure the continuity of these traditions for generations to come. The organization has successfully raised $350,000 to date and aims to reach its goal of $1 million by the end of this year,” she added.
Well, great art is extraordinary in effort, courage, and selflessness and so stands true for the second act ‘Nataraja Vandanam’ which was accomplished by none other than the talented Sarabhai and her ensemble from Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, India.
The act followed the different emotions of ‘nayikas’ (heroines) in their journey of love for Lord Shiva. Some described Shiva’s amazing dance with Parvati in Chidambaram while another asked her friend to help bring him back to her. One heroine gently scolded the lord for neglecting her when she had come to embrace him. Finally, in a joyous ‘thillana,’ a pure high energy dance piece, they celebrate Shiva. Though the act was impeccable it was Sarabhai in a yellow traditional outfit that stood out. On stage, she dazzled and it seemed that during her performance she was many people at the same time all of them vying for brilliance.
Other artists that brought life to the act included Revanta Sarabhai , (Sarabhai’s son), Pooja Purohit, Jayan Nair and Hemvati Bhaumik. Another part of the show was a brief intermission when Pragati’s supporter Dr Jasvant Modi came on stage and spoke to the audience about The Leela Endowment program.
RSS Feed
