In Pursuit of Excellence
We recently partnered with Sahapedia for a series titled In Pursuit Of Excellence - an interview series with classical dance maestros of India. In this series, the maestros reflected on their journeys and spoke about their influences and their innovations to the dance form as well as the challenges they faced. The series featured the following artists-
Aditi Mangaldas, a Kathak exponent and choreographer, talked about treading the fine line between Kathak and contemporary dance.
Sujata Mohapatra, an Odissi exponent, and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, analyzed the choreographies of her Guru, Kelucharan Mohapatra, up close.
Raja and Radha Reddy- The Padma Bhushan awardees talked about their journey of bringing Kuchipudi from a village to the proscenium stage.
Anita Ratnam, an Indian classical and contemporary dance exponent talked about her journey and how she developed her own language and the challenges she faced.
Saswati Sen, a leading Indian exponent of Kathak, traced her journey, her dedication to her Guru, and the future of Kathak in the twenty-first century.
Mallika Sarabhai, an accomplished Kuchipudi, and Bharatanatyam exponent talked about how her mother, the legendary Mrinalini Sarabhai, was a catalyst in training her to take up social causes and spread awareness through the arts.
Surupa Sen, a renowned Odissi exponent, traced the journey of ‘Nrityagram’, the challenges of extending a language and the way forward.
Prathibha Prahlad, a Bharatanatyam exponent, talked about the impact of the current scenario on arts, and if there is a way out.
Shovana Narayan, a Kathak exponent, talked about her journey while looking at changes in Kathak at large.
Alarmel Valli, a leading choreographer and an exponent of Bharatanatyam, spoke on reading between the lines of literature and breaking it down to its rudiments.
Malavika Sarukkai, a Bharatanatyam exponent and choreographer, talked about how she drew inspiration from classical dance to convey something contemporary.
