Dance Origin: India Genre: Bharatanatyam Choreographer/Soloist:
Shreelata Suresh First Appearance in SF EDF: 2009 Website:www.shreelatasuresh.com
Bharatanatyamis a South Indian classical dance form.
The name derives from bha for bhava (mime and physical expression), ra for raga (song), tha for thalam (rhythm), and natyam (dance). Ancient story claims it
originated with Lord Shiva, and ancient artworks show how it developed and
flourished in the temples of Tamil Nadu in southern India over two thousand years ago.
Traditionally, young maidens called devadasis
(servants of God) danced this form in
praise and prayer, and to tell ancient Hindu stories.
Shreelata Sureshis trained in both bharatanatyam
and kuchipudi Indian classical dance
forms. She studied in India
with Vyjyantimala Bali, and presently studies with V. Krishnamoorthi of New Delhi, whose unique and innovative choreography has encouraged her to create a
distinct style of her own. Shreelata has given numerous stage and TV
performances, dancing in most regions of the globe. She has received many awards for her efforts to restore and share the
sacredness and spiritual significance of South Indian dance. Shreelata is also a contemporary teacher of bharatanatyam in the
pure classical style. She founded Vishwa
Shanthi Dance
Academy to promote peace
through dance and other allied arts and to help dancers find joy
and a higher expression of their true self through dance.
In honor of People Like Me's 15th Anniversary (World Arts West's arts education program), Shreelata Suresh performs as a
soloist in the abbreviated version of Return of the Sun, the story of Amaterasu, the Japanese Sun Goddess. She adapts two bharatanatyam dances
for her role as Goddess of Dawn.
Shreelata's first piece is Jathiswaram (danced to create the mirror for the Sun Goddess), an example
of the pure dance form of bharatanatyam. Usually danced as the second
piece in a performance, the choreography is simple, introducing the audience to
basic movements and postures. As the dance progresses, the dancer performs
increasingly complex steps, displaying her skill. Jathiswaram is based on Carnatic music—the South Indian
classical music using composed melodies, ragas, and improvisation—and the dance
follows the improvised melodies of the musicians.
This form originated with dancers who loved the exceptional beauty of
Carnatic music, and wanted to respond to it with their own art form. In Jathiswaram, thedancer blends sequences of rhythmic
syllables—expressed in footwork, gesture, and posture—that follow the
instrumentalists' rhythmic cycles and melodic phrasing.
Shreelata's second piece, Pushpanjali, (danced to entice the Sun
Goddess out of her cave) is another bharatanatyam pure dance item. In Sanskrit, pushpam means "flower" and anjali
means "offering with folded hands." Here
the dancer offers flowers to Mother Earth; then she offers her respects and
invokes the gods controlling the eight directions. She offers respect to her guru
as well as respect and welcome to the audience. The dance concludes with pure
dance movements in a rhythmic sequence.
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