New Delhi: Seher presents ‘Samyukta’; a three-day music & dance festival bringing together four top-notch exponents of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam on a single platform for the first time ever. In a novel concept of collaborative effort between classical vocalist and dancers, the festival will be held at Fountain Lawns, India International Centre (IIC), 40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi from March 16, 2009 to March 18, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. onwards daily. The participating artistes are Leela Samson, Priyadarsini Govind, T. M. Krishna and Bombay Jayashri. Entry is free.
Sanjeev Bhargava, Founder, Seher & Festival Director, Samyukta says: “Samyukta literally means ‘coming together of two different streams’ and is based on the concept of jugalbandis. It is essentially a dialogue between Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance. There has been resistance from well known vocalists to accompany dancers live because they feel that there is a hierarchy involved and they don’t want to be subservient to the dancers. Through Samyukta, we are attempting to establish an exchange and sharing of talent to inherently strengthen the visual and the aural aspect of a performance and in turn giving the rasikas an unparalleled experience. Also, through this fest, we want to portray that music and dance co-exist and complement each other beautifully.”
The festival begins on March 16 with the resonant and mellifluous voice of T. M. Krishna along with Priyadarsini Govind’s strong lines of abhinaya (art of expression). A strict adherent of classicism, T. M. Krishna (Carnatic vocalist) says, “Samyukta is a wonderful concept. Till now, everyone saw dance and music as two separate things but through this festival, the audience will watch a conversation between our two forms of expressions that has never taken place before.” Echoes Priyadarsini Govind (Bharatanatyam danseuse): “The idea is to showcase the visual aspect of music and the musical aspect of the dance.” The second day (March 17) will see Leela Samson, Director of the famed institution Kalakshetra from Chennai perform in concert with Bombay Jayashri’s meditative music. Says Bombay Jayashri (Carnatic vocalist), “We have seen jugalbandis earlier between different genres of music but in this fest, T.M Krishna and I will be singing the same genre of music together on the last day.” And as for the grand finale on March 18, Delhities will be in for a treat as all the four artistes will perform together in a never-seen before symphony of music and dance.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BOMBAY JAYASHRI (Carnatic vocalist)– Born into a family of musicians with rich lineage and steeped in pedigree music, Bombay Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Groomed under the guidance of legendry Lalgudi G Jayaraman and T R Balamani, Bombay Jayashri, today not only bears the torch of the Lalgudi tradition, but has also evolved a distinct style of her own. With a career extending over two decades, Jayashri is today among the most sought after Carnatic musicians. The myriad aficionados, spanning generations, that throng her concerts would bear ample testimony to this. Her repertoire of meditative music and rare poetry are best experienced through her compositions in her albums. She has also composed music for dance ballets and documentaries. In her voyage as a cultural ambassador of India’s rich heritage, Jayashri has performed extensively in India and abroad in the most prestigious foray, drawing critical acclaim wherever she performed. Her work has won her the acclaim of prestigious institutions in the form of prestigious awards such as the Sangeetha Choodamani and Nadabhooshanam. She also holds the distinction and the rare privilege of being the first Carnatic classical performer in the Opera House in Durban and the Russian Opera House in Helsinki, Finland. A skillful blend of uncompromising adherence to the core tradition of classical Carnatic music as well as a ceaseless quest for quality music in any form would best personify Bombay Jayashri.
T.M. KRISHNA (Carnatic vocalist) - Belonging to a family of music connoisseurs, T.M Krishna was exposed to the Carnatic classical music from a very early age. Taking notice of his talent, his mother put him under the tutelage of Vidwan Sri Seetharama Sharma at the tender age of six. Later he underwent special Ragam Thanam Pallavi (a special component in a Carnatic music concert) training under Sri Chengalpet Ranganthan and advanced training from Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer for more than seven years. Known for his tremendous manodharma (imagination) and sampradaya sangeetha (traditional music), T.M. Krishna’s music is marked with a very high level of aesthetics in conception and execution. His complete involvement and ability to unfold ragas with ease have left many a listener lost in his music. His renditions of vilamba kalam (slow tempo) compositions are soaked with bhakti (devotion) and bhava (emotion) are a treat to every listener. His first concert was at the Spirit of Youth series organized by the music academy of Chennai (India). Since then there has been no looking back. Traveled widely in India and abroad, he has won applause from both connoisseurs and critics; received numerous awards and titles from many leading organizations and has also released many music albums from leading audio companies.
PRIYADARSINI GOVIND (Bharatanatyam danseuse) – Bharatanatyam has always been her first love ever since she was six. She specialized in abhinaya under Padma Bhushan recipient Kalanidhi Narayanan from the age of nine and received advanced training from Guru Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam, exponent of the Vazhvoor School from the age of ten. Imbibing the best of both her teachers, she says "Dance is such a complete line with visuals, poetry, drama, music…you use your whole body to communicate all of this". Selected to dance at the prestigious Festival of India in Paris, 1985 at the age of 20, Priyadarsini has since participated in several festivals like Swarna Samaroh, Khajuraho Dance Festival, performances at extensively in Europe, besides in countries like the US, Tunisia, South Africa and even Afghanistan. She has also received numerous awards like the Vasantha Lakshmi Narasimachari award (1998), the Kalaimamani award from the Government of Tamil Nadu for artistic excellence (1998), Yuva Kala Bharathi, Madras (2000), Krishna Gana Sabha award 'Nrithya Choodamani' (2002), awarded the title of 'Singar Mani' by the Sur Singer Samsad, Bombay, K.V. Mahadevan award for excellence in dancing by Sree Bharatalya, Madras. Priyadarsini has also undergone training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art form of Kerala and Nattuvangam from Kalashetra, besides learning to sing and to perform on television.
LEELA SAMSON (Bharatanatyam danseuse) - India's most dynamic and technically brilliant dancers, an outstanding representative of Kalakshetra, Chennai, Leela Samson had joined Kalakshetra as a young child and her formative years were spent in imbibing the nuances of Bharatanatyam and related arts at the feet of celebrated gurus. Over years of independent work, her dance has metamorphosed from the best of her alma mater into an exquisite personal expression. Her personal style is unostentatious, serene and characterized by an impeccable technique that blends geometrical precision with vibrancy and an unfettered ease. Her rhythmic acumen is apparent in dance compositions containing varied and challenging percussion patterns. One of her attributes is her multi-dimensional role as a performer; a teacher and a choreographer of the style. In September 1995, she launched a group called ‘SPANDA’ to explore new areas of creativity in Bharatanatyam. Literally meaning ‘a vibration’ or pulse - Spanda presents new works, in an attempt to rediscover and reinterpret traditional vocabulary, while establishing in every work a more meaningful and intimate dialogue between dance, music and stagecraft. Her performances are popular all over India and many countries of Europe, Africa and the Americas. Among the many honours conferred on her, Leela Samson was awarded the prestigious Padmashri by the President of India in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the art of Bharatanatyam as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award instituted by the apex cultural body of the Government of India.
PROGRAMME
Monday, March 16, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. onwards
T. M. Krishna (Carnatic Vocal) in concert with Priyadarsini Govind (Bharatanatyam)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. onwards
Leela Samson (Bharatanatyam) in concert with Bombay Jayashri (Carnatic Vocal)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. onwards
T. M. Krishna and Bombay Jayashri (Carnatic Vocal) in concert with Leela Samson and Priyadarsini Govind (Bhartanatyam)
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