HYDERABAD:
The premiere of an elegant dance production “Tales of the Bull and the Tiger”, will kick off the year-long celebrations of Shankarananda Kalakshetra, a premier institution for classical dance in Hyderabad that steps into its 40th year with an array of accomplishments.
The spectacular show, conceptualized and choreographed by acclaimed Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi exponent Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, the founder and artistic-director of Shankarananda Kalakshetra, will be held on Saturday (August 4) at Ravindra Bharathi at 6.30 pm.
“The performance will involve an ensemble cast of 23 dancers while select poetry and music from various Sanskrit and Tamil texts form the spine of the production,” informed Dr. Jayant, a Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, an inspirational TED speaker and an arts entrepreneur.
Dr. K V Ramanachary, retired IAS official and Adviser to the Telengana Govt., will be the Chief Guest while renowned dancer and Guru Chitra Visweswaran will bless the artists.
“God’s blessings have written the script of five decades of my life in dance, and four decades of Shankarananda Kalakshetra’s 25 path-breaking dance productions, which have been staged across the globe. ‘Tales of the Bull and the Tiger’ premieres after years of research,” she said.
The premiere is supported by National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Department of Language and Culture, Telangana State Cooperative (TSCO), and Directorate of Handlooms and Apparel, Govt. of Telangana, in association with Andhra Bank, United India Insurance Company and Shriram Chits.
Set up in 1979, Shankarananda Kalakshetra has evolved into a pre-eminent national institution of performing arts. It has produced 25 productions, which are an artistic body of works panning mythologies, historical chronicles, gender issues, poetry, abstraction, philosophy and humour. It has also trained a multitude of students and provided training and opportunities in dance to many under privileged children through its outreach programmes.
The institution imparts skills to students in Bharatanatyam, music, Yoga, Kalari, Nattuvangam, costume, stage, and sound & light techniques, thus providing a holistic training in the arts.
It has also been a pioneer of arts in the digital space by creating Natyarambha, a first of its kind Bharanatyam practice app that is now followed by students and Gurus across the world.
