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Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai
conducting a programme of
disciple Radha with
M.S.Subbulakshmi as the singer.
Courtesy THE HINDU FOLIO
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How old is Vazhuvoor style
of Bharathanatyam?
“… We hear of the appointment of the Vazhuvoor nattuvanars
a thousand years ago, to teach the Chola Princess Kuntavai. There were
impulse gifts at court. A monarch, pleased with a bravura performance, would
shower the dancer with costly gems and land grants. The nattuvanar too came
in for praise and gifts. The scales were balanced - one group could not
survive without the other.
The three main schools of nattuvangam to have come down to
this century were evolved in the villages of Pandanallur, Vazhuvoor, and in
Thanjavur town.
The first and last share many stylistic features. Both
claim descent from the famous musician quartet of Thanjavur - Chinniah,
Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu. Disciples of Muthuswami Dikshitar, the
brothers won plaudits for their musicianship and ability to compose. Today,
their compositions are rarely sung on the stage, but still form the backbone
of the rich repertoire of their nattuvanar descendants…”
“…Vazhuvoor insisted on speed and sparkle, meandered into
catchy, showy experiments, earned glamour with dance choreography in films,
but commanded respect in its best exemplars…”
Quote from THE HINDU, 06/08/2004THE HINDU, 06/08/2004
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2004080602440400.htm&date=2004/08/06/&prd=fr&
“…ONE OF the most reputed styles of Bharatanatyam, practised
by dancers across the globe is that of the Vazhuvur School. Known actually as
Vazhivoor, this village in the vicinity of Mayiladuturai in Thanjavur
district is the native place of Ramaiah Pillai, whose disciple is the renowned Kamala Lakshman. Such was the unique approach of the Vazhuvoorar
Bani propagated by the veteran Ramaiah Pillai, laying focus on the beauty of
movement, picturesque poses blending with a charming graceful technique that
gave visual delight in contrast to the rigorous routine practised by the
traditional artistes of the Fifties and Sixties.
Any serious rasika of Bharatanatyam, retaining the fragrant
memories of the past, would love to recall the elegant performances of Kamala,
who literally ruled the scene at that point of time, dancing to the majestic
accompaniment of veteran Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, assisted by his vocalists K. R. Radhakrishnan and S. K. Rajaratanam…”
“…Natya parampara traces its origin dating back about 2,000
years ago at this village of Vazhuvoor, which has a Siva temple, the
presiding deity worshipped as Gajasamharamurti…”
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Kalaimamani Natya
Kala Acharya * Shri. S. K. Kameswaranhri. S. K. Kameswaranaranhri. S. K. Kameswaran
The Natya Acharya was recently awarded “Outstanding
Achievements in the field of Classical Dances” Award.
Natya Thilakam * Smt.
Saroja Kameswaran
Gurus Shri. S. K.
Kameswaran and Smt. Saroja Kameswaran have won many awards from various Sabhas
in Madras. Their school Shri. Mahalakshmi Natyalaya has produced students of
high caliber in the Vazhuvoor Bhani. The school performs invited
presentations at Chidambaram Dance festival among other prestigious
festivals.
The Gurus teach at other
institutions in Chennai in continuing their sixty year long service for the
Art of Bharathanatyam, particularly Iyal Isai Naataka Manram at Chennai.
Shri. Mahalakshmi Natyalaya
has to its credit, many many productions, popularized by students of the
school all over the world.
Srishti Dance Academy
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* The prestigious titles of PadmaSri, Kalaimamani, Natya Thilakam,
Natyakala Acharya, are provided India wide by Central and State governments
in honoring very senior accomplished teachers and performers. In a population
of a billion people, only very few accomplished citizens get recognized every
year by Govt. of India. These often require over three decades of brilliant
performances and yeoman service in various teaching capacities.
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Shri G. Narendra and
Smt. Mahalakshmi, Founder and Principal Partner of Avigna Dance EnsembleAvigna Dance Ensemble
Guru Smt. Mahalakshmi is a disciple of both the Vazhuvoor and
Kalakshethra’s Panthanaloor bhanis. She is the daughter of Kalaimamani Shri.
S. K. Kameswaran and Natya Thilakam Smt. Saroja Kameswaran.
G. Narendra and Mahalakshmi are renowned Bharatanatyam dancers
from Chennai, India, trained at the Kalakshetra School of Fine Arts.
Narendra is currently the artistic director of the Cleveland Cultural
Alliance, dedicated to exposing the fine art traditions of India to American audiences. Narendra choreographed "The Living Tree" a
full-length dance drama based on Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. The show
received many accolades when it toured India and the United States.
Mahalakshmi is Narendra's partner in his dance institute, Avigna, and they
have taught Bharatanatyam in Cleveland over the last decade.
They both have performed and choreographed productions for
Cleveland Cultural Alliance tradition:
Krishnam Vande,
Sanghamitra,
Sita Rama Katha,
Jaya Jaya Devi,
Jungle Book – The
adventures of Mowgli,
Abhyaasa – the
journey toward perfection,
The Living Tree – A
folk tale set in a village,
Silappadhikaaram – a
story of a woman of substance
(Information Courtesy CCA)
They actively perform
invited presentations at various sabhas world-wide and particularly in the
December season at Chennai.
(Photographs by Shri.
Venkat Ramanathan)
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