|
|
Krishna - A playful divine
Saturday, December 6, 2008
A Nritya Abhinaya presentation by Uma Sharma...
"Krishna - A playful divine"
Recently on the occasion of Kartik-Otsav, a programme on "Krishna Legend" was oraganised by Bhartiya Sangeet Sadan & India Habitat Centre at Amaltas Auditorium at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Entitled "Krishna The Playful Divine" a Nritya Abhinaya was presented by Uma Sharma. The programme was based on the book "Krishna - The Playful Divine" written by Pavan K. Varma (Director General, ICCR) and the poetry of Saint - Poets such as Swami Haridas, Surdas, Meera etc. including some poems from the Raskhan, Vidyapati and Jayadev etc.
The programme commenced with the lighting of lamp by G.V.G. Krishnamurty & Dr. Pavan K. Varma. On this occasion Bhishma Narayan Singh, Vinay Bharatram and many other dignitaries were also present.
After the lighting of the lamp, the evening showcased the dance performance by the disciples of Smt. Uma Sharma followed by a scintillating Nritya Abhinaya by Uma Sharma herself that set the stage on fire. She delivered one of her best performances and enthralled the audience to the core. Entire theatre applauded her for such a memorable presentation. One of the specialties of her presentation was that Dr. Pavan Varma himself recited a particular portion from his book and then Uma Sharma did the translation and presented the same through her mesmerizing act. Uma Sharma's act was brilliant, emotional and really amazing which said a lot about the renowned artist.
Her act was followed by another dance performance by her disciples who presented the various aspects of Lord Krishna's life through their performances in the well dressed manner which left everyone mesmerized.
About Uma Sharma: Uma Sharma is one of the foremost exponents of the Kathak Form of India Classical Dance. Vivacious, versatile and internationally known Uma Sharma is a name to contend within the Dance world today. She is a fine example of talent, tenacity and drive, her achievements are many. She is a recipient of the prestigious national awards such as the Padmashree, The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award & the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award for her contribution to the Kathak Dance form.
Her flair for research & innovation has not given a now look to the stock repertoire of Kathak but has also brought to notice the loarougs tradition of Brij Raas of Brindavan in relation to Kathak.She has been demonstrating the flexibility of Kathak by adapting to the style works of Ghalib, Tagore, Bacchan, Kaifi Azmi and other contemporary poets under the guidance of the late Naina Devi (from whom she learnt the art of Thumri & Ghazal Singing).
She has also kept alive the folk tradition of Raas Leela from Brindavan, and presented them in a new way on many a stage in the temples around Delhi. As a performer her Forte is Abhinaya (the interpretative and expressional body language which transforms the poetic images into rich visual images of great pictorial charm).Her body attitudes and movements of arms evoke the contours of miniature painting, and with her soft, rhythmic, footwork, she writes love poems on the stage.
In Kathak the musical component is highly developed. Uma herself sings the compositions for expressional numbers, which enables her to create a matching fludity of movement. Having mastered the presentation of traditional items, she has widened and enriched the repertoire of Kathak by composing new dance numbers and full length dance -Dramas on a variety of themes. Her dance creation Stree (Woman) has been greatly admired for its powerful thematic content and artistic presentation. As a one - woman exposition Stree gives Kathak a new Dimension for its highly emotive thrust in depicting the position of women down the centuries and her search for an independent identity.
Uma has performed all over India and abroad and participated in many national and International Festivals, she has been on performance, tours to USSR, New Zealand, Austrailia, USA, Canada, Middle East, Japan and China and all around Europe both on invitation from organisations abroad, and as a representative of Indian Dance sponsored by the department of culture and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.Earlier Stories:
|
|
News Feed
