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UTSA features Indian dance in guest artist series
The performance will highlight what Bharatanatyam should be in the twenty-first century and the potential for the dance in the coming decade.
New dimensions to the Margam promotion image / (Image - UTSA Arts)
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Arts En Vivo Guest Artist Series will continue on November 9 with "New Dimensions to the Margam," a showcase of Indian dance forms led by dancer Rama Vaidyanathan at the Carver Center in downtown San Antonio.
The performance, supported by Tat Tvam Asi and the Rajam and Somayaji Ramamurthy Endowment for Indic Dance at UTSA, will be a contemporary take on the popular classical Indian dance form, Bharatanatyam.
Bharatanatyam, one of India's oldest classical dance styles, has its roots in Hinduist spiritual temple dancing as a spiritual expression before becoming mainstream in India around the early mid-20th century. The "Margam," which means "the path" in the ancient South Indian dialect of Sanskrit, is the foundational dance repertory that allows a dancer to appreciate Bharatanatyam's core ideas and complexities.
Vaidyanathan is one of the most notable classical Indian dancers of the modern age, known for her innovative approach to the dance form and one-of-a-kind choreography. According to the University, she has effectively modernized Bharatanatyam while preserving its fundamental principles and traditions.
Following her participation in two virtual workshops in 2021 and 2022, this will mark her inaugural appearance at the university for a practical demonstration. Other Bharatanatyam dancers Kavya Ganesh, Reshika Sivakumar, Shubhamani Chandrashekar, and Vaishnavi Dhore are performing with Vaidyanathan on New Dimensions.
According to a university release, the dancers will use a contemporary approach to explore the Margam, introducing new themes and languages not typically associated with Bharatanatyam. They will also use time, space, music, and movement. The concert's entire score will be performed live by musicians, with instruments like the violin, vocals, and Indian percussion instruments like the nattuvangam, kanjira, and mridangam.
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