About Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight Indian classical dance forms, unique in its focus on improvisation and its balance of Hindu and Muslim cultures. Nurtured in the holy precincts of Hindu temples and later journeying to the court of the Mughal emperors, Kathak dance has, over centuries, refined and enriched itself with various hues and embellishments. The dance itself has two principal forms of expression: Nritta and Abhinaya. Nritta constitutes improvisational pure dance items, consisting of rhythmic compositions with graceful and lyrical body movements along with fascinating displays of footwork. Abhinaya is the aspect of Kathak in which the dancer tells a story through mime. Kathak has four gharanas, or styles, and Shivalee specializes in the Lucknow Gharana.
Shivalee’s Guru: Smt. Anuradha Nag
Anuradha Nag, Shivalee’s Guru, had her initial training from Nataraj Parimal Krishna and later from veteran gurus-the legendary Padmavibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj and his foremost disciple Pandit Vijai Shankar. She advanced her abhinaya under the tutelage of Padmabushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayan. She passed the Nritya Prabhakar with distinction at the tender age of 13. She stood 1st in the Pashchim Banga Nikhil Bharatiyo Competition. She taught Kathak at all levels at the Padatik Dance Center in Kolkata and choreographed for the school’s festivals. She has also worked with the mentally challenged children at the Manovikas Kendra for 5 years giving them the joy through dance. Before making USA her home she was a recommended artist for the Sangeet Natak Akademi as well as the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. She had the privilege of working with great gurus and choreographers such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan and Prof. Deitmar Seyffert of Germany. She has also worked with great theater directors such as Padmabhusan Satyadev Dubey, Shyamanand Jalan, and Anmol Vellani.
Tarangini School of Kathak Dance was established by Anuradha Nag in 1992 in the Bay Area (San Jose, California). It is an institution of learning that promotes awareness and preservation of the rich heritage of Kathak dance. Anuradha grooms well over two hundred students in this rich, age-old tradition year after year. Her students have performed at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the International Kathak Festival in San Francisco and Chicago, and other festivals.
Anuradha has choreographed many traditional and contemporary themes, including Jhalkia, Om, Rituranga, Khoj,Chitrangshu, Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Khuditopashan (The Hungry Stones), Jeevandhara (highlighting the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore), Panchapravaah, Kathak through the Bollywood Lane, Yatra (Kathak’s journey through world music), Rasa & Nayika, Ragangikam, Chaturanga, Varnacitrita, Chahat, Smriti Maalika, Khoj, Samavaya and Krishna Viraha amongst others.
Anuradha has been a guest speaker in the Cultural Anthropology department at UC Santa Cruz for several years, presenting Kathak and its influence on Bollywood. She was also invited to speak at the Department of Religious Studies at UC Davis as part of an interactive workshop that examined body disciplining techniques, principles of improvisation, and elements of rhythm. She has also presented at multiple local school districts to promote Indian culture.
Anuradha has performed extensively in prestigious music conferences in India and in dance festivals throughout the world. Highlighting a few of her blossoming career include some performances at:
Performances
Sarad Chandrika Festival, New Delhi, India.
Kalka Bindadin Mahotsav, New Delhi, India.
Vasant Utsav, New Delhi, India.
The Soorya dance festival in Trivandrum, India.
Kal- ke- Kalakar, Mumbai where she was awarded the title of “Sringarmani” by the Sur Sringar Samsad Mumbai.
Dover Lane Music Conference, Kolkata, India.
Park Circus Music Conference, Kolkata, India.
Tamluk Music Conference.
Sadarang Music Conference, Kolkata, India.
Performed at the Vrindavan Sarad Utsav.
Performed in front of the Vietnamese delegation in Kolkata.
The ICCR and Birla Academy presented her jointly in a solo recital in Kolkata, India.
As a part of the Padatik Troupe sponsored by the ITC 3 city tours namely Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Nagpur, Lucknow, Patna, Trivandrum, Cochin and Coimbatore.
Ali Akbar College of Music Summer Concert Series, Berkeley California
Beethoven Festival, Bakersfield, California
Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa.
Asian Arts Performing Series, San Francisco.
She was sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations as a member of the Padatik Dance Center troupe to perform and hold workshops at the Kuopio Music and Dance Festival, Kuopio and other cities in Finland. Performed for the Indian High Commission in Oslo, Norway, Denmark and other parts of Europe.
At the Asian Arts Museum on the occasion of Indian’s 50th Independence day Celebration.
Arts Space Project, New York.
She performed at the University of Hawaii, also for the World Bank in Washington DC and NIH in Maryland.
She was invited as a guest artist to perform at the International Kathak Festival in Chicago.
Performed at the centenary celebration of the Indian Institute Of Sciences in Santa Clara, California.
Performed for the annual conference of The Indus Entrepreneurs.
To name a few.
Srimati Anuradha Nag has also hosted workshops with several esteemed artists including the late Pandit Birju Maharajji, Vidhushi Saswati Sen Didi, Vidhushi Mamta Maharaj Didi, Durga Arya Didi, Aditi Mangaldas Didi, Pt. Ram Mohan Bhaiya, Pt.Krishan Mohan Mishra, Dr. Pt. Jagdish Gangani, and Shri Vishal Krishna, Ragini Maharaj, and Durgesh Gangani to name a few.