An enthralling Bharatha Natya performance
‘Kalabhooshanam’ Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar
 The Hindu Association of Lake House celebrated its annual ‘Navarathri
Pooja’ at the All Ceylon Hindu Congress hall, Sir Chittamapalam A.
Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2 recently which was attended by Nihal
Rathnayake, ANCL Director, Editorial, Abhaya Amaradasa, General Manager,
Rohana Ariyaratna, Chief Administrative Officer, Kumudu Gunawardane,
Company Secretary, Siva Subramaniyam, Editor-in-Chief of Thinakaran,
Promod de Silva, Editor-in-Chief of Daily News, Principal of Saiva
Mangaiyar Vidyalayam, teachers and students who won prizes at the Kolam
competition and several other Lake House officials.
As part of the programme was a dance programme by the students of
Srimathy Shivananthy Hari Dharshan (Diploma holder of Kalakshetra,
Thiruvanmayur, Madras) of Nirthana School of Dance.
Srimathy Shivananthy Haridharshan is a talented and reputed dance
teacher of this country who founded the Nirthana School of Dance in 1975
with the blessings of her erstwhile guru Kamala Johnpillai. Her school
has produced a number of students in Bharatha Natyam and has also staged
a number of ballets on various religious themes which were highly
appreciated by the audience.
Srimathy Shivananthy still maintains the high standard of
‘Kalakshetra’ by teaching pure Bharatha Natyam. Bhava, Raga, Thala are
just a natural gift in her.
Her students have done very well in GCE (O/L) examinations (dance) as
well as exams conducted by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Further, Shivananthy has also been an examiner for several years for
various examinations conducted by the ministry.
Srimathy Shivananthy is not only an outstanding exponent of Bharatha
Natyam but also conducts cultural programmes for better understanding of
others’ cultures and languages.
In fact, the students of Srimathy Shivananthy who participated at the
cultural programme conducted by the Hindu Association of Lake House
performed extremely well and really enthralled the audience.
Further to express manifold human expressions the dandcers must live
the emotions and express them not only through the movement of the
limbs, but through the expressions of the face and the eyes.
The face is the mirror of the emotion and in the face the eyes are
the supreme channels.
This expression is called Abhinaya, an aspect of Bhava. In a dance,
it is through Abhinaya that the dancer communicates the shades of
thought and the emotion and the highly suggestive ideas contained in
music.
Indeed, the students who performed the various dance programmes on
this stage captivated the audience with their uninhibited and impeccable
dancing.
They made every item appealing to the audience and particularly their
facial expression, manual gesture were indeed excellent.
Besides, the students possess the required blend of glamour and
appeal which are essential for dancers.
Undoubtedly, Srimathy Shivananthy Haridharshan should be commended
for having given her students tremendous training and made them to
perform all the difficult dance techniques with competence.
In fact, Srimathy Shivananthy is taking all possible steps through
her ‘Nirthana School of Dance’ to unite people of different castes,
creed and race through its creativity to strengthen the peace efforts
that are being engineered all around. |
