The fall installment of the Garfield’s Educational Outreach Program features NRITYA, a pair of sisters performing the ritual dances of their native India, in a performance that is open to the public on September 22nd at 10am.
NRITYA features Indian Classical dancers Lakshmi Swaminathan and Lavanya Thamire. Lakshmi is the director of Natananjali School of Dance, which was awarded a citation by the Maryland Governor in 2008 for promoting Asian culture through dance. Lavanya is a student of the Kuchipudi Kalanidhin dance school, and as a company dancer she has performed at venues such as The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, NY.
The program begins with a brief introduction of India as well as Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, which are South Indian Classical Dances. Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi have two main elements: pure dance (dance that has movements forming decorative patterns but does not tell a story) and interpretative dance (dance that uses expressions and movements to describe the lyrics and tell a story).The audience will be taught a few movements using various hand gestures and to show different emotions using facial expressions.
Following this will be the performance of a story narrated in English using the techniques of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, demonstrating that dance is indeed universal.
The Educational Outreach Programs at the Garfield Center are co-sponsored by The Hedgelawn Foundation and the Kent County Arts Council. General admission is $5, with special rates applying to school groups.
Please contact Tess Hogans (thogans@garfieldcenter.org or 410-810-2060) for more information. The Garfield Center is located at 210 High Street in Chestertown.