Neelam - Bharatanatyam Recital By Anita Ratnam

The South India Cultural Association (SICA) is presenting the 52nd Annual Festival Of Music And Dance from 18th to 22nd March, and Drama on 28th & 29th March, at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium. As part of the festival, Anita Ratnam will perform "Neelam... Drowning in Bliss", a solo Bharatanatyam ballet, on the inaugural day.



The expanding canvas of imagination, inspired by the genius of M S Subbalakshmi, is the bedrock of Neelam. The song Ranga Pura Vihara, composed by the 18th century musical savant Muthuswamy Dikshitar, was immortalized by M S in her prolific concert repertoire.



Anita has mapped the choreography through her 1971 memory of dancing before M S at the opening night of the Madras Music Academy festival. Neelam, resonant of the many hues of Lord Vishnu, plays on the cultural memory of the Ramayana myth that inhabits the imagination of millions around the world.



An award winning dancer, Anita specializes in themes that portray women from ancient myths. Her grandmother, mother and daughter, the 3 very important women in her life, also occupy a prominent place in her re-telling of mythology from a contemporary point of view.



An award-winning dancer, Anita Ratnam has been trained in Bharatanatyam under Guru Adayar K Lakshman (Chennai), S Sarada (Kalakshetra) and Sarada Hoffman (Kalakshetra). She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Dance from Kalakshetra. Her training in Mohiniattam was under Trichur P Ramanathan (Chennai) and Chinna Ammu Ammal (Kerala).



Kathakali was an additional form that Anita Ratnam learned under the guidance of Kalamandalam Balasubramaniam Warrier (Kerala). She had performed a full-length Kathakali concert in Chennai in 1978.



SICA was founded in the year 1959 by Dewan Bahadur Aramuda Iyengar, who was a patron of Carnatic music, and was the finance minister of Hyderabad's Nizam. The association has organized more than 1,000 concerts. It has provided a basic platform for upcoming artistes amongst whom are U P Raju and Nagamani, Mandolin Srinivas, and the Malladi Brothers. It conducts workshops, felicitates artistes, and provides both moral and financial support to struggling artistes. Dr. S Chakravarthy, IAS, former Chief Secretary to the Government of AP, is the present president of the association, and R Chakrapani is the general secretary.



Entry is by donor passes. The season passes cost Rs. 400 / Rs. 250 for 2 persons for the music and dance fest from March 18th to 22nd; and Rs. 500 / Rs. 300 for all the 7 days of the festival. Daily passes cost Rs. 100 / Rs. 50 / Rs. 30 per head. Please contact R Chakrapani at 98491-24675 for further details.