Prakriti's Blog

“A performing art can only be a living tradition.

It cannot be preserved in a museum.

It is alive in the body - minds of its

By

PRAKRITI BHASKAR

The art of dance encompasses both SPACE & TIME.  While 'movment' reppresents SPACE, 'rhythm' represents TIME.  Of the two, Time is the more subtle element as it is experienced essentially through the auditory faculty, whereas Space is experienced visually.  In terms of dance "rhythm" can best the defined as 'a definite pattern or design created in Time that forms a strong structured grid on which 'movment' is superimposed.

It is not suprising therefore that all dance-styles have two distinct aspect:

NRITTA : pure dance or non-representational dance

NRITYA : expressive dance or repreentational dance

The 'nritta' technique of a style is a visual exploration of the abstract rhythmic element.  Through specific kinetics of the particular style set in movment, it seeks to interpret the rhythmic patern composed.

The 'nritta' passages of Bharatnatyam offer tremendous scope for rhythmic exploration. The variety of footwork & the angular articulation of the body are ideal for sudden twists & turns of rhythm.  Usually rhythm is recreated through the percussion instrument such as the mridangam, table, pakhawaj, poong etc.  However, in the Bharatnatyam technique all rhythmic compositions are essentially executed through the nattuvangam (the art of playing the cymbals)  The "nattuvanar" is...

KOLKATA APRIL 2006 The 1½ hr presentation 'ISHWARA' was a culmination of the 3-series workshop “NRITTA NATTUVANGAM” conducted by Mumbai based dancer, choreographer Prakriti Bhaskar, director of the well known art & cultural organization in Mumbai- Shiladhish Art & Research Institute.  “ISHWARA”- a Bharatnatyam ensemble was presented by the participants of the 'Nritta-nattuvangam' workshop at the prestigious Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata on the 23rd April'2006.

The performance was organised by the West Bengal Dance Group Federation along with Rabindra Sadan & supported by the prestigious Sangit Natak Akademi. Shri Tapan Bandopadhyaya, Director of Culture, Govt. of West Bengal & Shri. Pavitra Sarkar , Chairman  Rabindra Sadan graced the occasion as “Guests of Honor” along with senior dance-gurus & dancers of the city.

This 10 day intensive workshop features training in nattuvangam and rhythmic choreography.  In the last 3 years, Prakriti has been regularly invited by reputed cultural organizations- the Eastern Zone Cultural Centre (EZCC), the West Bengal Dance Group Federation, the State Music Academy, Rabindra Sadan - Kolkata and has trained nearly 45 senior dance students of the city in the unique system of cross rhythm choreography & nattuvangam.
 
 This presentation is a tribute to her Guru...

by

PRAKRITI BHASKAR 

The Telegraph Kolkata Edition 1st September 2007

 Dance of life

Sulagna Mukhopadhyay

Every mythology has its share of good and evil, and the roles of god and Satan are often transposed. Talk of religious diversity today invariably ends up in violence. Prakriti Bhaskar, a dancer-choreographer from Mumbai, has taken the initiative to remind us that human beings were created to maintain balance in the world. Religion had nothing to do with that cosmic activity. Prakriti’s presentation, Katha Shristi, on August 23 at the EZCC auditorium in Salt Lake, was based on a biblical creation myth. The story begins with the creation of the natural elements like fire, water, and finally, of life. Christianity perceives Adam and Eve as our earliest ancestors. In a moment of weakness, they were lured into an act that has always been the symbol of the primal human error. This story was presented through Bharatnatyam, Carnatic music, narrations and chants from the Rig-Veda and Upanishads. The 55-minute production held the audience rapt. Tillana, one of the rhythmic numbers in Bharatnatyam, was danced by Adam and Eve in the love-making sequence and it was beautifully put together by the choreographer. The performance ended on a redemptive note...

INDIAN EXPRESS/KOLKATA NEWSLINE ON 24TH APRIL 2006
PRAGYA PARAMITA     

BHARATNATYAM dancer Prakriti Bhaskar is euphoric. In Kolkata for the third module of her work-shop, which she has been conducting for the last few months, she says she has never been so busy, for workshops in the morning to attending seminars and dance recitals. “This is such a culturally vibrant city, very unlike Mumbai. There are so many things happening here,” says the dancer. And that perhaps is the reason why she keeps coming back to Kolkata.
Trained under talal vidwan Kalaimamani Guru Shri T.S. Kadhirvelu Pillai, her workshops have been designed on the works of her guru, who was also a mathematical genius. Her workshps, Nritta Nattuvangam, are based on an unusual technique of cross rhythm choreography.  Through them, she also gives dancers a basic training in talam, the knowledge of which she believes is essential to a dancer. The talam is an intricate part of Bharatnatyam as it guides both the music and the dancer. “Bharatnatyam is made up of two components, one is the basic dance and the other is rhythm. While there have been many improvisations done on he dance, the rhythm of the dance has remained...

Art for
Art’s Sake...
By Prakriti Bhaskar
September 5, 2004
Strict adherence to tradition along with a strong value system form the basis of training that inculcates a sense of love and commitment to the art form amongst students. Over the years, the students gain a high standard of performance with many of them winning prestigious national scholarships and performing at festivals of classical dance at the national and international levels. But what is the purpose of art?
 
 
With dance becoming a fashionable hobby amongst the urban educated society, the percentage of children pursuing the classical arts is still very small. Reflecting on the present day scenario, I feel that in a metropolis like Mumbai, imparting training in a classical idiom such as dance is a challenging task. Although parents are keen to enroll their child for a dance class, few are aware of the commitment it requires. Usually a 'performance' at the end of 5-6 years of training is all that they are looking for. In a city like Mumbai where anything sells, such ignorance has led to the churning out of dancers by a dime or dozen. A change in the mind-set can only be brought...