Feb 16 2025 to Feb 16 2025 7 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

"Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought." – Albert Einstein.

What is creativity? How does it translate for an artist?

Bijayini Satpathy has been greatly inspired by so many artists, from being an audience in their performances, to reading and hearing them talk about their life & art, by observing them teach with their incomparable mastery.

It has been a dream and desire to present an artist in all their roles, as an invincible performer, a vulnerable human and a masterful mentor. The first step in this journey is "your artist".

The third edition of this festival features noted Bharatanatyam exponent Priyadarsini Govind.

On Feb 15, Priyadarsini Govind will conduct a three hour abhinaya workshop, "Learning Ladder".Learning Ladder is a unique training pedagogy that allows a student to approach and learn abhinaya in a logical, consistent, step-by-step way through its fundamental building blocks. Developed by Priyadarsini Govind through her decades of experience as a practitioner of abhinaya, it provides a dancer the tools to not only improve their communication as an artist, but also gives them a robust methodology to practice, perform as well as teach the craft.

In this masterclass, Priyadarsini Govind will give you a glimpse into this one-of-its-kind pedagogy which decodes abhinaya for the young learner and teacher alike.

On Feb 16, she will present "Suvai- A relish of the heart", an evocative evening of abhinaya, bringing together a curated selection of pieces from diverse Indian languages. Traversing a range of emotional landscapes, these works span both classic and lesser-known gems, drawn from within and beyond the traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire.

The performance will be followed by a conversation with Priyanka Chandrasekhar, dancer, choreographer and founder of Bangalore based Nirali Collective.

YOUR ARTIST

Priyadarsini Govind is one of the foremost Bharatanatyam dancers of India, being trained by two stalwarts of the tradition Kalaimamani S K Rajarathnam Pillai and Padma Bhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Naryanan. With a natural aptitude for abhinaya she has particularly become a flagbearer for the latter’s padam repertoire, and her nritta or pure dance is intense and vigorous. Known for an adherence to tradition with which she seamlessly blends new choreography, she has gently redefined the boundaries of the Bharatanatyam repertoire.

Priyadarsini has performed in prestigious venues across the country and the world, taking Bharatanatyam to major international and national festivals as a soloist. She has, further, collaborated with several leading Indian and international artists like Leela Samson, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Bombay Jayashree, T M Krishna, Aruna Sairam, Gowri Ramnarayan and Elisabet Petit. For her achievements, she has been honoured with prestigious awards, which include the Nritya Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy (2019), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2012), Yuva Kala Bharathi, Kalaimamani and Nrityachoodamani.

Serving as the Director of the renowned Kalakshetra Foundation between 2013 and 2017, Priyadarshini has been keenly involved with teaching and pedagogical efforts. These comprise a recent project to create a set of instructional DVDs for Bharatanatyam, conceptualised and created for Kalakriya; conceptualising and producing Yavanika, a first of its kind film; being the Founder-Director of NavaDarshana, an initiative that teaches dancers to view dance holistically; and formulating a structured way of learning abhinaya called Learning Ladder, that is currently being broadcast on Kalakendra.