Bharatanatyam Rehearsals Begin
Broad Stage and the SMC Dance Department have come together in order to give students the chance to learn a classical southern Indian dance with artist Ashwini Ramaswamy.
Ashwini Ramaswamy, a renowned Bharatanatyam artist, is in residency at the core performance building at Broad Stage. In joint efforts by SMC’s Dance Department and the Broad Stage, students have been given the opportunity to learn a classical southern Indian dance starting March 27 to April 1 with Ramaswamy. Students who audition have the opportunity to perform at the Broad Stage on May 6 and May 7 for Global Motion.
Bharatanatyam is one of eight classical dances from southern India that has been practiced over 2,000 years. According to Ramaswamy, Bharatanatyam can be broken into four words.
“Bha for bhavam, which means expression, ra for ragam, which means melody, ta for thalam which means rhythm, and natyam means to dance.” she said. “And what is believed to have happened is there was one dance form thousands of years ago, that as the country evolves … many states and many regions, all of which have different languages, different foods, different ways of dressing, those forms of dance, evolved into separate styles that take on the principles of that region.”
The Global Motion World Dance Company consists of SMC students that perform, rehearse and learn various cultural dance forms from all over the world giving students the opportunity to learn from professional choreographers as they tour throughout California.
“It's important to highlight this partnership because it's key to bringing these choreographers,” said Mónica Sahagún, Programs and Activations Manager at Broad Stage. “These are professionals that are still doing their art form and coming to our stage, which is part of SMC, obviously, and then working with the students.”
Ramaswamy said the dance is her way of maintaining a strong familial connection to India. “I was born in Minnesota,” she said. “As you kind of get further away from your homeland where your parents are born, you can sometimes lose that connection.”
The students learning the classical dance described it as a more spiritual and distinct form that they have come to learn.
“It's really challenging, but it's so interesting to have new ways of moving our bodies,” said Dance major Jade Lelievre.
Dance major Akhia Taguchi has been practicing modern and contemporary dances for 16 years. She said that although it was challenging at first, combining Bharatanatyam with her own experiences made learning the dance easier.
“I can’t imagine my life without dancing, performing to the audience is so satisfying to me,” Taguchi said.
Ramaswamy will be performing Let the Crows Come at Broad Stage on April 6 and April 7. SMC students can purchase tickets on the day of the performance for $10 with their student ID.
