April 11 2016, 17.55 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
An Odissi Dance Ballet based on the Kannada folktale ‘A flowering Tree’ by AK Ramanujan
Bangalore, April 11th 2016: Leading Odissi dancer Sharmila Mukerjee and her ensemble Sanjali will present ‘Sookshma’, an Odissi dance ballet based on the Kannada Folktale ‘ A Flowering tree’ by AK Ramanujan on Saturday, 16th April 2016 at ADA Rangamandira, JC Road at 6.30 PM.
Sookshma is a part of Pravaha 2016 – a dance festival hosted by Guru Sharmila Mukerjee and Sanjali Centre for Odissi dance, in sacred remembrance of legendary Odissi dancer, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Sookshma is a unique blend of Kannada folklore and Odissi. It is the first and one of a kind attempt to embrace Kannada culture , through the threads of Odissi.
Sookshma revolves around a woman's selflessness and her ability to give. It talks about a woman who is blessed with the ability to transform into a flowering tree. As the name suggests, Sookshma is the subtle, intangible, all pervading spirit that manifests in the form of a boon in the protagonist. The flowers in abundance bring progressive changes in the lives of her sisters, until her tale meets a twist.
Spoken through the language of dance, Sookshma voices the ethos of womanhood, nature and the compelling need to respect both, alike. With an ensemble of 15 performers, Sookshma is a combination of beauty, pathos and simplicity.
Supported by Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Sookshma has been choreographed and directed by Sharmila Mukerjee. Music for Sookshma has been composed by Shri Debashish Sarkar from Kolkata and the script is by Krishna raj Bhat from Bangalore.
Date: 16th April 2016, Saturday
Where: ADA Rangamandira, JC Road, Bangalore
Time: 6.30 PM
Tickets: Available at Bookmyshow or call 9986984878/9008141605
Ticket price: Rs 300 and Rs 200 (For balcony)
About Sanjali Centre:
Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance was established in 2004 by Sharmila Mukherjee to propagate the style of Odissi created by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. This dance institute provides a complete education in the Odissi dance form. This includes the technique, skills, tradition, sadhana and the fulfilment. The Sanjali Dance Ensemble, under the guidance of Sharmila Mukherjee, it specialises in thematic Odissi presentations, which display the lyrical and grace of this dance form.
About Sharmila Mukerjee:
Sharmila Mukerjee is instrumental in bringing Odissi to the forefront of the performing arts scene in Bangalore. Her dance Institute Sanjali, is Bangalore’s first full-fledged training institute for Odissi - set up in 2004. Today, Odissi is a part of the vibrant cultural scene in Bangalore and has found a generous audience. Sharmila and Sanjali are part of several dance festivals in the city where Odissi and Bharatanatyam hold equal sway.
Sharmila now trains as many as 100 students across 4 studios. Originally from Kolkata, Sharmila calls Bangalore her home and aims to make Odissi a mainstream performing art in the city. She has also encouraged several South Indian dancers to take it up as a calling, just like her!Ever since she was drawn to Odissi in 1984, there has been no turning back for Sharmila Mukerjee. She began her lessons in Odissi under the guidance of Smt. Poushali Mukherjee in Kolkata. Thereafter, she continued her rigorous and intensive training, under the tutelage of Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Since then, she has participated in many productions, choreographed and directed by Guruji, all over India. She also took lessons in Odissi from Smt. Sharmila Biswas and attended workshops by Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi. Sharmila's diligence and grace soon captured the attention of critics and connoisseurs of dance, leading her to establish herself as one of the finest exponents of Odissi in India.
Having won the title of Singar Mani from the Sur Singar Samsad (Mumbai), she is also a Grade A artist of Doordarshan and an Established artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. She taught dance and movement therapy at The Oral School for Deaf Children (Kolkata) and Sheila Kothwala Institute for Deaf (Bangalore) and has choreographed and directed many productions with hearing impaired children in both the cities. Sharmila is also the recipient of the prestigious Mahari award 2016 instituted by Adi Guru of Odissi dance Late Pankaj Charan Das. The Mahari award is given to honour an acclaimed solo Odissi dancer.After moving to Bangalore, Sharmila established her own institute - Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance, where she continues to train many students while keeping busy with performances of herself and her group.