Category: dancer

45 Days of Dance Stories, actress, adancerslife, article, ballet, bodyinmotion, bodylanguage, cinema, critique, cruelty, daarenaronofsky, Dance, dancer, dancestories, fear, hollywood, mind, natalieportman, opinion, perception, preview, reality

Psychotic Dance : Black Swan

This is a post I have wanted to write for some time now. It has been lodged in my soul, squatting on a piece of real-estate. What is it about? It is as much about the potential for Psychoses embedded within Dancers, as it is about the casting of actor Natalie Portman in the Black Swan! It is a bit late to be venting, or … Continue reading Psychotic Dance : Black Swan

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45 Days of Dance Stories, artblog, artform, article, audience, bharatnatyam, bodyinmotion, bodylanguage, bodyparts, choreography, classical, dancer, dsarttakes, expression, eyes, face, kathakali, movement, perform, performance, rasas, storytelling, tradition

The Eyes and Face : The final frontier for a Dancer

For the Dancer, the body is integral, the mind the controller and the soul is the fuel that drives her expression, and the eyes and face where the expression is manifested, guiding the body into motion. So in this journey of discovering the Dancer’s Body over the last few days from feet, to torso, to head, I find myself unable to end this exploration for … Continue reading The Eyes and Face : The final frontier for a Dancer

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45 Days of Dance Stories, adancerslife, artblog, article, artist, bodyinmotion, bodylanguage, choreography, Contemporaryart, Dance, dancer, discover, inspire, marthagraham, performances, videos

A Dancer’s Life – Martha Graham

    Martha Graham has been for many dancers a source of great strength, inspiration and guidance. Her work, writings, performances, choreographies, and dance style have been a beacon of light for me. So today rather than extoll the virtues of this extraordinary individual, let me present o you her 3 part narration titled “A Dancer’s Life” and allow you to go on that journey … Continue reading A Dancer’s Life – Martha Graham

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45 Days of Dance Stories, balance, bodyinmotion, broadway, choreography, dancer, dsarttakes, feet, fredastaire, gingerrogers, iconic, india, movement, tapping

Feet – Move them like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

When we say dancer – the first body part that we immediately connect them to and visualise are the “Feet”.    Grounding us, allowing us to leap and stretch, to pause and pirouette, the dancers feet are where our “Souls” rest!    Battered and bruised, knocked and swollen, these feet are what aide us in our movement, trained to kick, flip, balance and flick they are in … Continue reading Feet – Move them like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

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45 Days of Dance Stories, bodyinmotion, classical, creation, Dance, dancer, divine, dsarttaes, hindu, india, meditation, mudra, myhtology, nataraja, shakti, shiva, tradition

Nataraja – The Lord of Dance

Since yesterday (the 2nd of December 2014) and the post Shiva, Shakti, Laasya, my thoughts have been pre-occupied by Lord Shiva as the Lord of Performers and Dance. Known in this avatar as Nataraja, his physical personification (as seen in the image above) can be attributed to the bronze sculptors of the Chola Dynasty in South India from 10th Century A.D. This dancing figure of … Continue reading Nataraja – The Lord of Dance

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45 Days of Dance Stories, art, artblog, artist, beauty, bodylanguage, creative, Dance, dancer, dancestories, dsarttakes, performance

R.I.P. Sitara Devi (1919-2014)

The last two days have been a meditation on Sitara Devi, hence on Kathak. Her many performance on stage or then on celluloid for Films such as Baghban(1938), Roti(1942)and Mother India (1957) – Sitara Devi’s contribution to Kathak is one that has been well documented and is sprawling in its influence to inspire. True to her moniker – “Sitara” (which means Star in Hindi), she … Continue reading R.I.P. Sitara Devi (1919-2014)

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45 Days of Dance Stories, art, artblog, artist, beauty, bodylanguage, creative, Dance, dancer, dancestories, dsarttakes, expression, flashback, india, love, performance

East Indian Nautch Dance : Ruth St. Denis

As part of 45 Days Dance Stories, I’m still looking back at the body of work by the one and only Ruth St. Denis. she was one of the key proponents of Indian Dance and Hindu Philosophical thoughts through her meditatively choreographer pieces. Today I wish to share Ruth St. Denis’s depiction of the East Indian Nautch Dance, where the women is explorer and seductress, … Continue reading East Indian Nautch Dance : Ruth St. Denis

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45 Days of Dance Stories, art, artblog, artist, beauty, bodylanguage, creative, culture, Dance, dancer, dancestories, devotion, dsarttakes, expression, hinduism

Incense by Ruth St. Denis

Over the next few days I want to celebrate the work and talent that was Ruth St. Denis, as part of the 45 Days of Dance Stories. Ruth St. Denis was not only applauded for her progressive choreography and the legacy of work she has left dancers world over, but for me it was her unique talent and insight that enabled her to bridge classical … Continue reading Incense by Ruth St. Denis

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45 Days of Dance Stories, artblog, article, artworld, bodylanguage, Contemporaryart, creative, culture, curator, Dance, dancer, dsarttakes, indiaartscene, marthagraham

Words and Movements of Martha Graham

Considered by many as one of the finest and most influential artists of the 20th century. This choreographer, writer, dancer and revolutionary contributed, in no small part, to the shaping of and trajectory of – modern dance. Through her work and ethos she carved and continues to influence the psyche of the dancer and the manifestation of his soul through chosen-precise-movement. For me, Martha Graham … Continue reading Words and Movements of Martha Graham

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45 Days of Dance Stories, artblog, bodylanguage, contemporary, culture, curator, Dance, dancer, devotion, dsarttakes, india, modernindia, natyashasrta, practice, tradition

RASA in the 21st Century

Last year around this time I did 45 Days Art Stories for The Nirula Family Company. This year I thought I’d take inspiration from a field of personal practice where music, beat, song, rhythm, movement, expression and emotion all are incorporated to create a performance that all of us know as “Dance”. So these 45 days will be a Dance Countdown, grooving us over to … Continue reading RASA in the 21st Century

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