Nitya Nritya Foundation offers a free presentation that seeks to examine the components that go into what comes together as a piece in Bharatanatyam.
Nitya Nritya Foundation is delighted to invite you to:
Margam – Peeling Back the Layers
What are the threads that we weave into a Bharatanatyam Margam? How do they interact and complement each other to create an aesthetic blend that we then experience as Bharatanatyam? Engage with the Margam and its nuanced layers in an intimate presentation geared to draw you in on multiple levels.
Samathmika Balaji, a Carnatic musician will delve into the literary foundations for the string of pieces.
Supraja Ranganathan, a Carnatic musician will unravel the melodic fabric for the evening.
Jyothsna Sainath, a Bharatanatyam dance-artist will dance the Margam and deconstruct the rhythmic framework for each piece.
This presentation features two art forms and two particular genres within that: Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music. These are intimately related as one informs the other.
Bharatanatyam is a genre of South Indian classical dance whose technique can, very broadly, be compartmentalized into pure dance technique and narrative technique. This latter form of technique stems from the shared history of Indian dance forms of being a means to communicate scriptures, poetry and pre-occupations of the times.
We will be using a traditional Bharatanatyam Margam or traditional repertoire to provide an anchor to discuss aspects of Carnatic music.
A Margam ties together several threads in rich hues, each with a long, rich and sophisticated technique that has evolved over time. Thus, looking back today, what we see is a complex fabric composed of the many art forms that have existed in parallel in the region resulting in a beautiful and colorful braid of these threads of variegated hues.
This free event, open to all, is part of Nitya Nritya Foundation’s efforts to take Indian classical art forms into distributed venues deep into the valley’s community. Do join us for “Margam -Peeling Back The Layers”
We are grateful to Zoo, Arts & Parks, Salt Lake City Arts Council, Utah Division of Arts and Museums and the Eccles Foundation for their sustained support.
COLLABORATING ARTISTS
Jyothsna Sainath
Jyothsna Sainath is a Bharatanatyam dance artist based in Salt Lake City, UT, who is known for probing thematic content from a variety of sources via the language of Bharatanatyam. Jyothsna’s primary training in Bharatanatyam was in Bengaluru, India, most recently as a student of Guru Narmada; she also holds a Master’s degree in Performing Arts from Bangalore University. She is the Artistic Director of Nitya Nritya Dance Company (NNDC), a Bharatanatyam performing and training company and the President of Nitya Nritya Foundation (NNF).
Jyothsna has been a recipient of public funding support for her work.
Most recently, she was awarded the 2024 Fellowship for Dance by Utah Division of Arts & Museums as a mark of recognition of her sustained artistic work.
SUPRAJA RANGANATHAN
Supraja Ranganathan is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry at the University of Utah. She is also a trained Carnatic vocalist under the tutelage of Smt. Nandini Sankar and Smt. Sumitra Vasudev. She has performed at various venues in India since her debut 3-hour concert (also known as Arangetram) at the age of 14 in Chennai, India. As an undergraduate in India, Supraja was an integral part of her university’s Carnatic music club, Gaanavarshini, where she brought together Carnatic music lovers to share their knowledge of this art form. Since 2022, Supraja has been a part of local ensemble presentations at the annual Nitya Nritya Festivals and local community outreach events across the Salt Lake Valley as part of the Nitya Nritya Foundation
SAMATHMIKA BALAJI
Samathmika Balaji is a carnatic musician, performer and teacher. Her great grandfather was Sri Alathur Subbier (of the illustrious Alathur Brothers) and Samathmika was fortunate to receive early exposure to music, dance and theatre, right at home.
She has learnt and performed carnatic music, Bharathanatyam, and performed with playing the Veena and on the piano, and has been cast by the acclaimed Madras Players in their theatrical productions based on plays by Girish Karnad. This led to an enduring passion for the classical performing arts and she has continued to keep this lifelong interest alive when she moved to the US in 2016, through her association with the Nitya Nritya Foundation.