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| Sunday, 23 February 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Ven. Katuwana Piyananda Thero's 15th art exhibition opens at Lionel Wendt on Feb. 24 : A call to see beyond the temporal by Jayanthi Liyanage
"Alokanaya" (Illumination) is an introspective gaze at human passage in the cosmos, through the eyes of Ven. Katuwana Piyananda Thero. He strives to accomplish the calling Lord Buddha has bequethed to his disciples, "Be with people and convince them by thy work to construct a noble society." The 15th local art exhibition of this Buddha Putra (son of the Buddha), whose Dharma on canvass has evoked responses in many parts of the Europe, is scheduled to commence at Lionel Wendt on February 24 at 7 p.m. and will run till the 27 from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Ven. Piyananda Thero attributes his advent into art to the nourishment he derived through temple paintings and extensive travel throughout Europe, in England, France, Italy, Swizterland, Belgium, studying and absorbing the many philosophies of art. "Piccaso, who came out with a free tradition of art in an era when European art was patronised by the Church, made a big impact on me," says the Thero. As the historical local art ranged from distinct scenes in Budu Siritha (the life of the Buddha) as seen in the temples of the Kandyan era, to large meadow spreads which unfold a story of the Buddha as seen in Bellanwila, so did his inner eye tune into the truth that the universe sees human life as a single, pulsating force which can never be throttled within the aritifical boundaries of race, caste, creed or nationality.
Ven. Piyananda Thero is wholly self-initiated, exploring one art tradition after another, as his insight probes new areas to draw undetected nuances in the complexity of human living. "All my art education came through my own research and study of world art traditions," says the Thero. "It is said that being inculcated in a Guru Kula (a school of art) could suffocate one's freehand of expression and I chose the advice offered to me that I should travel around the world and learn from my experiences." After April, he will be bound for his next destination which is America. His debut exhibition at "Kala Bhavana" in 1983 led to 14 more including some in Europe, including the Art Gallery of Paris and the University of London, earning enthusiastic reviews from the BBC, the London Observer and the London Times. Ven. Piyananda Thero's art is a call to see beyond the temporal and the cynical and glimpse the calmness of soul, that could bring deeper insights. His exhibition, is sponsored by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (ANCL). ################# Most spectacular
Dancesport event of The first Footwork International Dancesport Championship will be held on April 6 at the Colombo Hilton. As the first ever International Dancesport Championship to be held in this country, the event promises to be a completely new experience for all dance enthusiasts.
Approximately 50 couples are expected to compete and of these around 30-40 couples will be overseas competitors. Altogether there will be 14 events in the Ballroom and Latin American sections and these will comprise of the Beginners I, Beginners II, Novices, Pre Amateur, Amateur, Seniors (over 40) and Seniors (over 50) events in each section. The entries will close on March 1. The evening is scheduled to end on a superlative note with a 5-dance Latin American dance performance by Michael Torres and Sabine Kramski - three times German Champions. A capacity audience of 700 is expected for the event and reservation of tickets is already underway. Sri lankan audiences have always been highly appreciative of the local championships and that is one reason that motivated Footwork to organize an event of this calibre. Mobitel, the leading mobile service provider in the country, has come in as a main sponsor for this event. The other main sponsor is Carlsberg who has always been a steadfast promoter of Dancesport. The official print media sponsor is the Ceylon Daily News and the Sunday Observer, the official TV station is Dynavision and the official radio stations are Sun FM & Gold FM. The official carrier is SriLankan Airlines. Tickets can be reserved from Footwork. For more details call Footwork on 074 408822 or 071 777111 or visit www.footworkevents.com. ################# Aditi Mangaldas tells the story of Kathak : Journey filled with passion and enchantment by Tennyson Rodrigo The occasion was Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam's birth anniversary. The event was a recital of Kathak Dance by Aditi Mangaldas on January 31. The venue was Bishop's College auditorium by the breezy borders of the Beira Lake. Aditi Mangaldas hails from India and is a versatile exponent of the Kathak dance form. Kathak is the classical dance from of Northern India - Lucknow and Jaipur in particular were flourishing centres of this ancient tradition. What is Bharatha Natyam to South India, Kathak is to the North. If Bharatha Natyam is replete with angled symmetry and chiselled form and precision, Kathak wallows in intensely charged cycles of ebbs and flows with rhythmic footwork and poetry. Electrifying climaxes are reached when the percussionist and the dancer engage each other in skilful execution of Boles. Traditionally, Kathak dancers are experts in music, dance and story-telling. The word 'Kathak' is derived from the work 'Katha' (story); as stated in the Program Notes, in modern Kathak renderings, rhythm and movement have overshadowed the story-telling character.
Music from a trio of vocal and instrumental accompanists gave active rhythmic support and the minimalist melodic content that characterizes the Kathak format. Intricately weaving the Boles, the entranced Tabla player and the dancer synchronized their climactic crescendos with explosive ecstasy and panache. The audience was too spellbound to applaud these high points. Yet, it did so, it seemed, somewhat hesitatingly. The second half that comprised a kaleidoscopic miscellany was a striking contrast in technique, choreography, presentation and genre. It looked as if Aditi the Kathak-dancer has been transmogrified! Recorded music replaced live musicians. Coloured spotlights and a variety of costumes changed the overall stage ambience. The themes were sensuous and passionately danced. The imagery and movements were languorous and pulsating. All in all, there was a discernible touch of modernity in content and form without a hint of cheap vulgarity. Aditi's movements showed the suppleness and plasticity of her body. She used yogic postures and stillness of silence to express moods of romance, lamentation and cycles of heightened passion and claustrophobia. Shubha Mudgal's music interspersed with sprinklings of her haunting, plaintive voice gave atmospheric intensity to these emotions. But the fire and spirit of Kathak's deft footwork that surfaced from time to time were fleeting moments that were reminiscent of Andalusian flamenco. As I watched all this, it never occurred to me that the gypsies originated somewhere in North India. In their nomadic wanderings, they displayed a passion for music and dance. Another amazing aspect of the gypsy diaspora was its capacity to absorb local music and dance forms and infuse into them elements of Indian music. Thus, when they entered Spain in the 15th century, fragments of Indian music having distinct mogul influences might have been absorbed into Spanish dance forms. Aditi is an innovator and an explorer of the past to create a new future in her dance idioms. Could it be that some of her contemporary repertoire are cross-cultural derivatives stemming from her deep insights into the cultural history of India? It is clear that Aditi is more than just another accomplished practitioner of Kathak; she has peformed in major cities of the world to critical acclaim; she is an examiner and a judge in the Ministry of Human Resource Development in granting scholarships in Kathak dancing and has read papers at dance workshops. The evening's dance performance was a fitting event to commemorate the birth anniversary of Neelan Tiruchelvam. His deep interest in and love of music and culture were ecletic. By giving the Sri Lankan public the opportuntiy to enjoy Aditi Mangaldas, the International Centre for Ethnic Studies has once again shown its enduring commitment to celebrate Neelan's inspirational life. (The writer is a member of the Western Music Panel of the Arts Council of Sri Lanka). |
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The championship will be held in two segments. The quarterfinals and
semifinals will be held during the afternoon session from 2 pm to 5 pm.
The evening session will consist of the finals, awards presentation and
the demonstration dances scheduled to commence at 6.30 pm.
Aditi took the audience on a journey filled with artistry, passion and
enchantment. In the first half she displayed her technical prowess and
artistic brilliance in the rendering of today's traditional Kathak. She
chose the four seasons to depict the fury of the monsoons, the abandonment
of the falling autumn leaves, the isolation of winter and the consuming
fire of summer.
