Events
2013
June 12 Bhubaneswar
 Anita Ratnam presents ABOUT HER, a solo contemporary dance-theatre presentation in the NEO BHARATAM style at the ODISHA CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL - 2013
At: Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar
Performance and Co Choreography: Anita Ratnam
Choreography: Hari Krishnan
Costumes: Rex and Sandhya Raman
Music: Anil Srinivasan, Vedanth Bharadwaj, Navin Iyer, Krishna Kishor
Sound Design: Anita Ratnam, Hari Krishnan and Vedanth Bharadwaj
Lighting Design: Victor
Stage Management: L Subhasri
1. TARA
An exploration on the many faces of the Tibetan Goddess TARA through the impetus of Mahayana Buddhism and a feminist lens.
2. SITA
Drawing from the single moment of Sita refusing to return to safety on
Hanuman's shoulders, this choreography expands on the single dance
phrase of Sita's reply to the Monkey King. The gestures, movements and
abstractions further reinforce the determination of the princess in
remaining steadfast to her decision.
3. AVANI
Inspired by the epic poem by Rabindranath Tagore, this contemporary
dance is a response to his call to the earth as Prithvi, mother,
protector and destroyer. She is both gentle and fierce - like Durga -
capable of caring and devouring. Tagore's vision of man's greed and
appetite for destruction brought about this poem that was written
between the two world wars in the 20th century.
April 15, Chennai
Forum Art Gallery presented RESIST - An Engendered Art Protest in
association with Gallery Engendered Space, New Delhi. RESIST is first of
its kind being shown in Chennai and has already created rave reviews in
New Delhi. Giving the cause its due credit, it was a wonderful
opportunity to engage the Chennai audience in a collective conscience
with the national and the artistic and creative platforms in a dynamic
dialogue of strength and solidarity!
Art is the only permanent resistance.” This anonymous quote forms the backbone for RESIST.
- a first-of-its-kind temporal art intervention and protest that will
bring together artists, musicians and fashion designers who through
their works illustrated conscience and dissent against gender-based
violence and injustice. Planned as an evening of live performances, art
and fashion installations tol steer the artist’s creativity
towards a collective protest.
Anita Ratnam presented UPROOT, a live performance art installation
At Forum Art Gallery, Adyar, Chennai, 7pm
Info: (044) – 42115596 / 97
April 12, London
 Dr. Anita Ratnam premiered MAA, HYPHENATE, a new solo at Purcell Room, London.
Ma - Hyphenate
a dance theatre work by Anita Ratnam
A triptych contemplation on women-Goddesses and the Fire within
Akka Mahadevi- daring- pilgrim- Peace
Meenakshi- fierce- champion- Victory
Annapoorani- compassionate- mother- Abundance
Ma - Hyphenate is an introspective look into the Goddess as Ma - the mother, through the lens/device of the Japanese concept of Ma - where the goddesses’ Hyphenate personae are objectified utilizing stillness, movement, mime and music while equally prioritizing the Hyphenate pregnant-empty negative spaces between those object(ification)s in light, shadows, darkness and silence.
View Images
Performance/Costume Design/Co-Choreography/Co-Sound Design: Anita Ratnam
Choreography/Direction: Hari Krishnan
Visual Design: Rex
Music and Sound Design: Vedanth Bharadwaj
Musicians: Sandhya and Subhiksha (vocals), KSR Aniruddha
(multi-percussion and jati composition/recitation), Sashirekha (jati
recitation), Anil Srinivasan (piano) and Krishna Kishor (Kanjira)
Special thanks to Alchemy for premiering this work.
Southbank Centre artist-in-residence, Gauri Sharma Tripathi, is a
leading kathak artist whose work is much loved in the UK and India. It
is deeply grounded in the classical South Asian dance form, to which she
brings a unique, contemporary twist.
Gauri asked three artists - her friends and collaborators Mavin
Khoo, Anita Ratnam (who premieres MA - HYPHENATE) and Chitra Sundaram - to share the stage with her for
this one-off evening. All are bharatanatyam dancers travelling on a
similar artistic journey, involving a departure from and a return to
tradition.
'I have invited artists who are great personal friends and share a
passion for reinventing the classical forms that ground us. I've watched
them flourish in their practice and delight in the idea of reuniting
with them all for Alchemy.' (Gauri Sharma Tripathi)
There was a post-show discussion after the performance.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/gauri-sharma-tripathi-guests-72264
March 15 & 16, 2013, Bangalore
THE LONG WAY HOME Theatre Performances at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, Evam Entertainment presentation.
March 10, 2013, Coimbatore
Anita Ratnam and the Arangham Dance Theatre performed at Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev's MAHASIVARATRI at Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore.
March 2, 2013, Chennai
Devdutt Patnaik creates and spoke about Lakshmi, Saraswati and Devi,
and Anita Ratnam responded with movement to the drawings at Apparao
Galleries at 6.30pm, Chennai.
February 9, 2013, 10.30am
The Ramayana Festival organised by Nanditha Krishna was celebrated
for the whole month of February 2013 with over 40 papers presented by
eminent scholars from all over India and abroad. Anita Ratnam participated with a lecture demonstration of ‘A Million Sitas’.
At: the CP Ramaswamy Centre, 1 Eldams Rd
Schedule
February 2, 2013, 10am
Anita Ratnam participated in the CHENNAI STORYTELLING FESTIVAL 2013
At the Max Muller Bhavan, Nungambakkam
Schedule
Response
Response from Eric Miller, Director, World Storytelling Institute, Chennai
- 12 Feb 2013
I am still dreaming about your awesome performance. No words to express
my feelings. I am working as a kindergarten teacher. As
soon as I started this week with my children the first thing I did was
only your performance. My kids really enjoyed and they started repeating
it. You really opened my eyes. I thank you for giving us such a
wonderful opportunity.
- Yasodha, 6 Feb 2013
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