Latest news with #NatyaVriksha
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
An enchanting Arangetram evening in Delhi
Guru Vidushi Geeta Chandran, Padmashri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, celebrates timeless tradition, artistry and devotion through the Arangetram of her disciple, Kavya Navani, on July 27 at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hosted by Natya Vriksha, the premier institution founded by Geeta Chandran, this ceremonial debut will be graced by Guest of Honour Shri Raj Babbar, eminent film personality and former Member of Parliament. Apart from being a debut, an Arangetram is a sacred offering. At Natya Vriksha, it reflects Geeta Chandran's unwavering commitment to tradition and training. Every year, she curates this milestone with rigor and devotion, turning it into a powerful dialogue between guru and shishya, rooted in discipline and artistic depth. Apart from being a debut, an Arangetram is a sacred offering At the heart of this year's presentation is Kavya Navani, a student who has blossomed under Geeta Chandran's artistic vision. From the age of five, Kavya has trained at Natya Vriksha, absorbing not only the grammar of Bharatanatyam but also the deeper philosophies that Geeta Chandran so uniquely imparts. Geeta Chandran with Raj Babbar Speaking on the occasion, Guru Geeta Chandran shares, 'Each Arangetram is a renewal of faith in the eternal tradition of Bharatanatyam. Kavya's performance is the result of immersive learning, cultural anchoring and the shared breath between a guru and shishya. I take immense pride in nurturing dancers who carry our heritage into the future with grace and gravitas.' Raj Babbar, Ashwani Kumar, Anuradha Joshi and Pratibha Advani Deeply moved, Kavya Navani adds, 'To dance under Guruji's guidance is to experience both art and awakening. She has shown me that Bharatanatyam is not only performance, rather it is philosophy in motion, devotion in form.'
India Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Bharatnatyam legend Geeta Chandran's disciple Anvita Jain's Arangetram in Delhi
Padmashri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Geeta Chandran, will celebrate timeless tradition and artistry through the Arangetram of her disciple, Anvita Jain. Hosted by Natya Vriksha, the premier institution founded by Chandran, this ceremonial debut will be graced by folk singer Malini Awasthi as the chief from being a debut, an Arangetram is a sacred offering. At Natya Vriksha, it reflects Chandran's unwavering commitment to tradition and training. She curates this milestone with rigour and devotion, turning it into a powerful dialogue between guru (mentor) and shishya (disciple), rooted in discipline and artistic the centre of this year's presentation is Anvita, a dedicated student shaped by Chandran's artistic guidance. Since the age of seven, she has been training at Natya Vriksha. The classical dancer has imbibed not just the technique of Bharatanatyam, but also the profound philosophies that Chandran so distinctively shares. As a student of Modern School, Barakhamba Road, she has performed at various cultural platforms in the city. Anvita Jain has been training at Natya Vrisksha since the age of seven. Anvita has performed at Durga Puja celebrations at Niti Bagh lawns and at national-level events like the CBSE Expression Series and the CBSE National Adolescent Summit 2023. Beyond dance, she is also a trained swimmer and has represented her school at inter-school competitions and the Indian Public Schools' Conference. Anvita Jain has been trained in Bharatnatyam under the guidance of Padmashri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Geeta Chandran Chandran is a dancer, choreographer, Carnatic vocalist, scholar, and cultural activist. As Founder-President of Natya Vriksha, she has mentored hundreds of students since 1991, including many from underprivileged backgrounds, creating a truly inclusive Gurukul. She is known for her ability to make Bharatanatyam speak across boundaries-linguistic, thematic, and social-using the art form to explore themes of joy, mythology, feminism, ecology, and Arangetram is scheduled for Friday, August 8, 2025 at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium, 89 Lodhi Estate, New Delhi.- Ends
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
18th World Dance Day Festival puts spotlight on heritage, future of Indian dance
New Delhi, The 18th edition of the World Dance Day Festival, which began here on Saturday, puts spotlight on the heritage and future of Indian dance with performances across different dance styles, workshops, lectures and discussions. Conceived and curated by renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and founder of Natya Vriksha Geeta Chandran, the dance festival at the India International Centre opened with a movement and dance aesthetics workshop by noted dancer Tanushree Shankar. On the opening evening, SPICMACAY and its founder Kiran Seth were conferred the Natya Vriksha Lifetime Achievement Award for their "outstanding contribution to preserving India's intangible cultural heritage through youth engagement". The award, which has previously been given to Shanta Serbjeet Singh, Avinash Pasricha, Kamalini Dutt, and Leela Venkataraman, includes an angavastram and a cash honour of ₹1,00,000. "This honour is not mine alone-it belongs to every student who has sat in awe before an artist, to every volunteer who has given their time to SPIC MACAY, and to every institution that believes in the power of the arts to shape minds and lives. In a world of constant change, classical arts anchor us to something deeper, something timeless,' Seth said in a statement. Poet and scholar Ashok Vajpeyi delivered a lecture, "Dancing Away", a poetic and philosophical reflection on how dance, while rooted in the present, opens portals to imagination, memory, and transcendence. The day concluded with Bharatanatyam performance by Madhura Bhrushundi and Kathak recital by Dheerendra Tiwari. 'World Dance Day is a moment to pause and celebrate what dance brings into our lives, not just technique or tradition, but emotion, truth, and transformation. This festival is our offering to the art, and to the young dancers who will carry it forward,"Chandran said. Day two of the dance festival will continue with a workshop Shankar, followed by "Avatarana - The Story of Natya", a theatrically retelling of a 2,500-year-old saga, scripted and performed by Ramaa Bharadvaj, exploring the divine origins of Indian dance through humour and insight. The festival will come to an end with Kuchipudi by Abhinaya Nagajothy and Odissi performance by Shashwati Garai Ghosh.
