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Samskritiki
Shreyaskar presents
December 18, 2009
Rani has "polished her Kathak into an instrument of elegance and grace in which she has few equals." – Late Dr. Charles Fabri, The Statesman Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Rani Karnaa was nurtured under the great Gurus Narayan Prasad, Pandit Sunder Prasad and Birju Maharaj. One of our foremost exponents of Kathak, she is known to have enriched and integrated the great traditions of Jaipur and Lucknow Gharanas with an unusual sense of aesthetic adventure. Her work since the 1970s has been dedicated to seeking out and passing on the fine nuances of the Kathak form on the one hand and its energetic flamboyance on the other – always with an eye for lingering beauty and fluid grace. Hers has been an inspiring life spent in the service of dance – learning, understanding, evolving, teaching and exploring the inexhaustible language of Kathak through a style and approach all her own, delving deep into each idea and project with musicians, scholars, philosophers, scientists, writers and other collaborators. This constant quest has created unique and rare compositions which enrich Kathak in particular and all dance in general, bringing together the best of poetry, lyricism, music, philosophy, pure dance and abhinaya. Since 1978, Rani Karnaa has made the city of Kolkata her base, infusing the dance community with a freshness and sense of wonder that continues to this day. More than thirty years later, we are proud and privileged to celebrate her seventieth year. Birthdays are always a time both for looking back and looking forward, both for reflections of the past and dreams of the future. To celebrate this juncture in her life, Samskritiki Shreyaskar plans a three-day festival looking back at her contribution to Kathak through some of the compositions and productions that form her repertoire. This amazing range encompasses poetic and pure dance pieces from as early as the 1960s, her interpretations of the lyrics of Surdas and Haridas among others, innovations with the songs of Tagore, and experiments with radically modern – yet classically oriented – music. Through this feast of dance performed by the students she has honed over generations, we hope to honour Guru Rani Karnaa as a dance exponent and her dance. One cannot separate the two. To imagine one is to imagine the other. "...she is indisputably one of the rare dancers who has widened the dimension of Kathak." Arts Guardian, London Info: ranikarnaa@gmail.com / www.ranikathak.com
Day 1 - 29th January 2010, Friday,
6:30pm
Inauguration of the brochure and felicitation of some senior artistes with whom Rani Karnaa has been associated with since the last three decades - Girija Devi, Pt Shankar Ghosh, Pt Ajay Chakravarty, Ustaad Sabir Khan, Gopa Ghosh, Naresh Mukherjee Screening of Video excerpts of Rani Karnaa’s performances PIROYE MOTI: A collection of her unique and rare solo compositions which enrich Kathak in particular and all dance in general, bringing together the best of poetry, lyricism, music, philosophy, pure dance and abhinaya performed by her senior most disciples she has honed over generations. Day 2 - 30th January 2010, Saturday,
6:30pm
Excerpts from:
TASHER DESH: Rabindranath Tagore’s Tasher Desh is known to one and All. Tasher Desh was conceived in Kathak by Rani Karnaa in the year 2004. It was premiered in Kolkata on the eve of Independence Day. Tasher Desh is a joint venture by Rani Karnaa, her senior disciples and associated artists. Day 3 - 31st January 2010 Sunday,
6:30pm
SATRANG/ NAVRANG: It seeks to discover afresh seven/nine traditional facets of Kathak dance interpreted with a new approach.. Its music also reflects this spirit of exploration, strictly adhering to a classical base but making imaginative forays into other genres. Excerpts from:
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The
world of Indian classical dance has seen great changes, development and
evolution in the history of Independent India. Forms have been re-discovered,
researched, re-invented in a constant endeavour to innovate and yet respect
the paradigms of each tradition. Several dance exponents have made unforgettable
contributions to their respective genres of dance over the past five decades.
In Kathak, one of them has been Rani Karnaa.
Rani
Karnaa Retrospective: A three day Kathak festival
VENU
NAAD: An excerpt from Rani Karnaa’s mega production of 1982 'Navarasa Malika.'
The production is inspired by the works of saint poet Swami Surdas both
in its thematic content and musical presentation.