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Dancers, Musicians and Narrators
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DANCERS Maya Kulkarni, A leading exponent of Bharata Natyam, studied dance under illustrious Gurus, Dandayuthpani Pillai, Kittappa Pillai and Jayalaxmi Alva. SHe has performed extensively in the United States and India to great critical acclaim, and she produced and choreographed two full-length ballets, Shakuntala & Kumar Sambhavarn. Described by The New York Times as "the dancer's dancer", Maya has performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, The Cubiculo, The Open Eye, The United Nations Human Rights Celebrations, and the Danny Kaye Theater in New York City. IN addition to mastery over the vast traditional repertoire of her gurus, Maya frequently choreographs her own dance items. The four Bharata Natyam pieces in this evening's presentation are Maya's own creation. Janaki Patrik, Kathak dancer, teacher and choregrapher, is a disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj. Trained in western flute and piano from early childhood, Janaki also studied under American modern dance innovator Merce Cunningham. In 1978 she co-founded The Kathak Ensemble, through which she performs traditional Kathak repertoire with live musical accompaniment and also original music/dance dramas and dance-oratorios. Her Song of the Flute: The Life of Krishna in Dance, Music, Poetry and Painting; KA-TAP; East-West Encounters (tap and Kathak dance, jazz and Hindustani music); and MANDALA X/A Dance Oratorio were created to form bridges between Indian and American performance traditions. Janaki is active in arts-in-education, and she teaches Kathak privately and at Djoniba Dance & Drum Center/NYC. MUSICIANS & NARRATOR Murali Balachandran studied mridangam with his father, the famous guru C.G. Balachandran. His sensitivity to the nuances of Bharata Natyam dance can be attributed to the training he received from his mother, Usha, who ran her own dance school for many years. Murali is active in promoting Indian culture through performances and workshops in Tri-State area schools, and he has accompanied many leading Carnatic musicians and Bharata Natyam dancers. Samir Chatterjee, trained by Pandit Amalesh Chatterjee and Pandit Shyamal Bose of Calcutta, is a leading performer and teacher of the Farukhabad style of tabla drumming. He has performed as both soloist and accompanist on numerous tours of the U.S., Canada, Europe and the far East. Pandit Chatterjee has guested with experimental and fusion music groups, and is a founding member of teh jazz trio SYNC. He is founder and director of CHHANDAYAN, which teaches and promotes Indian music and culture. Mitch Greenberg, originally trained in western flute, studied bansuri in Allahabad, U.P. under Pandit Bhola Natha Prasanna. His later training came under vocalists, principally Savithri Ramanand, who he has accompanied for many years in dance ensembles. Recent credits include accompanying Shobana and troupe, playing ground flute in the National Geographic documentary "The Great Indian Railway", and releasing his first CD, "Beginnings". Ramesh Misra, Benaras style sarangi player, is the son and disciple of the late Pandit Ramnath Misra. He also studied with the late Pandit Gopal Misra, and has been studying with Pandit Ravi Shankar for the past ten years. He has accompanied all major dances, vocalists and tabla players of North India for the last thirty years in concerts and festivals throughout the world. |
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