Svam - My Own

On November 4th, come prepared for a memorable night of dance and discovery…. Alumnus Anuja Varaprasad brings to us -

Svam – my own

A personal and philosophical interpretation of a sacred and spiritual art form

Sunday, 4 November, 7.30pm, NUS University Cultural Centre

You dance inside my chest where no one sees you

but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes art.

- Rumi

Bharathanatyam has a codified structure and vocabulary, but the deeply spiritual and experiential nature of this vocabulary means that the dance form will resonate differently within each individual dancer. Each story is intrinsically personal, and Svam, which means belonging to me, or my own in Sanskrit, is one dancer’s attempt to put form to her own story. It is said that one can find in and through dance whatever one seeks deep within, and Svam endeavours to convey this dancer’s metaphysical search through music and movement.

Svam is an interpretation of dance as a personal philosophy, a subjective external depiction that this structured, sacred and spiritual form is bigger than the dancer and life itself. The production explores intangible concepts of perfection, worship, love, oneness and peace that are so intertwined with the tangible, physical art form. 

The music for this Bharathanatyam presentation has been specially composed by P.Sushanth, which is complemented by Shyamjith Kiran's insightful choreography. 

. . .

About the choreographer:

Shyamjithkiran is a young and vibrant Bharatanatyam artist from Kasargod, Kerala. He completed his three-year diploma course in Bharatanatyam Bhaskara, an institution founded by Guru V.P. Dhananjayan. He completed his diploma and post diploma in Bharatanatyam from the Kalakshetra Foundation securing a first class in both courses, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Masters degree in Sociology. He has been actively part of the Kalakshetra dance repertory, performing Bharatanatyam as well as Kathakali since 2004. His choreography for ‘Mudivil Oru Aarambam’, based on the present situation of dancers, has won critical acclaim. His recent work ‘Pareekshana’ brings a fresh approach to the usual orchestral accompaniment with the inclusion of a string section including violins, violas and cellos in addition to the traditional orchestra. Shyamjithkiran is presently working at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society as a member of the dance faculty and also performs and choreographs for the Society.

About the composer:

P. Susanth has a Diploma in classical music from the Kalakshetra Foundation. He also has a First Class certificate in Higher Indian Music from the Government of Tamil Nadu. Endowed with a meticulous voice, Mr. Sushanth is a very experienced vocalist for dance concerts and has been a regular performer for several arangetrams, and Bharatha Natyam programmes over the last 8 years in India and Malaysia. Mr. Susanth has been a vocal tutor with SIFAS since February 2010.

About the dancer:

Anuja Varaprasad has been learning Bharathanatyam since the age of six, and has been a student of the Singapore Indian Finer Arts Society (SIFAS) since 1994. Under the tutelage of Smt Sitaravamma Sandrasegaran and Sri V Balagurunathan, she completed the offered 8-year diploma course, and was awarded the 'Natyavisharad' for outstanding performance in both theory and practical examinations. She completed her Arangetram in 2006 and has performed in numerous dance dramas and solo productions in Singapore and India. Anuja continues her training with SIFAS, under Sanjit Lal, a graduate of Kalakshetra. She views Bharathanatyam as an intellectual and spiritual exercise and hopes to pursue a Masters in South Asian Studies one day.