ODISSI DANCE WORKSHOP HELD
We organized an Odissi Dance Workshop “Intensive” through SPIC MACAY from 5 November 2009 to 10 Nov 2009. 50 girls from classes VI and VII attended this workshop, which was conducted by Ms. Kavita Dwivedi, the renowned Odissi Dancer. She began the workshop by enlightening the students about the culture of Orissa and Odissi Dance. Students learnt many body postures, steps and mudras in Odissi dance from like » Bhoomi Pranam, » Chauk, » Tribhangi, » Chali, » Begaur, » Veena » and Bhavri On the last day they interacted with Ms. Kavita Dwivedi where she told them about Lord Jagannath. It was an enjoyable experience for all the participants.
KATHAKALI MAGIC
‘Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is not mere translation or abstraction from life, it is life itself. A Kathakali performance was organized by SPIC MACAY and Padamashree Kalamandalam Gopi Ji along with seven other members showed a splendid form of dance in the School Auditorium on 30 October 2009. Born in 1937 in the village of Kothachira, Kerala, Kalamandalam Gopi, (real name Vadakka Manalath Govindan) has over a thirty years career as an outstanding Kathakali artist for his eminence in dance and his contribution to its enrichment. Kalamandalam Gopi received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987. Through his dance performance he depicted a short play “Kalyam Sangandhinanv” from Mahabharata along with some amazing facial expressions. An interactive session between students and the artists culminated the programme.
KAVITA DWIVEDI ENTHRALLS THE STUDENTS OF ST. MARK'S, MEERA BAGH
Under the aegis of SPIC MACAY the students of St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, had the opportunity to witness an enthralling Odissi Dance Recital by Kavita Dwivediji on 20 April 2009. She began the performance by enlightening the students about the various classical dance forms of India, specially Odissi.
The first performance was 'Mangla Charan' followed by 'Pallavi' a pure dance form, 'Abhinaya' in which she depicted the story of 'Salbeg' a devotee of Lord Jaganath and cultimated the performance with 'Moksha'. She was accompanied by Sh. Prafful Kumar Mangraj on 'mardal', Sh. Gopinath Swain on 'violin', Sh. Prashant Kumar Behera as the 'vocalist' and Ms. Kaveri Behera on the 'manjeera'. It was indeed a stupendous performance which the students not onlyn enjoyed watching but was also an eye opener for them as they learnt a lot about the Odissi Dance form, the various body positios and mudras and also about Lord Jagannath.
STUDENTS OF ST. MARK'S MEERA BAGH WITNESS KATHAK AND LEARN PUPPETRY
Under the aegis of SPIC MACAY the students of St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, witnessed an awe inspiring and mesmerizing Kathak dance recital and Lecdem by Pandit Rajendra Gangani on 16 Oct. 2008. The performance began with 'Shivstuti' that comprised of 'Abhinaya' and 'Mudras', followed by 'Laykari' and 'Ganesh Paran'. He then performed on a 'Bhajan' by Surdas and then a 'Kavit' based on the 'Goverdhan' episode from 'Krishna Leela'. The finale was a stupendous 'Toda' and 'JugalBandi' with the 'Tabla'. Accompanying him on the tabla and sarangi were Sh. Mohit Gangani and Sh. Ayub Khan, respectively. Sh. Samiullah Khan was the vocalist and on the parand was Ms. Swati Sinha. On 21 Oct. the students got the opportunity to attend a Lecdem by the renowned puppetier Sh. Dadi Pudumjee. He made a successful attempt to arouse the interest of students in the art of puppetry. He not only enlightened the students about nuances of puppetry but also demonstrated some of his skills. It was a delight to see inanimate objects come alive. Both were indeed good learning experiences for the students.
SPIC MACAY CONVENTION
Eleven fortunate girls, of class 10 and 12 of St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, got a golden opportunity of attending the 23rd National Convention of SPIC MACAY at Kohima from 12 to 24 June 2008, accompanied by teachers Ms. K. Mehta and Ms. A Singhal. Many eminent personalities from the field of Music, Dance and Art like Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, Ashwini Bhide, Anjolie Ela Menon etc. came down to Kohima and displayed their unusual talent. Students also got the opportunity to learn new skills under the enlightening guidance of Dadi Padamji, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar etc. The tour introduced the students to a totally different sphere of life and made them aware of the rich cultural heritage of India. The students were not only mesmerized by the scenic beauty of Kohima but were also ecstatic to learn the nuances of art and culture that our country is proud of.
AN AWE INSPIRING PERFORMANCE
Under the aegis of SPIC MACAY, the students witnessed an enthralling Dance Recital by Guru Singhajit Singh Ji and Smt. Charu Sija Mathur Ji. Guru Singhajit Singh Ji introduced and briefly acquainted the students with the various forms of the Manipuri dance. Before each item he explained every little detail so that the students would enjoy it more. Charu ji was accompanied by Beena Devi as a dancer, Sana Tumba Devi as the singer, Sanaiyaima Singh and Naoba Singh as the two drummers and on the flute by Jagan Nath Ghoshal ji. Charu ji and Beena Devi started the recital by Ras Leela, a colourful rendering of a holi episode of Radha and Krishna. Then the two drummers mesmerized the audience with Tung Cholum. They played the drums and danced at the same time and their movements ranged from soft to extremely vigorous ones. It was followed by 'Kaliya Daman' by Beena Devi and 'Terana' by Charu ji. It was a pure dance composition. The finale was 'Dhol Cholum' presented by Sanaiyaima Singh and Naoba Singh. The two drummers received a standing ovation from the audience. The programme came to an end with an interesting question-answer session between the students and Guru Singhajit Singh ji. It was indeed an awe inspiring and magnificent experience of the young students.

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