| Academic/Professional activities |
Initiated into Kathak as a child at the age of four by dancer-actor Sadhna Bose at Calcutta, trained by the legendary maestro pt. Birju Maharaj at Delhi, Shovana Narayan’s name, over the years, has become synonymous with Kathak giving it new dimensions. A thinking artiste, an imaginative choreographer a consummate master of her art a believer in the traditional form of ‘Kathak yet has expanded the horizons of Kathak influencing her contemporaries too.
Her performances of Lucknow Gharana and the rhythmic precision of Jaipur School also bear the stamp of a muid influenced by the culture of the World yet keeping to the inherent tradition of Kathak, format of presentation and purity of form. Her choreographic creations like ‘Moonlight Impressionism’ to music of Ravel, Beathoven, Mozart and Debussy, ‘the Dawn after with western classical ballet dancer Christian Rovnyand Spanish Flamenco dancer Dario Arboleda, duets with American top dancer Janet Goldberg and with Andrea campianu classical ballerina, and even within the national framework her works like ‘Tridhara’, ‘Jago Maheswara’, ‘Khajuraho’ with various Indian classical styles, can be cited as some examples.
Some of her notable performances include:
Khajuraho Dance Festival (1992-93-2000), Modhare Sun Temple Dance Festival (1993-98), Pune Festival (1993-98, 2000-01, 04), Khajuraho Millenium Celebrations (1998), Osho Festival (1998), Pune Ganesh Festival (1998), Kathak Mahautsov, Calcutta (2000), Gana Sabha, Chennai (2001), Konarak Festival (2001), Uday Shankar Ballet Festival (2002), Kalakshetra Festival (2003), Kalidas Festival (2004)ICCR Festival (2004), Dhanbad Mahautsov (2005), Jayadeva Mahautsov (2005).
Shovana is the first dancer to work on philosophical themes and on the lives of contemporary sages and savants such as Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Ramkrishna Paramhamsa and Mahatma Gandhi. Her works on the message of Guru Gobind Singh, Mahavir Jain (attainment of ‘Siddhi’), on Buddhist Chants, Gregorian Chants, Lebanese philosophers Kahlil Gibran and Mikhail Naimy, and on 13 women saint poets and an classical and contemporary Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu Persian and Bengali poets, are remarkable, on social causes, issues of women and on religious themes, Shovana has produced a number of works which include: ‘Mujhko bi Jeene Do’ (on the girl child), “ Shanka-Lobh-Mamta (vulnerability of women and attitude of men), Divine experience of a prostitute, ‘Shakuntala’on child rape, ‘Gitopdesh’ (Bhagvatgita) ‘sur-ke-Krishna’, ‘Pranotkarsha’ (life and teachings of Lord ‘Buddha’). Shovana’s awareness deep concern and involvement with the world around her is evinced in her works on Kargil war (1999), World Trade Tower Ghastly Tragedy (2001), Tsunami disaster (2005).
She is the first dancer to be dancing to the texts, rendered in English (Yudhistar and Draupadi’ – Pavan Verma’s poem).
Shovana has given performances before heads of state, high dignitary Indian guests and very very important personages. Her international performances include: Festival of Arts of India, Paris (1973), Sanskritik Festival of Arts of India, UK (1976, 78,86), Selzburg Lands Theatre, Austria (1987), International Festivals in South East Asia, ‘South Asia, Middle East, African continent, Europe, Central Asia.
Shovana’s talents does not end in the medium of dance alone. She has contributed to other media, including films like ‘Akbar’s Bridge’ (Hindi) and ‘Das Geheiminis des Indisches Tanz’ (German), opera like ‘Ghalib ki Dilli’ and ‘Wicchave pani’ as well as research works on the development of dance. A multi-faceted, dynamic eminent dancer and personality, Shovana has been on the governing bodies of prestigious colleges of Delhi, and various committees and societies relating to fields of arts. She is also a visiting lecturer, theatre wissenscheft, Vienna University.
|
