| BHARATANATYAM
Aparna Keshaviah's work integrates artistic exploration with scientific rigor to study relationships between music & dance, tradition & innovation, and stylistic paradigms.
Her understanding of dance is enhanced by training in yoga, classical piano, music theory, and voice. She teaches and performs Bharatanatyam as well as Indian folk and Bollywood dance in Cambridge, MA and the Boston metropolitan area.
PDF of Curriculum Vitae
| | | | CHOREOGRAPHYSource Code (Upcoming)
Stripping Bharatanatyam of the formal, Brahmanical framework inherited from the 20th c., this performance will test whether cultural translation is needed for comprehension.Mahishasura Mardini (Demon-slaying goddess)
Pounding rhythms of war propelled by the pulses of a traditional chant (sloka) invoke the fierce goddess Kali. Originally created for the Lebanese Red Cross fundraiser in Boston; re-staged for the international Folkmoot U.S.A. festival.Matrabandh (Union of elements)
This piece deconstructs Bharatanatyam into footwork, gesture, and expression before reuniting them. Bare, powerful stamping is contrasts with fluid hand gestures, and when united, are punctuated by sharp isolations of the neck, eyes, and shoulders. Matrabandh allows beginners to feel the language of Bharatanatyam even while learning the alphabetic steps.
“Bharatanatyam: A Step Apart” (2004)
A 2-hour production that infused the customary Bharatanatyam repertoire with contemporary analysis. Staged by a troupe of 7 dancers and accompanied by a full south Indian orchestra. All proceeds were donated to HIHT for health & rural development projects in India. | |