NALANDA ENTERS 50th GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR - 2015

NALANDA DANCE RESEARCH CENTRE

Nalanda Dance Research Centre is recognition as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

This is the only dance institution in the country to be awarded this prestigious honour.

Nalanda Dance Research Centre, a non-profit public trust, is a premier institution enjoying a unique position in the world of dance and education. Established in 1966 by the renowned dance exponent and scholar Dr. KANAK RELE as an institution to impart traditional training in classical Indian dancing, Nalanda blossomed by 1973 into a unique three-tiered institution with foundation classes for pre-university children, “Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya” a College of classical dancing affiliated to the University of Mumbai providing formal academic education and its different departments for post-doctoral and fundamental research.

Acceptance of formal academics in dancing at the university level and recognition of dance as a full fledged discipline for scientific research are the two pioneering achievements of Nalanda which have justifiably earned it the premier position.

NRITYOTSAVA – 2015

Nalanda’s NRITYOTSAVA is an annual classical dance festival featuring young performers selected from all over India as well as abroad purely on the merit of their performing abilities. This year the NRITYOTSAVA – 2015 will be held on 16^th, 17^th and 19^th of January.

NALANDA BHARATA MUNI SAMMAN

Since 2011 Nalanda has instituted a national honour ‘NALANDA BHARATA MUNI SAMMAN’ which honours iconic personalities from the field of culture for their priceless contribution not only as performers but also for bringing in intellectual involvement which unravels, re-interprets and re-invents the Indian cultural ethos, knowledge, and wisdom to conform with their own times.

            This year’s recipients are:

Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj           -          Music

Shri. Mahesh Elkunchwar                  -           Theatre

Rajkumar Singhjit Singh                    -           Classical Dance

Premier show of Nalanda’s latest dance production

‘PRITHIVEE - AANANDINEE’

(Based on the hymns of the Vedas)

Researched and Choreographed by Dr. Kanak Rele

            India has a long tradition of venerating natural phenomena starting from the pre historic vedic era. This era is estimated to be in the 3^rd millennium B. C.

The vedic verses enable us to enjoy the Beauty in Nature. On one hand the vedic hymns equate  the natural phenomena in terms of human beauty - the charm of the damsel Dawn a little before sunrise – Ushas, the glory of the  rising Sun (Soorya) which is the vast luminary that enlightens our globe, the thrilling evening and the calmness of night.

They identify the five Elements – the Pancha Mahaa Bhoota Aakaasha (space), Vaayu (air), Agni (fire), Jal (water) and Prithivee (earth).

The Vedas spell out the most important of MAN’s activities that of growing anna (food). There are nymns in praise of ploughing, furrowing, seeding the fields and a bewitching prayer to the clouds and wind to shower water which is likened to amruta (ambrosia) and madhu (honey). Later Sanskrit literature is redolent with the songs of beauty of the seasons.

Our folk dances are woven round the Calendar of agricultural activities and MAN’s pre-occupation with Nature.

The production is set to three classical dance styles Bharata Natyam, Mohini Attam and Kathak. It also has fabulous and colourful authentic folk dances from the four corners of our country

Bihu from Assam,

Kajri from Uttar Pradesh,

Garbo - Ras from Gujarat,

Kummi from Kerala.

Nalanda is inaugurating two unique and path breaking departments

INSTITUTE OF MOVEMENT SCIENCE AND

AKSHARA – DHVANI CENTRE OF KNOWLEDGE.

Nalanda has been conducting projects where human movements, specially dance are harnessed and to provide wellness and fitness. Nalanda has used dance as therapy for differently abled children with great success. The institute of Movement Science will furthur explore this concept to include all levels of society.

Akshara – Dhvani Centre of knowledge will specialise in online education and propagation of facets of Indian Culture which includes Nalanda’s core thrust of classical dance.