Kalakriti Arts
Bhadra Sinha and Gayathri Sharma
Founders and lead artists Bhadra Sinha and Gayathri Sharma are committed to the goal of promoting India’s deep-rooted divine wisdom and its relevance through the Bharatanatyam dance form.
Themed presentations by the Artists
Lankaa
the rise and ruin of the self-made demon king Raavana
Lankaa’ is a classical dance drama presentation by Bharatanatyam artists Bhadra Sinha and Gayathri Sharma, depicting the story of Raavana and his wife Mandodari. The artists present the tale of Raavana’s determined rise as a self-made, all-powerful king, and his epic ruin as a result of his ego despite Mandodari’s repeated efforts to steer him to the path of righteousness.
Drawing episodes from various versions of the Ramayana, as well as other texts and folklore, Lankaa is an exploration of Raavana – a self-made, all-powerful king whose thirst for supremacy pushed him to embark upon a journey of self-destruction. ‘Lankaa’ is also about Mandodari – the queen of the formidable kingdom, whose righteousness paled in front of Raavana’s arrogance and failed to protect her kingdom from falling apart
Shakti, Bhakti, Mukti
A specially choreographed production, where the artists Bhadra Sinha and Gayathri Sharma explore the beauty of the confluence of male and female energies, while delivering the socially relevant message of equality of Shiva (the male) and Parvati (the female power). Shiva and Shakti together form the balance of power, and are ultimately one and the same – where ‘She’ is Shakti, the source of all energy that creates and runs the world, while ‘He’ is the manifestation of this energy and the channel for her power. Together, they depict the age-old wisdom of gender equality depicted by Shiva giving his left half to Shakti, showing us her rightful place as his equal, and becoming “Ardhanarishawara”
Sitayana
The artists staged a special dance drama production- “Sitayana” – an interpretation of Sita’s poignant journey and its relevance in the struggles and life experiences of modern-day women. Sita’s unending courage and inner strength got her through her difficult experiences of exile with her husband to kidnapping, imprisonment, the humiliation of having her husband suspect her chastity in public, her Agni Pariksha, and being abandoned during her pregnancy. This presentation brings together the perfection of the classical dance form as well as the versatility of ‘abhinaya’ or expression along with contemporary English monologues presented in Bharatanatyam style. This production honours and reveres the spirit of women as a reflection of divine energy.
Samanvita
‘She’ is Shakti, the source of all energy that creates and runs the world, while ‘He’ is the manifestation of this energy and the channel for her power. Together, they depict the age-old wisdom of gender equality depicted by Shiva giving his left half to Shakti, showing us her rightful place as his equal, and becoming ‘Ardhanarishawara’.
Shivoham
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this powerful presentation depicts all forms of the Lord and includes specially choreographed Bharatanatyam pieces such as the Shiva Panchakshara Stotram, Shankara Srigiri and Ardhanarishawara. Each piece is deeply rooted in ancient wisdom and philosophy of shakti, bhakti and mukti.
Yamuna – Jalta Jal
The artists were commissioned by the Delhi Culture Ministry to stage a special Bharatanatyam production on “Yamuna”. This is a group production presenting the journey of the Yamuna from the glorious days of Radha-Krishna to the happy days of nature and mankind flourishing on her banks to the gradual indifference and growing greed of people who misused her waters – from dumping garbage to dumping chemicals. In the end, the spirit of the divine mother urges mankind to remove the layers of impurity inflicted on her so that she can once again nurture us and all life around us.
Priyasi – Eternal Love
This presentation includes a themed selection of pieces depicting the eternal bond of love and it many forms – Radha and Krishna, Rama and Sita, Shiva and Parvati.
Each of them represent different ‘bhaava’ and portray their love in their own way as nayak-nayika but essentially depict how each of them are tied by deep rooted, eternal love.
