Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance 2011 : Part 2
A brief about the Festival

Organizers *

Thokchom Ibemubi Devi presentation of Manipur Classical Dance solo on the inaugural day of the IX Bhagyachandra National festival of Classical dance held on 11 November 2011 at Kangla, Imphal

A brief about the artistes performing on November 11 at Kangla

Kumari Thokchom Ibemubi Devi

Ibemubi Devi is a well known exponent of Manipuri Classical Dance. A post-graduate diploma holder from the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Ibemubi Devi has performed in national festivals like Konark Festival, Khajuraho Festival, Soorya Festival, International Trade Fair 1989, Festival of Dance & Music 2001, Kalinga Mahotsav 2006, Nirtya Sangam Festival of Dance 2008, Nritya Krity Festival of Choreographic Works, Nritya Sanrachna Choreographic Festival and Octave 2008 among others.

Ibemubi had performed at China, North Korea, France, Italy, Bulgaria, South Korea, Thailand, Philipines, USSR, England, Scotland, Germany, Myanmar, USA and Bangladesh. She performed in 11 documentary films, such as 'Geet Govinda' produced by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi and the award winning film 'Sangai' produced by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.

She performed in 36 ballads produced by JN Manipur Dance Academy. She is associated with the Academy as a Junior Production Assistant in its Production Unit.

Vedantam Venkata Naga Chalapathi Rao

Vedantam Venkata hails from the illustrious Vedantam family of Kuchipudi which is known for its 'Natya Parampara' (dance inheritance). He was initiated into dance at the tender age of five by his father Vedantam Rattayya Sarma. His precision to footwork, agility and his ability to emote expressions had earned him admiration from stalwarts like Vedantam Raghavayya, Vedantam Radhesyam, Vempati Chinnna Satyam and Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma.

Chalapathi mastered the quintessential female impersonation (Stri Vesham) of Kuchipudi natyam with an élan that won him kudos from his gurus as well as scholars. Not to be typecast into singularly female roles, he took to other male roles with equal comfort. His portrayals of 'Hiranyakashipa' in Bhakta Prahalada ballet, 'Bali Chakravarthy' in Ksheerasagara Madanam bear testimonial to his prowess.

Chalapathi has performed extensively in prestigious dance festivals like Khajuraho Festival, Ananya Dance Festival, Siddhendra Yogi Festival, Times of India Festival, etc. He has performed at India Habitat Centre, Delhi; Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai; and toured the US, China and Japan. He is currently pursuing his PhD from Telugu University. He is training young dancers in Kuchipudi through his dance institute 'Kuchipudi Kalaniketan'.

Anita Sharma

A leading Sattriya artiste from Guwahati, Assam, Anita Sharma is an accomplished and versatile dancer. She had devoted herself to learn Sattriya dance under Padmashree Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami, and has a compelling and arresting stage presence. Her interest in dance was nurtured at an early age by her parents and was intensively trained under her guru for more than 15 years. She has been trained in Odissi dance by Smt. Garima Hazarika, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee. She received advance training from Late Guru Padmavi-bhusan Kelucharan Mohapatra at Bhubaneswar.

Anita holds a master degree in Assamese Literature from Guwahati University and has done extensive research work relating to the Sattriya Dance. She has performed at most of the important festivals within the country and has presented her art in UK, Sweden and USA. She is an empanelled solo artist of the ICCR and participated in various dance programs in countries like Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Anita Sharma is the founder of the rapidly growing Sattriya and Odissi dance institute, Abhinaya Dance Academy based at Guwahati

Smt. Elam Indira Devi

A post-graduate from the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Elam Indira Devi has extensive experience in Laiharaoba and Raas dances. She has performed in national and international festivals like Lokutshab Festival 1988, New Delhi; India Festival 1985 at Paris; USSR Folk Festival 1987; and performed solo Manipuri classical dance at Moscow in 1978, and Laiharaoba at Reunion Island (France) in 2010.

A cultural enthusiast, Indira has published few books on dance, such as Laiharaoba Wakhallon Paring (1997), Meitei Jagoigi Chaorakpa Saktam (1998), Laiharaoba Anoi Eshei (2001) and Laiharaoba Anoi Warol (2002). Elam Indira received a National Award for her role in the Manipuri feature film 'Matamgi Manipur' in 1975.

She received the Pandit Chandra Singh Gold Medal for her book Laiharaoba Wakhallon Paring in 2002. She was awarded the Nritya Rani Upadhi by the Cultural Dramatic Association, Moirang (Manipur) in 1974. She is the Founder Director of the Meitei Traditional Dance Teaching School and Performing Centre, Imphal. Indira is a Guest Lecturer-Demonstrator at the UGC Academic Staff College, Manipur University.

To be continued ....