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| Classical Manipuri Dance Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri & Group - US Tour - Bio - Datas of the 5 Performers - |
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1) Darshana Jhaveri :
Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri a classical Manipuri dancer, research scholar, and teacher is one of the four internationally renowned Jhaveri Sisters, whose names are synonymous with Manipuri Dance. Ms. Jhaveri has dedicated her life to preserve, perpetuate, and propagate classical Manipuri dance. She studied under the able guidance of Guru Bipin Singh, where she blossomed into a technically versatile and immaculate dancer; specializing in both the Tandav (masculine) and Lasya (feminine) elements of Manipuri dancing and drum playing. Ms. Jhaveri has been performing with her sisters in India and abroad since 1958 and has been a leader of the group since 1975. Her efforts to share the beauty of Manipuri dance reach beyond the theatre: in addition to her many dance performances Ms. Jhaveri has appeared on radio and television, given lectures and demonstrations, taught workshops and seminars, and written articles for magazines and newspapers. Ms. Jhaveri continues to develop her talents, having visited Manipur more than 30 times since 1956; learning, collecting, and recording the music and oral traditions of Manipuri dance. She has met with various Gurus and learned different dance forms. Together with Guru Bipin Singh, she has collected and recorded talas, songs and dances from innumerable Gurus, and correlated the oral traditions with Vaishnavite and classical texts on dance and music. Together, they have established the scientific tenets underlying the oral tradition and created methods of imparting effective training. Ms. Jhaveri has received blessings and appreciations from eminent Gurus of Raas and Sankirtan. In 1958 Ms. Jhaveri and her sisters were the first non-Manipuris to dedicate their dances in the Govindajee palace temple in Manipur. Throughout her life, Darshana Jhaveri has labored to bring the traditional and classical dances of Manipur from the temples to the theatre while preserving their original form and spirit. Currently Darshana Jhaveri is actively associated with Manipuri Nartanalaya in Mumbai, Kolkata and Manipur where she teaches, choreographs, performs, and publishes. She has written 17 books and has undertaken four major projects with the Ford foundation. Ms. Jhaveri has received many honors and awards; most prestigious among these are Vishwa Gurjari Award, Ahmedabad; Nritys Vilas, Mumbai; Hon. Doctorate from City University of Los Angeles; Natva Praveena, Chennai; Nritya Mallika, Assam; National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padmashri (prestigious civilian award from the President of India). 2) Anasuya Devi Laipubam (A.K.A. L. Anasuya Devi):
Ms. Anasuya Devi Laipubam hails from Manipur and is one of the most respected senior artistes of the dance institution Manipuri Nartanalaya (Manipur, Kolkata, Mumbai) founded by Guru Bipin Singh, Jhaveri sisters and Kalavati Devi. Ms. Laipubam was trained by Guneswari Devi, Senior Disciple of Guru Bipin Singh in Manipur. She received a National Scholarship, from C.C.R.T. Delhi and Senior Scholarship from the department of culture, Delhi. Since 1985, Ms. Laipubam has been a member of Darshana Jhaveri's Manipuri Dance Troupe. Within India, she has participated in various festivals such as Konarak, Khajuraho, Soorya Festivals, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan, Festival of Young Dancers and Island Festival in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She has toured overseas to participate in the Festivals of India in Paris, Jordan, Asian Dance Festival in Finland, Kalanidhi International Dance Festival in Canada. Over the past three years, she has performed with Darshana Jhaveri in different states of India such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. She is an accomplished, mature dancer, singer, teacher, and drum player and is excited to bring her love for Manipuri dance to the American stage. 3) Tomba Singh Sorokhaibam (A.K.A. S. Tomba Singh):
Originally from the State of Manipur, Tomba Singh began his training in musical instruments and dance at the age of 6 under Guru L. Lukhoi Singh at Imphal, Manipur. After gaining experience of drum dance in Sankirtan (Community Prayer) performances in social & religious festivals in Manipur, he started participating in public performances of Eshei Phangnaba in Manipur, opening ceremony of 5th National Games and the 50th Republic Day Celebration in New Delhi. He played and danced with drums at Khajuraho Festival and Konarak Festival in India and on tour in Bangladesh with artistes of Manipuri Nartanalaya led by Kalavati Devi. He has been participating in the programs with Darshana Jhaveri and the Manipuri Dance Troupe in different parts of India. His playing of the Pung (drum) is forceful, clear & exhibits a finished mastery. His spriteful Pung Cholom (dance with drum) evokes spontaneous appreciation. 4) Mausumi Bhar - Bhattacharya :
A talented dancer, trained since childhood in several classical Indian dance styles such as Bharatanatyam, and Kuchipudi as well as Folk Dances, has specialized for the past 20 years in Manipuri Dance under the guidance of Guru Bipin Singh, Kalavati Devi & Darshana Jhaveri. She has imbibed the typical aspects of the Lasya (feminine) & Tandava (masculine) forms of Manipuri Dance. She has performed at different festivals organized by the Song and Drama Division and Forest Department Government of India, Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, SPICMACAY, Konarak Dance Festival, Uday Shankar Dance Festival and many others in different parts of India. Since 1997 she has been teaching Manipuri Classical and Folk Dances of India in Mahadevi Birla High School in Calcutta. She has been performing with Darshana Jhaveri in various programs in India since 1993. 5) Pankhuri Agrawal :
Pankhuri has a keen interest in both the practical and theoretical aspects of Manipuri Dancing, as well as, drum playing. A recent graduate of Haverford College, USA, she is interested in understanding women's role in Indian dance and the distinction made between Indian classical and folk dances. She spent her senior year in college researching the development of Manipuri dance in relation to Guru Bipin Singh's work. She has coordinated the current Manipuri dance tour in the US along with Jonathan Hollander. * Information provided by Pankhuri Agrawal, graduate of Haverford College, Philadelphia, US, is the dance tour co-ordinator (along with Jonathan Hollander). She has studied Manipuri Dance since childhood under the direction of the Jhaveri Sisters and Latasana Devi. This article was webcasted on August 30th, 2007 |
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