Bengaluru 15th December 2016 : Nrityollasa Center For Performing Arts celebrates silver jubilee of their Dance institution. A year long festival titled "Nritya Ananta Vāhini" will be held at multiple venues in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In connection with this event, on behalf of Nrityollasa, Artistic Director Roopa Shyamasundara will be honouring her Guru Karnataka Kalatilaka Smt. Radha Sridhar with a Life Time Achievement award. NRITYAKALA CHETANA, a title will be conferred upon Smt. Radha Sridhar in recognition of her services for the field of Bharatanatyam. As a tribute to Guru. Smt Radha Sridhar, Roopa Shyamasundara will be performing along with Smt. Indrani Parthasarathy from Huston, Texas, USA, daughter of Radha Sridhar at Rasa Sanje event, a prestigious dance festival organized by Venkatesha Natya Mandir.
Date : Saturday Dec 17th, 2016
Place: ADA Rangamandira, Bengaluru
Time - 6 pm
Rasa Sanje event organized by Venkatesha Natya Mandir
For More Information please contact :
Nrityollasa Center For Performing Arts
Artistic Director- Roopa Shyamasundara
9148766498
Classical Indian dance forms have a cultural and artistic history dating back many millennia. But in Metro Detroit, it’s been the past 25 years that have spoken volumes to the art.
In 1991, Guru Smt. Roopa Shyamasundara founded the Nrityollasa Center for Performing Arts. The original goal for the center was a lofty one: to impart India’s rich cultural heritage through the great art form of Bharatanatyam. An accomplished danseuse with varied training herself, Roopa’s passion for the art form manifested itself into the training of hundreds of students and the choreography of a multitude of dance performances across the country. It’s no surprise that Nrityollasa has organically grown to become one of Michigan’s premier classical Indian dance institutions.
Nrityollasa’s original goals have been achieved by its commitment to tradition. Through maintaining the revered Guru-Shishya Parampara, many of Roopa’s own esteemed gurus have worked with her students. Additionally, annual summertime workshops and classes have enabled senior Nrityollasa students to pass on their knowledge to younger students, fostering a familial environment.
In 25 years of existence, Nrityollasa and its over 1000 students have crossed several milestones and have had many defining moments. Here are a few of them:
Choreography and performance of 7 classical dance dramas
Promotion of cultural exchange by inviting great artists from India to perform and teach.
Graduation of 33 students through their arangetrams
Conducting yearly anniversary programs, summer camps and workshops
Active involvement in several fundraising events.
Exposure to Bharatanatyam via ethnic festivals and local associations
Bharatanatyam is a dance form that’s growing in awareness globally and one whose structure inherently forms a positive impact on those who touch it.
Nrityollasa has been recognized as an environment which contributes positively to the disciplined growth of a responsible young generation. Its core values – those of integrity, respect for tradition and culture, and a passion for an ancient heritage – have made it well-known across the United States, India, and other countries.
Roopa Shyamasundara is the founder and artistic director of Nrityollasa Center for Performing Arts. An accomplished danseuse with over 30 years of experience, Roopa started Nrityollasa to convey the same divine power of dance that she experienced in her tutelage.
Roopa started learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Smt Radha Sridhar in Bangalore, India. After completing her arangetram in 1979, Roopa received a prestigious dance scholarship from the Government of India and completed her proficiency exam. She also trained under the Dhananjayans, Usha Datar, Narmada, noted Kathak exponent Smt Maya Rao, and renowned abhinaya exponent Smt Kalanidhi Narayanan.
In India, Roopa has performed solo at noted music and dance conferences and on television, in addition to appearing in major roles in dance dramas and enthralling audiences with her grace and abhinaya.
Since arriving in the US in 1990, Roopa has given many performances across North America. She has choreographed and presented eight dance dramas – including Sri Krishna (1991), Bhavayami Raghuramam (1995), Gita Govinda (1998) and Sri Krishna – Prema, Bhakti, Mukti (2002 & 2006). In the year 2002, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of her dance institution Nrityollasa, she produced and choreographed Sri Krishna – Prema, Bhakti, Mukti. This was presented again on demand in the year 2006 at Nrityollasa’s 15th Anniversary dance festival, Nritya Nivedanam. Roopa was also featured in the Michigan Emmy Award-Winning documentary ‘Our Story of India,’ produced in 2008. She has also been recognized as a Master Artist by the Michigan State University Museum. Nrityollasa celebrated it’s 25th year by presenting a dance festival Nritya Ananta Vāhini on Nov 20th, 2016.
At Nrityollasa’s 2010 program, a dance drama for AIM for Seva’s ‘Desh,’ Roopa was extolled for her refined choreographic skills, dedication and extraordinary stage management by Swami Dayananda Saraswati – the founder of AIM for Seva, who is very well versed in the texts of the Natya Shastra. In April 2011, at the St. Louis Indian Dance Festival, Roopa was also awarded the title of NRITYA RATNAKARA, in recognition of her creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of Indian dancing.
Roopa is currently training students in Bharatanatyam at her dance institution Nrityollasa, from which 33 students have successfully graduated in the traditional style. Nrityollasa has branches in Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield, Novi as well as in Rochester Hills, where it is based.