Ananya Cultural Academy will host Panchakanya, a dance performance, by Gayatri Sriram at Seva Sadan on July 28, 6.30 pm onwards. Gayatri Sriram’s footsteps in the Bharatanatyam arena began at the age of five.
It is under Minal Prabhu of Kalakshetra that Gayatri was groomed into the world of professional Bharatanatyam. She has performed in several prestigious sabhas in India under her guru.
Often described by the press as graceful and scintillating Gayatri executes the Bharatanatyam repertoire with the keen lines and precision that the Kalakshetra background gives her. She was also involved with the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society under the guidance of Shantha Ponnudurai and Balagurunathan along with whom Gayatri p e r f o r m e d Purush Prakriti during the inaugural year of Kalautsavam at the Esplanade.
She has also performed for the Festival of Great Ark at London.
She presented Panchakanya, a depiction of the most modern of women in the most ancient of times, once before at the Jubilee hall followed by a highly acclaimed recital of the same at the Habitat Centre, New Delhi for the prestigious HCL series which honours excellence in human endeavour. She has collaborated with several great choreographers taking on premier roles in group and solo productions.
Her latest solo production is Sita Swagatam Sita’s story in her own words which premiered at the Asian Civilisation Museum for the Festival of Ramayana Revisited. Gayatri runs the Srutilaya school dance in Singapore in her pursuit to spread the beauty and rich traditions of dance to a younger generation of dancers.
Gayatri is i n - volved with children’s productions involving elements of Bharatanatyam, folk and street theatre for the past few years.
Her productions Once Upon a Time in Ayodhya and Krishna Leela involving more than 70 children won critical acclaim.
Panchakanya is about five women, Ahilya, Draupadi, Seeta, Tara and Mandodari, who are very independent in their thinking in the most ancient of times.
In this production there is a comparison drawn between the five women and five elements of nature. And these women are taken from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The dance has been choreographed by Minal Prabhu, director, Mudrika Foundation for Indian Performing Arts and the music for the same has been set by Balasubramanya Sharma and Gurumurthy.