Crossing Borders in Bharatanatyam is a bharatanayam performance first curated by the former Dean of the Faculty of Dance ASWARA, Prof. Dr. Joseph Gonzales. He envisioned and implemented a system of dance training uniquely Malaysia, where multicultural learning was profound and embodied. Thus, bharatanatyam became a compulsory course for the syllabus of dance of the Diploma and Degree programs at ASWARA, concurrent with Malay and Chinese classical and folk dances, dances from Sabah and Sarawak, together with western techniques of ballet and contemporary dance alongside a choreography module.
Bharatanatyam is recognized as one of the most challenging art forms that encompasses emotion, dexterity and musicality. …Since 2013, Crossing Borders in Bharatanatyam has been staged at several times in theatres in Kuala Lumpur including ASWARA’s Experimental Theater, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPAC), Damansara Performing Arts Center (DPAC), and The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, KL (ICCR ), garnering several awards at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards. Through the support of ICCR, the show was also staged in New Delhi and Jammu in India, in conjunction with the 2014 International Music and Dance Festival.
This unique production will gather graduates from the Faculty of Dance ASWARA Kimberly Yap, Mohd Imran Syafiq, Ng Xinying, Christine Chew, Khairi Mokthar, Norbaizura Abdul Ghani and Mohd Yunus Ismail, who have all undergone at least six years of intense study. They completed the Arangetram (graduation) between 2011 and 2016, under the guidance of Shankar Kandasamy, Vasuki Sivanesan and Sharmala Narayanan from The Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lumpur. Interestingly, the cast is of non-Indian ethnicity, and in a growingly tense world of racial and religious divide, this performance takes on added meaning and gravity.
Presented as a Margam, which follows the structure that is easily identifiable from Pusphaanjali to Thillana. Central to the performance is the Varnam repertoire entitled Bhavayami. Varnam incorporates excerpts from the epic Ramayana – the forgiveness of Maricha and Subahu, the marriage of Rama and Sita, Rama’s expulsion to the forest, supremacy of Supranaka over Rama, the rapture of Rama, the discovery of Hanuman and Rama, the battle between Rama and Rawana, Rama’s return to Ayodhya, and Rama’s coronation as King Ayodyhya.
With deep humility, we invite you to Crossing Borders in Bharatanatyam and share our passion, where we believe dance unites and together celebrate our treasured multiracial Malaysian society.
Ticket: RM 30 (Adult) RM15 (Student)