The Kathak Ensemble & Friends

Asian American Pacific Islander Month: Bangladeshi Folk Dance – Its Cultural & Geographic Context
Live & Virtual
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program
Presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy
41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355
At Queens Library- Flushing Branch - 41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355 - (718) 661-1200
When monsoon rains pour down on Bangladesh, as much as 90% of the land can be covered by water. But when the sun shines, the rich soil of this “land between rivers” produces an abundance of crops. The folk dances of Bangladesh reflect the geography, climate, history and culture of this fascinating country. BOLO BIR - choreographed to the words of Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam by Miton Deb, Harvest Dance and Fishermen’s Dance, choreographed by company founder Anup Kumar Das. are among the dances presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy. This program will be a live presentation with the option for the audience to join virtually:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program

Asian American Pacific Islander Month: Bangladeshi Folk Dance – Its Cultural & Geographic Context
Live & Virtual
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program
Presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy
41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355
At Queens Library- Flushing Branch - 41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355 - (718) 661-1200
When monsoon rains pour down on Bangladesh, as much as 90% of the land can be covered by water. But when the sun shines, the rich soil of this “land between rivers” produces an abundance of crops. The folk dances of Bangladesh reflect the geography, climate, history and culture of this fascinating country. BOLO BIR - choreographed to the words of Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam by Miton Deb, Harvest Dance and Fishermen’s Dance, choreographed by company founder Anup Kumar Das. are among the dances presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy. This program will be a live presentation with the option for the audience to join virtually:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program

Asian American Pacific Islander Month: Bangladeshi Folk Dance – Its Cultural & Geographic Context
Live & Virtual
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program

Presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy
41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 661-1200
At Queens Library- Flushing Branch - 41-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355 - (718) 661-1200

When monsoon rains pour down on Bangladesh, as much as 90% of the land can be covered by water. But when the sun shines, the rich soil of this “land between rivers” produces an abundance of crops. The folk dances of Bangladesh reflect the geography, climate, history and culture of this fascinating country. BOLO BIR - choreographed to the words of Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam by Miton Deb, Harvest Dance and Fishermen’s Dance, choreographed by company founder Anup Kumar Das. are among the dances presented by The Kathak Ensemble and Dancers from the Anup Das Dance Academy. This program will be a live presentation with the option for the audience to join virtually:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://queenslib.org/3SMtUYK Meeting ID: 867 4143 3835 Passcode: 0504 STARR funded program

I'm looking forward to seeing my friend Kathak Guru Prerana Deshpande performing with her students on 9 April 2023 @ 4pm . The performance will be at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street in Manhattan. I hope to see you there. Janaki

NARTANAM - January-March 2022
https://hub.batoi.com/nartanam-vol-xxii-no-1-62835d6e316ee
The Making of an American Kathak Dancer

Dear Friends,
Two years ago Dr. Madhavi Puranam, the editor of NARTANAM - A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance, asked me to write about my 55 years in the world of Kathak. The resulting story has been published in NARTANAM's inaugural issue as an online digital journal. This format has allowed the inclusion of many photos and notes from productions created since the founding of The Kathak Ensemble & Friends/CARAVAN, Inc. in 1978.
Whether you just scroll through the many photos or read a bit about the process and ideas behind individual productions, I hope you will enjoy learning about my journey.
Janaki Patrik, Artistic Director

As I honor my Guru Maharaji - Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaji, I also remember the woman by his side who helped to build his legacy - demonstrating when he taught, taking the lead role in his productions, conceptualizing and facilitating the fulfillment of his ideas, materializing his dream of his institute Kalashram - and also packing his suitcase, laying out his costumes, talking with contractors - a thousand details so that he could rest and dream. My students and I wish her the strength to continue in her path, now without the physical presence of her Maha Guru, but with a clear vision of his dream - and hers.
VIDUSHI SASWATI SEN

Beloved Maharaji has gone to dance with Krishna and Radha in heavenly Vrindavan. He has left great gifts to each of us who have studied with him -- glorious foundations on which to build our own Kathak art. He has left beautiful memories to each of us who has seen his performances.
From my first glimpse of Maharaji in 1963, to my first lessons from him in 1967, until my last glimpses of him in 2020 when he gave me his ashirvad at the end of the September 2020 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Festival - I have venerated him and his art. Maharaji no longer walks the earth ... but his ghungroos are heard from heaven, and a mighty echo resounds in the ghungroos of his children, grandchildren, students and disciples. His legacy lives.

SHIVA and KALI embody universal truths which are not limited to one culture. I use my choreographic imagination to manifest the unifying truths of the underlying universality of myth and spirituality. My mother called this universal power "The Great Life Force". To manifest the universality I find in such images as SHIVA and KALI, I choose dancers whose bodies manifest this universality. They are born from a multiplicity of ethnic origins. I do not believe in the divisive half-truth and the "othering" of such statements as:

"Regardless of how much we might say Kathak is art Kathak is art, the truth is that there are elements of culture, heritage, history, and language all wrapped up in it, and so those are important areas to explore for practitioners. It is possible that in the next few generations of Kathak dancers in the US we'll see an exploration of different stories/music/material, developing independently from Kathak's trajectory in India. "

I say - WHY WAIT? THE TIME IS NOW TO EXPLORE THE UNIFYING POWER OF INDIAN MYTH AND OF KATHAK's TECHNIQUES. WE ARE THE ONES TO DO THE WORK OF UNIFYING. NOW NOW NOW. WHY WAIT?

I purposefully chose dancers of mixed ethnicity, who reflected the universal powers of SHIVA and KALI in my 2010 and 2012 productions of POWER PLAY - Jamaican, Western European, Bangladeshi, Japanese, Hawaiian-Chinese, Indian, African-American. One and all they are dancers whose emotions and understanding of the glory and power of Shiva and Kali manifested on their faces and bodies. That is all and everything that I asked from them, and they gave it.

SHIVA: the late Anup Kumar Das, Scott Lewis, Matthew Wagner
KALI: Ahnya Chang, Caron Eule, Sandhya Menon, Yayoi Suzuki, Sowmya Viswanath.

Co-choreographers: Janaki Patrik and Anup Kumar Das with the Dancers.
Photos (c) Ira Landgarten

Beloved Friends, Gurus, Guru Bhai and Guru Behin,
I have been following reports about the devastation and terror as it unfolds in India, and COVID takes out its horrible price in human life. Since I live far away in New York City, I cannot give any physical help. Instead I have donated to OXFAM to help provide oxygen and other necessary supplies. I am familiar with this organization, and I know its work to be honest and devoted to humanitarian relief.

Meanwhile I am dedicating the edited version of my 1997 production MANDALA X / Creation to THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. I hope that this visualization of the Rig Vedic Hymn of Creation will give some relief from the overwhelming sorrow and destruction.
https://youtu.be/vcRs4GYswpg Information about this production is included at https://narthaki.com/info/btw/btw6.html

With my love and prayers,
Janaki Patrik, Artistic Direction
The Kathak Ensemble & Friends

The Kathak organization Nupur Zankar, founded and directed by Vidushi Shila Mehta, has created a festival which examines the four major Kathak gharanas - Lucknow, Jaipur, Varanasi and Raigarh. Tickets for this virtual festival can be purchased as follows:
Season link (both parts): https://shaale.com/watch/sanskritimahotsav
Part 1: https://shaale.com/watch/sanskritimahotsavpart1
Part 2: https://shaale.com/watch/sanskritimahotsavpart2
The Festival dates are April 10 through May 8, 2021.. All episodes, which have been recorded on videos, are available to watch - multiple times if you wish - through May 14, 2021.
I have watched all four of the episodes which have been premiered to date, and I have found this to be a fine summary of the gurus, performers and major stylistic features of each gharana. A special feature of each episode is the introductory remarks made by Vidushi Shila Mehta. For example Episode 3 is introduced by her comments on the meaning of a Guru.
Shila-ji has accomplished a remarkable feat by gathering representatives of all four sometimes rivalrous and contentious gharanas to showcase the expansive glory of the great art of Kathak.
In her opening comments about this festival, Shilaji said that arts are healing. Demonstrating her commitment to this statement, she has dedicated this festival to raising awareness and funds for autism.

A new installment of Janaki Patrik's ongoing NARTHAKI column, "Choreographing Between Two Worlds - India and the United States" has been posted. It discusses the choreographic process of the Kathak Ensemble's production MANDALA X / CREATION : A Dance Oratorio. Inspired by the NASADIYA SUKTA, Rig Veda X.129, The Hymn of Creation, MANDALA X premiered on 20 March 1997, the Vernal Equinox. A video of the production will be posted shortly, when the YouTube link will be inserted into the article.
https://narthaki.com/info/btw/btw6.html , which was posted on the NARTHAKI website on 14 April.
1st photo - Ramli Ibrahim & Janaki Patrik (c) Herbert Migdoll
2nd photo - The Ensemble (c) Tom Brazil

8 Days of dance and music performances
Each Saturday & Sunday for 4 weeks - 10:30 AM EST - 9 PM IST
You Tube links remain active for only a few days after premier date:
Saturday, February 27, 2021 - https://youtu.be/o6-5IdVgG24
Sunday, February 28, 2021 - https://youtu.be/z2PqOIKL4SY

Remembering Maharaji's birthday many years ago. On 4 February 1983 in Maharaji's classroom at Kathak Kendra, I stood with my beloved Guruji under the photo of his Grand Uncle Bindadin Maharaj, and then I took a photo of (standing) Sita Ram, my beloved Guruji (now) Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, my Guru Behin Shyam (now a Guru @ Kathak Kendra), sarangiya Mohammed Jan, [name unknown]; (sitting) my Guru Behin Veronique Azan (deceased), Mangaldas and Guru Bhai Kishan Maharaj (now a Guru at Kathak Kendra).

The Kathak Ensemble & Friends join the international world of Indian dance and dance-lovers in mourning the passing of its great scholar, promoter and indefatigable traveler, Dr. Sunil Kothari. He exhorted us to appreciate our fellow Indian dancers in a circle of friendship that spanned the globe. His discriminating eye filtered our grandest productions and most elementary works-in-progress through the lense of knowledge and appreciation for all sincere efforts on behalf of dance, no matter how small or how grand. With a ready smile and encouraging words, he memorialized the ephemeral art of dance in a lasting legacy of lectures, articles and books. We will miss you greatly, Sunil Bhai.
Dr. Sunil Kothari, 20 December 1933 - 27 December 2020

The Kathak Ensemble joins the international family of Indian dancers and dance lovers in mourning the passing of the brilliant dancer Astad Deboo. May he dance in the highest heavens.

Dear Friends,
We invite you to watch three examples of choreography created by The Kathak Ensemble & Friends in Mudra Academy's ANANTAYA Festival on October 17th at 8:30pm IST / 11am EDT (New York City / East coast).

MOZARTAYANA was choreographed in pure Lucknow gharana Kathak. The second and third items were inspired by poetry chosen from the collection of Pakistani Urdu feminist poetry, WE SINFUL WOMEN, edited and translated by Rukhsana Ahmad. The music for the production was composed by Kiran Ahluwalia.

TASVEER, written by Fahmida Riaz, includes many elements of Kathak .... sawal-jawab, sangeet tukra, paramelu and nagmas.

The choreography for Kishwar Naheed's poem ANTICLOCKWISE departs radically from the Kathak idiom, and the music includes the sound of a tape rewinding and words spoken backwards. The dancers tumble backwards like dominos, then recover to challenge us all - "to bhi tumhe ye khauf nahi chorega" - even if you blind me, bind my feet, silence me .... even so this fear will not leave you - that I can still think.

We hope you'll watch the Kathak Ensemble & Friends' choreography. It is created in collaboration with the dancers who perform in each piece. Cheers! Janaki

The The Kathak Ensemble & Friends would like to invite you to its performance of MOZARTAYANA, a choreography by its Founder & Artistic Director, Janaki Patrik with the dancers Sowmya Viswanath, Rashi Verma, Brighid O'Dea, Anisha Muni, Neha Kulkarni, Mrinali Kaul, Tara Chowdhury Rajanandhini Balachandran, Prachi Shah Bakarania. The performance is part of an online festival, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - The World is One Family, being presented by Janakiji's Guru, Pt. Birju MaharajMaharaj and his organization, Kalashram:- Gulmohar park, New Delhi-110016 on Saturday, September 19, 2020 @ 8:30pm IST (11am EST). Details for viewing the festival can be found in the flyer below.

We would love to have you join us for this special festival, featuring choreographies by some of Maharaji's international students.

CHOREOGRAPHING BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: INDIA & THE UNITED STATES - Part I in an ongoing column WRITTEN by Janaki Patrik; PUBLISHED by NARTHAKI.COM, an online journal about Indian dance, Dr. Anita Ratnam, Editor

https://narthaki.com/info/btw/btw1.html

Laying the foundation - Choreographing between two worlds - India and the United States: Column by Janaki Patrik

My beloved brother and dance partner, Anup-ji and I were both trained in the Lucknow gharana style of Kathak at Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. Our paths did not cross during our training at Kathak Kendra, because I started my training in 1967, and Anupji’s training and mine did not overlap. But because our Gurus were born in the same family, from the same Kathak dance lineage, we were automatically brother and sister – Guru Bhai and Guru Behin. Our brother-sister relationship was instant, unquestioning and deep – directly from our hearts.
We started simply. I was looking for a dance partner. Someone suggested Anup-ji’s name. I called him and we talked briefly about ourselves. Then I asked Anupji if he would like to perform in a school program I was giving in New Jersey the following day. Anupji said YES, and we arranged that I would pick him up at a subway stop at 7am the following morning.
Anupji got in the car, and we started reciting our dance bols – our dance syllables. It was as if we had been studying and dancing together for our entire lives. We never stopped talking – mostly dance language and just a bit of English - during the entire trip to the school. And then we picked up the conversation as soon as we got in the car to return to New York City. And we haven’t stopped talking and dancing and sharing since then.
Anupji was a brilliantly creative choreographer, and a wonderful dance partner and collaborator - enthusiastic and generous in sharing his ideas. He was very excited to have founded his own organization – Anup Das Dance Academy. ADDA. Short and sweet.
Our dance lives have been linked for all the years since I first met Anupji in 1997. Anupji danced in all of the Kathak Ensemble’s productions and school programs until his kidney disease made it difficult for him to do so. We continued our friendship by attending each others programs, and by talking frequently on the phone. The last time I spoke with Anupji, I ended the conversation as always, saying, “I love you”.
Anupji’s life was too short. He was so excited to be entering a new phase in his life - teaching and creating in his own institution. He still had a lot he wanted to do.
Goodbye my beloved brother. May you dance in the highest heavens. I love you.

Janaki Patrik

Wishing our Guruji (Janaki Patrik)a very Blessed and Happy Birthday with many more years to come...❤️

Let's not let COVID-19 kill The New York Kathak Festival

A message from Janaki Patrik

Dear Friends,

The New York Kathak Festival's 2nd Year of workshops and performances, luncheon gatherings and Friday night reception were all ready to take place on April 10 - 11 - 12 at the prestigious Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater. All this had been arranged by a team of volunteers headed by Anisha Muni.

The New York Kathak Festival has been canceled due to the ban on large gatherings, dictated by efforts to prevent the spread of COVID 19 virus.

A year of effort went into arranging three eminent Gurus as the workshop leaders - Rajendra Gangani ji, Shinjini Maharaj ji, and Prashant Shah ji. Visa arrangements were made. The venue was secured with a deposit. Mailings went out, registrations and ticket sales were completed.

How discouraging it must be to the volunteer team to backtrack - sending out refunds, collecting deposits for venue and food orders, and many other details. And then -- start all over again.

We as members of the Kathak community and members of its audience can help sustain the New York Kathak Festival's efforts and show them that we appreciate what they have done for us. We can show them that we want to help them recover and hopefully renew arrangements for the Second Kathak Festival.

For example, if you have bought a concert ticket, you might let them know that you do not need a refund - at least for one $35 tickets. Or you might give a donation, no matter how small.

https://www.nykathakfestival.com/donate

I am not a member of the New York Kathak Festival team. I have been a Kathak dancer and teacher for fifty-plus years and I am grateful for all their efforts to promote Kathak.

Let's help the New York Kathak Festival survive this unexpected setback and continue their work of presenting and promoting the Great Art of Kathak.

If you feel moved then please share this post with your Kathak friends and other interested people in your circle.

Sincerely,

Janaki Patrik, Artistic Director, The Kathak Ensemble & Friends/CARAVAN, Inc. www.kathakensemble.com

A rare photo of our Founder & Artistic Director Janaki Patrik with Durga Lal post Kathak performance at Rutgers University, New Brunswick on July 6, 1979.
@ Rutgers University—New Brunswick

ANTICLOCKWISE

The Kathak Ensemble & Friends will perform ANTICLOCKWISE on Saturday, October 5th at 8pm in the American Dance Guild Festival 2019, "Shaping the Now" at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 405 West 55th Street at 9th Avenue in Manhattan.

An item from the Ensemble's production WE SINFUL WOMEN, with music by COMPOSER / SINGER Kiran Ahluwalia, ANTICLOCKWISE embodies the words of Pakistani feminist POET Kishwar Naheed. CHOREOGRAPHED by Artistic Director of The Kathak Ensemble, Janaki Patrik, the dance upends male dominance through its music, poetry, and movement.

Even after you have tied the chains of wifely duties,

shame and modesty around my feet

Even after you have paralyzed me

Even so this fear will not leave you

that even though I cannot walk

I can still think. (4th verse)

DANCERS: Angelina Haque, Aparna Reddy-Sargent, Pooja Sankhe, Kirti Thorat, Sowmya Viswanath

Photo Credits: Parth Shiras



Get your TICKETS online now (tickets range from $10-25): https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4320791

When: Saturday, Oct 5, 2019 @ 8 PM
Where: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 405 W 55th St, New York, New York 10019

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Get ready for the upcoming THE ART of CHOREOGRAPHY - A Workshop
Taught by Janaki Patrik, Artistic Director of The Kathak Ensemble & Friends

6 consecutive Tuesdays (6 to 8pm) -- July 9-16-23-30; Aug 6-13

Downtown Studios # 3 C - 440 Lafayette, NYC 10003

Workshop Fee - $360

To register: Email - [email protected] with "Choreography Workshop" as the subject of the email.

A registration form and instructions for payment through PayPal will be sent by return email.
Materials for the workshop will be sent upon receipt of the registration form and workshop fee.

Each session:
1st hour - Sundardas poem on SAWAN RITU - the rainy season - choreography composed in group process
this composition will be used as an example of the choreographic process
a) choosing text or music or pure dance idea
b) creating a structure - the dynamic arc
c) realizing your idea/concept in choreography
Music and pure dance sequences for this piece were especially recorded for this workshop.
The piece has 3 sections:
1) Sundardas poem recited as a kavita torah -
abhinaya will need to be abbreviated, with emphasis on RHYTHM
2) Sundardas poem sung as madhya laya/medium tempo khyal with nritta compositions inserted
periodically to support the meaning of the text. The emphasis of this section is MEANING
3) Kajari in dadra taal - song of longing, bemoaning separation from the beloved -
traditionally sung in the rainy season. The emphasis of this section is on RASA - EMOTION.
The recording includes the vocal/dance genre entitled laggi
2nd hour
- each participant shows choreography for her/his personal choice of text, music and/or other components
and explains her/his choices
- group critiques the piece - this process involves constructive criticism, including a discussion of
1) clarity of structure
2) success in communicating the idea or concept
3) costuming - if none is worn, then a discussion of the illustration
4) music, if any

Please feel free to write [email protected] with questions.
This workshop is appropriate for all styles of Indian dance. The emphasis is on the CHOREOGRAPHIC PROCESS, not on its CONTENT.



Flyer Design: Kranti Thorat

The Kathak Ensemble & Friends, under the artistic direction of Janaki Patrik, is gearing up for a new Indian-influenced contemporary dance production entitled WE SINFUL WOMEN which would be presented tomorrow in NYC. This piece draws upon the theme of universal repression of women. The choreography is performed to the words of female Urdu poets Ishrat Aafreen, Kishwar Naheed, Zehra Nigah, and Fahmida Riaz along with an original music score by two-time Canadian Grammy-winner and composer Kiran Ahluwalia



Get your Tickets online now http://dixonplace.org/performances/we-sinful-women Limited tickets available!

When: Thursday, April 25, 2019 @ 7:30 PM
Where: Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002
(General Admission - $22 EARLYBIRD, $25 in advance, $30 at the door)
(Students / Seniors / id NYC - $18 EARLYBIRD, $20 in advance, $25 at the door)

Performers: Angelina Haque, Aparna Reddy-Sargent, Kirti Thorat, Neha Kulkarni, Pooja Sankhe, Sowmya Viswanath
Flyer Design: Kranti Thorat

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Kathak Ensemble & Friends, under the artistic direction of Janaki Patrik, presents a new Indian-influenced contemporary dance production entitled WE SINFUL WOMEN, which draws upon the theme of universal repression of women. The choreography is performed to the words of female Urdu poets Ishrat Aafreen, Kishwar Naheed, Zehra Nigah, and Fahmida Riaz along with an original music score by two-time Canadian Grammy-winner and composer Kiran Ahluwalia.

The poems are part of a collection of the same name, WE SINFUL WOMEN, originally published in Pakistan in 1990. Our Artistic Director, Janaki describes the work as:
"This is not classical Indian dance. And the poets do not consider their texts "feminist" poetry either. Instead the dance, poetry and music join in expressing what it is to be a woman - her tender feelings, her pride, her resistance to efforts to destroy her selfhood, her sadness at consistent denigration by those in power - whether political or religious - who made it impossible for her to worship, love, create and even live with an open heart"

When: Thursday, April 25, 2019 @ 7:30 PM
Where: Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002
Tickets: http://dixonplace.org/performances/we-sinful-women/
(General Admission - $22 EARLYBIRD, $25 in advance, $30 at the door)
(Students / Seniors / id NYC - $18 EARLYBIRD, $20 in advance, $25 at the door)

Performers: Angelina Haque, Aparna Reddy-Sargent, Kirti Thorat, Neha Kulkarni, Pooja Sankhe, Sowmya Viswanath
Flyer Design: Kranti Thorat

Looking forward to seeing you there!