FESTIVAL DANCERS
PRABHATH ACADEMY FOR MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS (PAMPA)
NATIONAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY: South & North Indian
Blend
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Nirmala Madhava
First Appearance in SF EDF: 1996
Website: www.pampans.com
All classical dance forms in India have common roots dating back to the Vedic societies of the 2nd century BC. The Vedas are the primary scriptures of Hinduism and contain hymns, incantations, and expressive rituals from ancient India. There are four main Vedas relating to different aspects of life. Many believe however, that there was a fifth Veda pertaining specifically to dance, music and drama. It is believed that in the 2nd century AD, the sage Bharata Muni was instructed by the god Brahma to record this Veda into the text known as the Natyashastra. This highly detailed treatise is essentially the root and basis of all Indian classical dance and drama. It codified many aspects of the dance addressing every detail, including: hand gestures, arm positions, body stances, facial expressions and inner sentiment. Over centuries, distinct dance forms developed as each style became shaped by the geography, history and social climate of its particular region.
Prabhath Academy for Music and Performing Arts (PAMPA) was formed in CA in 1992, though the original Prabhath Academy began in India under scholar T.V. Gopinatha Das in 1930.
2004 PERFORMANCE
 TITLE OF PIECE: Milan (Coming Together)
CHOREOGRAPHY: Nirmala Madhava
DANCERS: Ashwini Ayanam, Gowri Rao, Nirmala Madhava,
and Mansi Shah
PAMPA's presentation juxtaposes two major classical dance forms of
India–kathak from the North, and bharatanatyam from
the South.
While each classical Indian dance form has a story-telling tradition,
the piece performed by PAMPA plays with the "pure-dance," or non-narrative
aspects of each genre.
Milan, meaning, "coming together," displays both the
similarities and the distinctions of these two great dance heritages.
In each form
there is a clear sense of the body's center as exacting arm gestures
emanate out from the heart. Each use geometrically shaped designs,
ornate hand gestures, detailed facial expressions and complex foot
rhythms. Yet kathak maintains a more upright, stately body
stance and emphasizes swift pirouettes and fluid, arabesque-like arm
movements, whereas bharatanatyam employs a more stable, low-to-the-ground
stance, more precise, angular arm gestures and codified hand positions.
Playing with a musical cycle of 16-beats, which blends North and South
Indian classical music, the dancers create a fusillade of foot rhythms
with their bell-covered ankles.
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