Patanjali (2007 & 2008)
60 Minutes; 16 – 18 Dancers, 3 Technical Personnel
Patanjali, a thematic dance concert, explores the unique and powerful relationship between Yoga and dance. The evening features popular legends related to sage Patanjali, the cosmic dance of Shiva, and the holy city of Chidambaram in India.
September 8, 2007 (Premiere)
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, Ca
September 9, 2007
Scherr Forum Theatre, Countrywide Performing Arts Center, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, Ca
Historians say that Patanjali lived in India around two thousand years ago. According to legend, Patanjali is none other than Aadishehsa, the cosmic serpent upon which the Hindu lord Vishnu reclines. Endowed with a body that is half human and half serpent, Patanjali became an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Though Yoga existed much before Patanjali’s time, he documented what had until that time been handed down by means of oral tradition from master to pupil. The legends say that Yoga, classical dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, and martial arts like Kalari evolved from Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance of bliss. Yoga, meaning integration, combines ancient spiritual practices with mind-body techniques. Yoga is respected as a science, an art form, and a philosophy of life. Patanjali, a thematic dance concert, explores the unique and powerful relationship between Yoga and dance. The evening features popular legends related to sage Patanjali, the cosmic dance of Shiva, and the holy city of Chidambaram in India.
Credits
Production – Rangoli Foundation for Art & Culture
Concept, Choreography, & Artistic Direction – Malathi Iyengar
Additional Choreographic Credits
The Benevolent Kali – Choreography by Lakshmi Iyengar
Invoking Kali – Choreography by Murali Mohan Kalvakalva
Kathak dance excerpts – Choreography & Performance by Murali Mohan Kalvakalva
Pre Performance Introduction – Dr Christopher Key Chapple
(Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University, Ca, USA)
Yoga Practitioners
Ashley Albrand, Ranjith Babu, Shiva Rea Bailey, Patrick Thompson
Dancers from India
Ranjith Babu, Neewin Hershall, & Murali Mohan Kalvakalva
Rangoli Dance Company
Ronald Burton, Lakshmi Iyengar, Malathi Iyengar, Hema Iyer, Shaheen Sheik, & Soumya Sundaresh.
Rangoli Dancers
Sheila Aula, Shivani Aysola, Sheel Jagani, Sarah Mathew, Sandhya Rajan, Aarti Rao, & Katya Viswanadhan.
Vaishnavi Aysola, Anjali Gopalan, Nikita Iyer, Karisma Nagarkatti, Akshaya Sekhar, & Kalpa Viswanadhan
Guest Dancer
Navia Natarajan
Music – Rajkumar Bharathi
Sound Design – David Karagianis
Lighting Design – Eileen Cooley
Costume Design – Lakshmi Iyengar & Murali Mohan Kalvakalva
Set Design – Suresh Iyengar
Program Notes – Malathi Iyengar
Program Cover Design & Layout – Lakshmi Iyengar
Printing – Valley Instant Press
Videography – Perfect Video, Costa Mesa, Ca
Event Photography – Nick Barral & Mike Weaver
Musicians (India) featured in the ‘Patanjali’ Score
Nattuvangam (Vocals and Cymbals): Malathi Iyengar & Neewin Hershall
Vocals: Rajkumar Bharathi, Fayaz Khan, Trivandrum Krishna Kumar, S. R. Veeraraghavan, & Nikita Iyer
Mridangam & Khanjira: Gurumurthy G, Nellai Kannan
Tabla: Praveen D. Rao, Morsing: A. S. Krishnan
Violin: Embar Kannan, M. A. Sundareshwaran, & Kalaiarasan
Flute: Palghat Sriram, Balasai, & A. P. Sarvotham
Veena: Rajesh Vaidhya & Veenai Subrahmanyam
Sarangi – Fayaz Khan
Harp – Veenai Subrahmanyam
Costume Construction Support: D. S. Aiyyelu, Tushar Bhatt, Lakshmi Iyengar, Murali Mohan Kalvakalva, Ponnurangan
Wardrobe Assistant – Harai Deker
Set Construction Support: Gaston Medina, Ranjith Babu, Gurumurthy G., Neewin Hershall,
Murali Mohan Kalvakalva, Nandakumar U., & Vivek V.
Resource & Technical Advisors
Dr Christopher Key Chapple, Srivatsa Ramaswamy, Ganesh Shatavadhani, BKS Iyengar & Ramakrishna Mission
Other Patanjali Performances:
August 9, 2008. Main Stage, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California.
Patanjali: Legends of Yoga and Dance & Unwritten Rhythms
Music Composition – Gurumurthy G.
Musicians: Gurumurthy G. – Mridangam, Kanjira – Ranjith Babu, Cymbals – Lakshmi Iyengar, Vocal – Malathi Iyengar, Murali Mohan K. Nandakumar U., Flute – Vivek Venugopalakrishna, Violin – Krishna Kutty
Yoga Practitioners: Ashley Albrand, Ranjith Babu, & Kathryn Budig
Dancers from India: Ranjith Babu, Neewin Hershall, & Murali Mohan Kalvakalva
Rangoli Dance Company: Ronald Burton, Lakshmi Iyengar, Malathi Iyengar, Hema Iyer, Shaheen Sheik, & Soumya Sundaresh.
Rangoli Dancers: Sheila Aula, Shivani Aysola, Vyshnavi Aysola, Anjali Gopalan, Nikita Iyer, Shilpa Mantri, Karisma Nagarkatti, Sumathi Nanguneri, Aarti Rao, & Chirag Sumathi.
Guest Dancer – Navia Natarajan
