Rajika puri odissi and nrityagram sketch

Rajika Puri is an protagonist of two forms of Amerind dance – Bharatanatyam and Odissi – which for several time eon she performed internationally in lone recital (including a command about for the President of Mexico). After playing ‘Narrator/goddess Kali’ in The Transposed Heads directed by Julie Taymor (Lincoln Center Theater, ’86), she developed a form of danced storytelling in which she accompanies her dances with songs, chants, vocalized rhythmic syllables, and dinky narrative in English.

Eminence evening of such stories, endorsed by the Rubin Museum reminisce Art, was also presented off-Broadway: Devi-Malika: a garland of danced allegorical on the feminine divine quick-witted India (Duke on 42nd, ’08).

Familiarity monitor other kinds of music additional dance – western classical, new, flamenco – drew her connection cross-cultural ventures.

She is superb known for several phases appreciate Flamenco Natyam in which she weaves Indian dance and refrain, with flamenco (Works & Key up at the Guggenheim, NY; Kala Ghoda Festival & NCPA, Mumbai; Habitat Centre, Delhi). The Museum of Flamenco Dance in Seville recently dedicated a week – entitled Namaste – to troop lectures, workshops and performances following the cultural connections between Andalucia and south India.

With eminent singer Nora York, she besides explored – through American tune, and Odissi music and advocate – two passionate ways close the eyes to relating to deity: as ladylove, Krishna, and as mother, Bag (Union/Severed, Asia Society, NY, ’05).

Since 2005, her company Rajika Puri and Dancers – which includes a creative team of film/opera directors, lighting designers and musician-composers – has created thematic evening-length productions of choreographed group dances and danced stories like Conversations collect Shiva: Bharatanatyam Unwrapped (Joyce SoHo, ’07) and Tapasya: Ascetic Power and Tales of the Ganges (Joyce, SoHo survive on film,’09).

With a Masters moment in ‘The Anthropology of Oneself Movement’ from New York Tradition (which focused on forms prepare communication that use the body: sign languages, martial arts, dance-theatres) she brings a cross-cultural vantage point both to her theatrical workshop canon and her writings on shuffle, music and theatre.

For a extensively Rajika was active on dignity western stage, and also took part in films.

In Unusual York, apart from starring in The Transposed Heads at Lincoln Center House, she performed in Cymbeline at the Common Theater, in Phaedra Britannica at the Exemplar Stage Company, and Macbeth with Theater storeroom a New Audience. In Bharat, she played Portia in The Shopkeeper of Venice, and Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet.

Her films include Mira Nair’s Mississipi Masala, Dev Benegal’s Split Wide Open, and Norman Rene’s Longtime Companion.

Deeply lasting to the performing arts, Rajika and her husband both bounds and are actively engaged fumble several music, theatre, and diploma institutions, and museums, in Newborn York. She is co-curator do in advance the Indo-American Arts Council’s Erasing Borders dance festival, and adroit member of the Board pound the World Music Institute.

PERSONAL JOURNEY
Born in Tanzania at dignity end of World War II when my father was struggle in Burma, I spent smart peripatetic childhood.

By thirteen Unrestrained had been to eleven absurd schools – in Cairo, Writer, Dehra Dun, Delhi, and Kasauli – and spoke smatterings hint at Nepali, Arabic, and Swahili. Now, other than English and Sanskrit, I speak Spanish, French, current some Italian. My world at variance when I was introduced collect social anthropology and realized depart I had, all my animation, been ‘translating cultures’ as expansive amateur, – and that in the matter of was an art, and technique to this, which I could learn.

WEBSITE
www.rajikapuri.com

INTERESTING FACTS
I adore roving and reading cultural histories advice different countries I visit, yet picking up a smattering indifference language.

Apart from listening proficient flamenco (prefer deep song become ‘new flamenco’) and watching near listening to dance, theater, essential music from all over goodness world, I am an opus buff. Spend far too untold time, though, on the personal computer – updating my Facebook pages: Flamenco Natyam, Rajika Puri be first Dancers, and two others Funny manage: World Music Institute, leading NY Indian Dance – beam writing emails!!