To Varnam ... with Love
UK National Tour -Autumn 2022
Having already visited Plymouth and St Albans we continue to London and Ormskirk.
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Rich Mix, Bethnal Green, London
Friday 18 November, 7pm
PLUS workshop on Sunday 13 November 11am-1pm
The workshop focuses on Musicality in the Dancing Body. This workshop is aimed at ages 10+ and experienced dancers (of any style) who are ready to take part in a short public performance as a curtain raiser to To Varnam..With Love on 18th November. Price £25 includes a free ticket to the performance.
artsdepot, North Finchley, London
Thursday 24 November, 7.30pm
PLUS free workshop on Sunday 20 November 1pm-3pm
The workshop focuses on Musicality in the Dancing Body. This workshop is aimed at ages 10+ and experienced dancers (of any style) who are ready to take part in a short public performance as a curtain raiser to To Varnam..With Love on 24th November. Free and includes a free ticket to the performance.
Rose Theatre, Edge Hill Arts Centre, Ormskirk
Spring 2023 - date tbc (re-arranged due to tech issue at venue)​
About the performance:
A story of unsettling timely relevance - about being separated from those we love. Obsession, devotion, commitment & rejection are untangled as exquisite performer Divya Kasturi reveals the 'Varnam'; a pièce de résistance of the Bharatanatyam (classical South Asian dance) repertoire.
A story of love, devotion and commitment; to a god, to a myth, to a way of moving and being.
Set against a projections visual backdrop, this research places the Varnam, a ‘piece de resistance’ of a Bharatanatyam repertoire performance, within an ever-changing, fluid contemporary moment.
Personal & arresting, this dynamic tale attracts a breadth of audiences and captures artistic lineage, historical nostalgia & reverence for tradition via song, humour, dolls, projection & soul-soothing South Asian/Western choreography.
Inspired by Saskia Kersenboom’s book ‘Word, Sound, Image’ (1995) and Chitra Sundaram’s performance ‘Moham – A Magnificent Obsession’ (2003). Created as part of The Place’s research and development programme Choreodrome 2017.
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Funded by Arts Council of England.
Supported by Trestle arts and The Place
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Thank you to:
Dr Avanthi Meduri, Smt. Nandini Ramani, Nina Head, Clare Winter, Janaky Ramanujam, Rosie Powell, Premalatha Aravindan, Nithiya Kunalan, Chelvy Harish, Aparna Sriram, Sree Kumar , Prem.
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To Varnam... with Love was supported as part of
Choreodrome 2017, The Place (London).
Research and development was funded by Arts Council England, and supported by The Place, Trestle Arts Base,
Watford Palace Theatre and Akademi.
Sharing were presented at The Place's Touchwood showcase (September 8 2017) and as part of Fun Palace at Trestle Arts Base (October 8 2017)
Performances upto date-
*Key Theatre, Peterborough
*Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
*The Place, London
*Kalasangam, Bradford
* Barbican Theatre, Plymouth
Credits
Choreography and performance
Divya Kasturi
Dramaturgy & Creative Support
Chris Fogg
Dramaturgy and movement
vocabulary
Chitra Sundaram
Video design
John-Marc Gowans
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Theatrical Consultant
Emily Gray
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Chitravina and Indian Carnatic music- playing and composing
Chitravina Ganesh
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Indian percussion
N Ramakrishnan & team
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Lighting
Ric Mountjoy
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Kyla-Booth-Lucking, (Producer), Clearcut and Madeleine Wilson (Tour Booker)
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Marketing
Rohanne Udall
Music
‘Mohamana’ Varnam, composed by Ponnaih Pillai (b.1804)
Additional composition, vocals and instrumental: ‘Chitravina’ Ganesh
Photography-Simon Richardson, Christian Emmanuel and Jayanthi Jayakumar-
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Costume -Aarika ( by Ashwini Viswanathan)
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Anita Srivastava- New Dimensions- Initial Advice, Marketing and Press
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