Samskriti Foundation

proudly presents

Samarpan

A dance tour of the United States honoring the artistic vision of the legendary Kuchipudi Dance Guru

Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam

on the occasion his 80^th birthday.

Repertoire:

Samarpan will showcase the following program themes:

AMRITA DHARA …Timeless Traditions

The program will showcase both traditional and new numbers in the Kuchipudi dance style. Highlights of the program will be - innovative choreography, well-coordinated group dances, and a seamless blend of rhythm and mime.

BRAMHAMOKKATE …Annamayya’s Vision

The program will be based on the compositions of the 15^th century poet Annamayya and will include both popular and lesser-known.

NRITHYA MAALIKA …Vibrant Hues

The program will represent four classical dance styles – Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Odissi. It will provide an opportunity to appreciate the unique features of each of these beautiful dance styles.

RASA MANJARI … Celluloid Classics

The program will feature popular songs from classic Indian cinema presented with a fresh perspective and will include both classical and folk based melodies and rhythms.

Artistic Team

Principal Dancers:

Madhavapeddi Murthy - Son of the veteran playback singer, Madhavepeddi Sathyam and a senior disciple of the respected dance Guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, Murthy has traveled and performed in all major dance festivals in India and all over the world. Noteworthy among them are his performances at Taj Mahotsav, Hampi Utsav, Khajuraho festival, Puri Beach festival, Rajgirh Mahotsav and his dance tours of the United States, Canada, France, Belgium Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, former USSR, Turkmenistan, UAE, Indonesia, and Mauritius, He has also performed as a guest artist at the Indo Swiss friendship festival organized as a tribute to Maurice Bejart. He is a regular performer in the dance productions of the film personality, Hemamalini. He is the founder-director of Siva Foundation, a center for dance in Chennai and has received the prestigious Kalaimamani award from the Tamilnadu Government.

Shoba Natarajan - An acclaimed dancer, musician, teacher, and choreographer, Shoba has played an active and important role in popularizing the two dance styles – Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi through her performances and workshops all over India, United States, Europe, and South East Asia. She is a leading disciple of the legendary teachers, Kamala Narayanan, Swamimalai Rajaratnam and Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. Shoba has received the ‘Artists Fellowship’ and the ‘Master Artist’ grant from the Illinois Arts Council and has been honored by premier cultural institutions in India. She is a recipient of the coveted ‘Presidential Teacher Award’ from the U.S. Department of Education. As founder-artistic director of Samskriti Foundation in Chicago, IL, Shoba imparts training in the two dance styles, besides choreographing new and original works and organizing community outreach programs.

Shoba Natarajan (center) and her Chicago-based Samskriti dance ensemble. Photo credit: Dan Merlo

Corp dancers:

Archana Murali - An MBA graduate, Archana is proficient in three styles – Bharatanatyam, Odissi, and Kuchipudi. She is a lead dancer in the Siva Foundation ensemble and has represented India as a cultural ambassador in Mexico in 2006. She is the director of Shastra dance academy in Coimbatore, India.

Radha Prasanna - A performer of three dance styles - Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam, Radha is a lead dancer in the Siva Foundation Ensemble. She has performed in several dance festival in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and is currently a dance instructor at the Truth Yoga World - academy for fine arts in Chennai, India.

Vasanthi Ravi – A deeply commited dancer, Vasanthi has many years of experience in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Mohiniattam. She has traveled to several parts of the world and performed at many major dance festivals, as a lead dancer in the Siva Foundation Ensemble. Vasanthi is an English lecturer at the Loyola College, Chennai.

Lighting Design:

Dhiren Merchant:

Dhiren has provided his creative expertise to a wide spectrum of lighting projects that include theater, dance productions, fashion shows, corporate events, and award functions. The highlights of his career are his unique lighting designs for national monuments like Taj Mahal, Mehrangad Palace, Udaipur lake palace, Fatehpur Sikri, and Purana Kila. Dhiren will be traveling with the Samarpan ensemble during this tour.

Other Ensemble Members:

US based artistes Anuradha Murali, Sangita Rangala, Uma Ettigi, Sobha Tammana, Nithya Nagella, and Asha Nair will also join the Samarpan tour in select cities.

Credits:

Music – Specially commissioned studio recording featuring eminent musicians:

Vocals – OS Arun, Girish

Nattuvangam – Vempati Ravishankar, Shoba Natarajan

Mridangam – Dhananjayan, BV Ganesh

Rhythm composition – Vempati Ravishankar

Tabla – VB Madhusudanan, BV Ganesh

Veena – Mudicondan Ramesh

Sitar – Pandit Janardhan

Flute – BV Balasai, TR Moorthy

Violin – Usha Rajagopalan, Suresh

Special effects – Raju, VB Madhusudanan

Music recorded and mixed at Digi Track studios, Chennai

Recording engineer – Ganesh Ramanna

Choreography – Padmabhushan Vempati Chinna Satyam, Vempati Ravishankar, Madhavapeddi Murthy, Shoba Natarajan

Costumes – Renuka Tailors, Aiyellu Tailors

Graphic Design (tour poster and program book) - Vinod Menon

For further details, please contact:

Madhavapeddi Murthy – Artistic Director, Siva Foundation

Phone: 91-44-28151516, 9840211741

Email: mmadhavapeddi@hotmail.com, madhavapeddi1980@gmail.com

Shoba Natarajan – Artistic Director, Samskriti Foundation

Phone: 91-44-24939333, 91-9884400623 (India)

(630) 527-1498 (USA)

Email: shoba@samskriti.com

Tour coordinators in the US:

Bhargavi Sundararajan

15 Lenox Street

Edison, NJ 08817

Phone: (732) 763-1084

Email: iacrfinc@aol.com

Anuradha Murali

Phone: (803) 347-3851

Email: anuradhamurali@hotmail.com

Chitra Nagella

Phone: (727) 643-5413

Email: chitra2002@aol.com

Padmaja Peddada

Phone: (732) 425-3008

Email: padmajapeddada@aol.com

Samarpan – tour itinerary

Date	City	Contact person	Phone number/Email
Sun, May 3rd	Charleston, SC	Anuradha Murali	803-347-3851
Fri, May 15^th	Workshop in Houston,TX	Indrani Parthasarathy	indupartha@hotmail.com
Sat, May 16^th	Workshop in Houston, TX
Sun, May 17^th	Workshop in Houston, TX
Sat, May 23^rd	Tampa, FL	Chitra Nagella	727-643-5413
Sun, May 24^th	Pittsburgh, PA	Ramgopal Srinivasan	ramgopal.srinivasan@gmail.com
Fri, May 29^th	San Antonio	Rajam Ramamurthy	ramamurthyrajam@aol.com
Sat, May 30^th	New Jersey	Ramya Ramnarayan	732-398-9895
Sun, May 31^st	New Jersey	Padmaja Peddada	732-274-9164
Sat, June 6^th	Chicago, IL	Shoba Natarajan	630-527-1898
Sun, June 7^th	St. Louis, MO	Uma Eachampati	umasjs@aol.com
Sat, June 13^th	Richmond, VA	Uma Ettigi	804-608-1757
Sun, June 14th	OPEN