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| Nritya
Bharati Kathak Dance Academy |
If you are walking down Law College Road, you cannot
risk the temptation of peeking into the ongoing
Kathak classes at Damle Hall. If you follow the
sound of the dance steps, you will land up at the
Nritya Bharati Kathak Dance Academy run by Neelima
Adhye. Neelima is a rare combination of an academic,
teacher, ace Kathak dancer, critic and a housewife.
She is a glittering pearl in the list of Pune’s
celebrity artists.She was seven years old when her
mother enrolled her into the Rohini Bhate Dance
classes. She has been trained in both the Lucknowi
and Jaipur gharanas for the past 20 years under
the guidance of Rohini Bhate. She has also had training
in music. Neelima is the Director of the Nritya
Bharati Kathak Dance Academy started by Bhate. Through
the academy, she has been grooming young talent,
and performing in festivals from India and abroad.
The dancer explains, “Kathak is a dance form belonging
to North India. The name kathak suggests that the
dance form developed from the art of story telling.
The dance form thrived in temples and the princely
courts.”
The dancer admits that Rohini Bhate has been a great
influence in her dance and personal life too. “Like
other classical dance forms, in this dance form
too the dancer narrates and interprets several roles
from mythology to the accompaniment of music", says
Neelima. She is on the faculty of Fergusson College
and SP College in Pune, the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, Virginia, USA,
from where she completed her MS in Mathematics in1984.
Her dedication and love of dance forced her to give
up her promising career and return home to her guru.
Her career is now devoted to kathak. She holds a
diploma in kathak dance and an MA in dance from
the University of Pune. She is a regular at prestigious
dance festivals in India. The performances she treasures
are the ones at the Khajuraho Dance Festival
in March 1992 and at the Nrityotsava festival in
Thiruvananthapuram. She has performed in Manila,
Singapore, Chicago and Tokyo, where her performances
won her rave reviews. She excels in choreographing
kathak dance dramas and she is credited with well
executed dance pieces in plays. Her sympathy for
the earthquake-affected people of Latur inspired
her to depict their plight in a Nritya solo titled
"Why?" The most recent drama she has choreagraphed
is Santorini, which is based on a popular music
composition by Yanni. The Jaycees International
has named her among the top young outstanding Indians
in 1997 for her achievements in Kathak. Asked about
her future plans and ambitions, she feels that she
has a long way to go, as each day is a new learning
experience for her.
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| Kala-Chhaya
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Founded in the year 1965 by Smt. Prabha Marathe,
the aim of Kala-Chhaya is to bring the rich heritage
of the north Indian classical dance form 'KATHAK',
to Maharashtra. Mrs Marathe is the senior disciple
of Kathak Maestro Pt Birju Maharaj.
In its initial years, Kala-Chhaya designed detailed
 courses
of Diploma and Degree in Kathak which infused the
students with an enthusiasm for this beautiful dance
form. Pt Birju Maharaj has been a guiding spirit
behind the endeavor of Kala-Chhaya. The hard work
put in by Smt Prabha Marathe and Shri Munnalal Shukla
in the initial years have been amply rewarded. Today
there are several disciples who are outstanding
performers as well as well-versed instructors. The
courses have also provided the base for scholarly
pursuits.
In the mid 70s, Kala-Chhaya roped in 'TABLA' training
under the versatile tutelage of the well-known creative
musician Shri Bharat Jangam. This faculty
has proved to be an added attraction for all the
students. Since 1980, Smt Prabha Marathe and Sri
Bharat Jangam have visited U.S.A. regularly to teach
and perform at different universities. As a result
of these activities, a training center for Indian
dance and music was established in 1988 at Taos,
New Mexico, U.S.A. The institute imparts training
in kathak dance, tabla, vocal and instrumental music
(sitar, santoor and flute). It organizes lectures/demonstrations,
workshops, exhibitions in performing and fine arts.
It offers intensive-crash courses of 6-10 weeks
along with regular Diploma and Degree courses in
the above disciplines.
Address: 759/94 B, Prabhat Road, Lane Number
1, Pune.
Phone: 583 3153,
Fax: 583 1100
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