East West School of Dance and Ananda Ashram are presenting a special glamorous and unique variety of Indian Dances on Friday, September 16th 2016 at the Blue Sky Center, Ananda Ashram, 13 Sapphire Road, Monroe, NY.
Produced by, NADAM, which was founded in the year 1997 by Nandini K Mehta & K Murali Mohan – the well-known Kathak exponents of Bangalore. Since its inception, it has witnessed a rise in its popularity in leaps and bounds. The academy works to showcase India’s Classical Dance & Music Forms and helps preserve them as living traditions. Our annual music & dance showcase, “Kala-Nadam”, is one of the leading events on Bangalore’s Cultural Calendar, featuring amazing national & international talent since 16 years consecutively.
Nadam also holds a Classical Dance Festival for children below 13 called “Chinna Kala-Nadam”, since the year 2009.The academy imparts training in the fields of Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Classical Music to aspiring students. The students are given intensive training to become professional dancers. Apart from training, the company has its own performing unit specializing in Classical and different Folk- forms of India. Nadam ensemble has performed extensively in many prestigious festivals in India, USA, Canada, France, Switzerland and the Middle-East.
Nadam ensemble toured the USA & Canada with a troupe of 10 dancers and gave successful performances in different cities in September- October, 2012 winning rave reviews from connoisseurs and the press.
Nandini Mehta an established danseuse proficient in the fields Kathak and Bharatanatyam, Nandini received her initial training in Bharatanatyam under renowned gurus Smt. Chandrabhaga Devi and Prof. US Krishna Rao, Guru Smt. Narmada, Guru Smt. Bhanumati. Her passion for dance attracted her to train in Kathak.
She had the good fortune to come under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Maya Rao and Smt. Chitra Venugopal of NATYA Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC) Bangalore. She pursued her training in Kathak from Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh, Ahmedabad. Nandini holds a degree in Choreography from NIKC, Bangalore.
Nandini has also received formal training in Karnatic music from her mother Smt. Manorama Mehta. She is well versed with the various folk forms of India. Dance has taken Nandini to perform extensively in India, US, France, Switzerland, Middle East etc.
She is the recipient of the central government fellowship in Kathak for the years 2000-2002. She is an A grade artist of Doordarshan and is a soft skill trainer and a French lecturer in various colleges in Bangalore. She is the founder director of NADAM an academy of dance and music based in Bangalore. She imparts training in Kathak to aspiring students from India and abroad.
Nandini was awarded the title-“KALA ARATHI RATNA”, by the Arathi School of India Dance-Phoenix, USA in September 2006. She recently received the title-“GUNA NIDHI”, in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the magazine-“GunaGrahi” for her contribution to Kathak. She is also a recipient of the titles “Natyasri”, “Swar Kala-Gaurav”.
Murali an established Kathak exponent has created ripples in the art circles. Devotion, dedication and innovation being his first nature, winning encomiums and accolades from the audiences and the press have become a way of life. The dancer – an epitome of grace, creativity and authenticity, incessantly portray elegance and élan in every performance. He is a senior disciple of Guru Shri Dharmashi Shah, Padmashree Guru Kumudini Lakhia, and Pt. Arjun Mishra. Murali’s grace, vivacity and versatility in dance have beckoned him to perform at prestigious dance festivals globally. Being a natural dancer, it is a real treat to watch him perform be it pure nritta (pure Dance technique) or abhinaya (nritta). Fast and precise pirouettes and intricate footwork are the hallmark of his dance.
Murali has to his credit a Bachelor’s degree in music and Visharad in Kathak from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai, and is also well-versed in the Folk-Forms of India. He is a recipient of the central government scholarship in Kathak awarded by department of culture New Delhi for the year 2000 – 2002. He is a graded artist of Doordarshan – the national network channel of India, and performed for the National Network. He has performed at most of the Major festivals in India viz, the Uday Shankar Festival, Nishagandhi Festival, Konark Festival, Vasantotsav, Kinkini Festival, to name a few. Murali has been awarded the title-“GUNA NIDHI”, “Nrutya Nipuna” and received the Uday Shankar award for his contribution to Dance. He has been touring the US since the year 1999 for conducting workshops and rendering performances.
Murali also has had the opportunity of working with big wigs like Shobhana, Anuradha Sriram, Vikram Ghosh, Selva Ganesh, Malathi Iyengar of Rangoli Foundation USA, Lata Pada- Sampradya Canada, Sujatha Venkatesh- Omkara.