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| Vision-Aid’s 2023 Annual Event: 'The Son Of The Wind – The Saga Of Hanuman' |
Press Release
07/14/2023
Vision-Aid’s 2023 Annual Event - "The Son of the Wind – the saga of Hanuman" set to dazzle audiences on July 23rd, 2023 at 4 PM US EST Vision-Aid’s annual dance productions have become a New England tradition of their own – a remarkable event that the entire community looks forward to with anticipation. This year’s show comes to audiences in a hybrid mode - allowing viewers to choose watching the show live in person at Littleton High School, Littleton, MA (or also virtually from the comfort of their homes) on July 23rd, 2023 at 4 PM US EST, allowing for the creative, dazzling flavor which have set these shows apart in a category of their own. For more details of the show, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org/event Following in the footsteps of 15 brilliant sold-out performances, Vision-Aid is delighted to present Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran’s "The Son of the Wind – the saga of Hanuman" - another stellar, mega production, bringing to life a vibrant choreography inspiring one and all! The show will be featuring over 50 talented dancers and several dance teachers from New England, working under the guidance of renowned and award-winning dance choreographer and producer from India, Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran. Boston area dance teachers – Jeyanthi Ghatraju and Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy and Dhanashree Madiwale-Karmakar are the lead Artistic Directors for this year’s production, ably supported by Dance Teachers Sheetal Dwaraka, Aishwarya Chakravarthy and Kalaimangai Anbalgan. Senior dance mentors Shilpa Narayanan, Krithi Sekaran, Chitanya Gopu, Roopa Modha, Radhika Narayanaswamy, Tejasvi Bhadrinath, Divyanka Gupta are training the 50 plus performers in the production. The team has been hard at work since last December, pulling together the brightest dance talent in the New England area – all of them graciously volunteering their time to support the cause. The other performers in the production include Diya Shenoy, Dyuthi Prashanth, Gauthami Sreedhar, Praksitha Rajasekaran, Sakhi Kulkarni, Shreya Kalavur, Siri Srivatsa, Vaidehi Moorthy, Aadhvi Gopalakrishnan, Joshitha Gopalakrishnan, Aarya Atale, Aishwarya Ananthakrishnan, Ashvitha Eyalarasan, Kavya Krishnan, Sarayu Gadam, Shakthi Sorensen, Varaliikaa Satheesh, Amal Balachundhar, Akshadha Ghantasala, Anika Nambiar, Avantika Nair, Anamika Nair, Dharshana Lakshmanan, Harini Jeyaraman, Prisha Nambiar, Sheethal Udupa, Sravya Gurajala, Aanya Challuri, Aarna Mahadevan, Druthi Choudavarapu, Preetika Guntireddygari, Saanvika Sammishetty, Vanshika Kukunoor, Yashi Dwivedi For more details of the show, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org/event In the words of the Founding Co-Producer of Vision-Aid productions, Jeyanthi Ghatraju, “A strong team can take any crazy vision and turn it into reality. – John Carmack The craziest and wisest visionaries of the world know that to make their dreams come true, they need a strong and loyal team to work with. When people combine their skills and motivate each other, any crazy vision becomes reasonable and possible. Please come watch the world premier of this marvelous Broadway style musical unfold with over 50 dancers and artists telling the compelling story of Vayuputra, all under the meticulous guidance of the world-known director, Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran.†Vision-Aid Artistic Director Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy added “Nearly 50 dancers have brought their passion for dance in support of Vision-Aid’s mission to make an impact on the daily lives of so many visually impaired people throughout India. Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran’s music and special effects are guaranteed to bring this classic story to life. Please come be entertained, support the efforts of so many budding dancers and make a real difference in someone’s life.†Special thanks to the Vasudha Kudrimoti and Sanjay Kudrimoti of Fotu Duniya – The Picture World for the photo collage of the amazing dancers in this production Thanks also goes to Meyyappan Meyyappan of Kolam Media Creations for designing the eye-catching graphics and poster for this production. The Producer The concept and choreography for this production are by Madurai R Muralidaran of Chennai, India, a renowned dance choreographer, composer, and musician, who has won critical acclaim for his creations in Bharatanatyam. He has composed over 120 varnams, produced several dance dramas, composed Pushpanjalis, Alarippus, Jathiswarams, Mallaris, Varnams and Thillanas in all the 35 thalams and Jathiswarams in all 72 Melakartha ragas, unprecedented in the field of Bharatha Natyam. He has over 300 compositions to his credit. His productions in support of Vision-Aid, Krishna (2009), Justice of the Anklet (2010), Slaying of the Demons (2012), The Dancer's Pledge (2014), The Iconic Avatar (2016), Charmer, Warrior, Guide (2017), Golden Armor, Golden Heart (2018), Invincible Spear (2019), Shakthi – the Essence of the Empowered Woman (2020), and The Seven Selfless Sovereigns (2021), and the Jewel of Justice (2022) still has audiences in Boston talking! The Artistic Directors The Artistic Directors for this amazing production are: Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, and Dhanashree Madiwale-Karmakar Jeyanthi Ghatraju is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer with a mission to perform for charity and the Founding Artistic Director of Vision-Aid productions since 2009. She is the Founder of Natyanjali dance school in Westford, MA which celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2019! It is affiliated with the Alagappa Performing Arts Academy, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India and offers Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs in Performing Arts online. Jeyanthi was awarded the coveted US Presidential Gold Service Award in 2013 and again in 2018 for her community service and is the recipient of Massachusetts Cultural Council grants in 2019 and 2020. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She has been actively involved in several Vision-Aid productions since 2010, serving as an Artistic Director for the past eight years. In 1999, she co-founded MIT Natya, one of the first collegiate Indian classical dance organizations in the nation. She pursues advanced training under Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran and is Founder Director of Abhinaya Natyashala in Framingham, MA. Dhanashree Karmarkar, a Bharatanatyam Teacher, Dancer and Choreographer, has been performing for over 23 years and teaching for the past 13 years. A full time Lead Montessori Teacher, she founded Nritya Sadhana Bharatnatyam School of Dance to preserve the heritage of Bharatnatyam. She has performed for several fund-raising productions, Diversity and Cultural programs organized by the Office of Mayor of Boston, Deepshikha, Kunti - Ek Katha, Meera including Navavidha Bhakti for Vision-Aid. Sheethal Dwaraka, is a performer, teacher, and founder of Sowparnika School Of Dance in Nashua, NH. She is trained in Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattam and has performed in India and the US in many cultural programs for organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Chinmaya Mission, and several Vision-Aid productions like "Nine Pathways to Devotion","Slaying of the Demons†&"The Dancer’s Pledge". She is a passionate, nurturing and inspirational teacher to her students and brings out the best in them. Aishwarya Chakravarthy is the founder and artistic director of Natyakshetram in Connecticut. She is a student of Koothambalam and trained under the Aravindans. She is a recipient of several prestigious awards and recognitions including a dance scholarship from the Central Govt of India (CCRT). Kalaimangai Anbalagan, Artistic Director of AmudhaSri Dance School in Shrewsbury, has been recognized as an exemplary member of the Indian dance community by former Governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Charlie Baker. She has been awarded the honorable dance title “Natya Prasanna Awardâ€, “Excellence in Dance†by Power Global Awards,Awarded & honored by the Indian Society Of Worcester Organization. Shilpa Narayanan, holds a double major in Biological Sciences & Psychology from University of Connecticut and works as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Sage Therapeutics. She completed her arangetram in 2013 and continues to learn from Guru Sujatha Meyyappan and is an assistant teacher at Kolam Academy of Dance. Shilpa began her Vision-Aid journey in 2012 and has performed at several events and competitions around the New England area. Chitanya Gopu, completed her Master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University and works in environmental engineering. After her 2013 arangetram with Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, she works as an Assistant Teacher at her dance school Abhinaya Natyashala. She has been involved with Vision-Aid productions since 2010, and is excited to be a part of the production as well as mentoring younger dancers. Krithi Sekaran is a recent graduate of Bentley University and is currently working as a UX writer. She has been learning Bharatanatyam for the past 15 years. In 2017, she completed her arangetram in New Jersey under Guru Suba Parmar, and now continues learning under Guru Jeyanthi Ghatraju at Natyanjali School of Dance. She is excited to take part in her first Vision-Aid production and support a great cause. Roopa Modha is an intellectual property law attorney, TV host, author, lyricist, illustrator, journalist, international pageant queen, dancer and dance teacher. Roopa excels at many styles of dance - bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, semi-classical, ballet, tap, jazz, and Bollywood. A recipient of many awards from around the world for dance, law, and her work for girls’ education, she was honored by the White House as a Changemaker in 2017 and has been conferred titles like Wonder Woman (Malta House), Most Inspiring Woman of the Earth 2022, Most Phenomenal Woman of the World 2022, Shine of Indian Classical Dance, Nritya Medhini, and was a recipient of Vrindrani Award 2022. Radhika Narayanaswamy, a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, works as a Scientist. She has extensive experience in classical dancing and has trained in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi art forms and won accolades for her performances. She has a Masters in Fine Arts from Kalai Kaviri, Trichy and continues to train under eminent performers in the field like Smt. Vineeta Nedungadi, Sri. Madurai Muralidharan and Ms. Kavya Muralidharan. She has performed extensively, including in the International Spring Dance Festival, USA and teaches dance in Holliston. Tejasvi Bhadrinath is a software engineer and recently graduated with a Master’s from Northeastern University. She is passionate about dance and taught at the Kalpakkam Dance School, India. She now teaches Bharathanatyam at the Academy of Creative Arts, Burlington, MA. Tejasvi is a student of Guru Meena Subramaniyam and previously trained under Kalaimamani Roja Kannan and Guru Subhashini. Divyanka Gupta is a Doctor of Pharmacy working in the biotech industry. A dancer, and choreographer, she trained in Bharatnatyam under Smt. Bonmayuri Kalita. She has also been on multiple other dance teams - BU Jalwa, Bhangra Theory, Samsara, and New England Bhangra Club. Additionally, Divyanka performs and teaches many other dance styles – classical fusion, bhangra, Bollywood, and garba and has received many awards for her Bharatnatyam and team performances. The amazing dancers and performers in this show by Ensemble Group are - Ensemble Group A Diya Shenoy is a rising Sophomore at Shrewsbury High School. She has been learning dance from Guru Smt. Sapna Krishnan for the past seven years and is very passionate about this art form. She’s an avid reader and loves to take part in activities such as Robotics and Speech & Debate. Diya is very excited to be part of the Vision-Aid production this year! Dyuthi Prashanth is a 15-year-old dancer who has been training under Guru Smt. Poornima Risbud for 8 years, and is very passionate about robotics, as well as a variety of performing arts, including musical theatre, chorus, and orchestra. She is very grateful that she gets to express her passion for dance through Vision-Aid yet again this year! Gauthami Sreedhar is a rising Freshman at Westborough High School. She has participated in numerous performances and competitions across New England, winning prizes under the wonderful guidance of her Guru Smt. Sapna Krishnan. She also participates as a violin player in her school's Chamber Ensemble. An avid reader/ writer, she has taken part in many essay/short story competitions and is very thankful for this opportunity to participate in a Vision-Aid mega production! Praksitha Rajasekaran, a rising senior at Moses Brown School, learns dance from Smt. Thenu Raajan. She is also proud about placing 1st nationally in a French Contest and enjoys learning about science and learning new languages. She is excited to be part of a Vision-Aid event for the 4th time! Sakhi Kulkarni is a rising senior from Holliston, MA who has been dancing for the past 10 years and with Smt. Sripriya Moorthy for 5 years. This is her second time participating in a Vision-Aid production. Shreya Kalavur is a rising senior in Sharon, MA and has been dancing under Guru Smt. Poornima Risbud for 8 years. Aside from dance, she enjoys reading, guitar, and learning new languages and is excited to participate in a Vision-Aid performance for the second time. Siri Srivatsa is a rising Sophomore at Shrewsbury High School and is currently learning dance from Guru Smt. Sapna Krishnan. She also learns Nattuvangam from Guru Shri. RLV Hemanth Lakshman and is a part of her school’s field hockey team. She loves to spread the joy through the dance form and thanks Vision-Aid, for this opportunity. Vaidehi Moorthy is 17 years old and pursues the art of Bharathanatyam under the guidance of Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy and Kum. Kavya Muralidharan. She is grateful to participate in her 11th Vision-Aid production under Guru Muralidaran. Ensemble Group B North Aadhvi Gopalakrishnan, an 8th grader from North Andover, MA, has been under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Deepa Srinath Bungale since she was 7 years old. Aadhvi also learns Carnatic Vocal from Guru Venkatachellam. She loves dance and is excited to participate in her first Vision-Aid production with her sister, Joshitha. Aarya Atale is a rising Sophomore at Lexington High School, Lexington. She has been learning dance for the past 8 years from Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar. Aarya is very passionate about dancing as well as swimming. Aishwarya Ananthakrishnan, a rising 8th grader at Andover MA, has been passionately learning dance from Smt. Deepa Srinath for the past 8 years. She has been learning Carnatic music from her Guru Smt. Aparna Balaji. She is also interested in western singing and is part of an elite team. Apart from the arts, Aishwarya does a variety of sports like soccer and taekwondo which she is extremely interested in. Amal Balachundhar, a rising freshman Lexington MA, has been learning dance from his mother, Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar for the past ten years. Also learning Cello and Carnatic Music, Amal is very passionate about music and the arts. Ashvitha Eyalrasan, a rising junior at Lexington High school and has been learning dance from Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar since she was in second grade. She loves to read, play badminton and bake, and she is very excited to be back and to participate in another Vision-Aid Production. Joshitha Gopalakrishnan, a rising senior from North Andover, MA, has been under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Deepa Srinath Bungale since she was 6 years old. She also learns Veena from Guru Smt. Durga Krishnan. She is very enthusiastic about the arts. Aadhvi and Joshitha aspire to complete their arangetram together next year. Kavya Krishnan is a rising sophomore and is very excited to take part in a Vision-Aid production for the 4th year. She has been learning Bharatanatyam from Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar since 1st grade. She enjoys playing the piano, playing tennis, and participating in Robotics competitions. Sarayu Gadam, a rising 9th grader at Braintree High School, currently learns Bharathanatyam from Smt. Jeyanthi Ghatraju. She has trained under Smt. Swathi Anala in the past. She is passionate about Carnatic music and enjoys reading, playing tennis, and participating in service activities. She is thrilled to participate in her third Vision-Aid production and support this noble cause. Shakthi Sorensen, a 6th grader at Dedham Country Day School, has been learning Bharatanatyam from Smt. Poornima Risbud for the past 6 years. She is a national level figure skater who enjoys skiing and learning Carnatic music. She is thrilled to perform in her first Vision-Aid production alongside such a talented cast and support the efforts of this wonderful cause. Varaliikaa Satheesh, an 8th grader, is very excited to be joining this Vision-Aid production. She has participated in many performances and group competitions, winning prizes under the tutelage of her guru Smt. Aishwaraya Balasubramanian. Varaliikaa also learns Carnatic Music along with violin and tennis. Ensemble Group B South Akshadha Ghantasala, a rising 8th grader at Hopkinton Middle School is very excited to join a Vision-Aid production for the 2nd time. She has been learning Bharatnatyam under Smt. Sripriya Moorthy for the past 7 years. Her interests include dance and reading. Anamika Nair is a rising 8th grader who goes to Caddo middle magnet in Shreveport, Louisiana. She is passionate about dance and has been learning virtually from Smt. Sripriya Moorthy for the past three years. Anika Nambiar is a 7th grader at Ashland Middle School and has been learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy for the past 8 years. She is excited to be a part of the Vision-Aid production for the 4th year in a row since it fulfills her passion for bharatanatyam and contributes to this noble cause. Avantika Nair, a rising 8th grader at McAuliffe Charter School in Framingham, has been learning Bharatnatyam under Smt. Sripriya Moorthy for the past 8 years. Dance is Avantika’s passion and she is thrilled to be part of Vision-Aid’s worthy cause for the third year. Dharshana Lakshmanan, a rising 7th grader at Oak Middle School in Shrewsbury, MA, has been learning Bharthanatyam under the tutelage of Smt. Kalaimangai Anbalagan. She is thrilled to be part of Vision-Aid production. She feels blessed to be part of this noble cause. She also learns Carnatic music and enjoys playing Cello and is an excellent Pianist. Harini Jeyaraman learns dance from Guru Smt. Sujatha Meyyappan. She is a rising 8th grader at Hopkinton Middle School. She is excited to be part of Vision-Aid for the 3rd time. Prisha Nambiar is a student of Hema Iyengar and is transitioning to high school in the fall. She is eager to explore various facets of this dance form and endeavors to leverage this for a humble cause such as Vision -Aid. Having skipped it during the pandemic, she is excited to be back this third time. Sheethal Udupa, a rising 9th grader, has been learning Bharathanatyam from Smt. Sripriya Moorthy for the past 8 years. This will be her second Vision-Aid performance and she is very eager to perform in her first in-person show. Her other hobbies include learning Carnatic music and badminton. Sravya Gurajala is a rising Sophomore and has been learning Bharatnatyam from Guru Hema Iyengar for the past 4 years. She had participated in many dance performances and is very excited to take part in her first Vision-Aid production. Ensemble Group C Aanya Challuri is a rising 8th grader who has a great passion for Bharatnatyam. She has been learning from Smt. Sujatha Meyyapan and this is her third year participating in a Vision-Aid production and she is eagerly looking forward to this year’s live presentation! Aarna Mahadevan is a rising 6th grader who has been learning Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Smt. Sujatha Meyyappan. She has a great passion for Bharatanatyam and loves to perform. This is her third time participating in Vision-Aid productions and first in-person performance and she is eagerly looking forward to it. Druthi Sai Choudavarapu, a talented 6th grader at Sherwood Middle school in Shrewsbury , passionately learns dance under the guidance of esteemed instructors Smt.KalaiMangai Anbalagan. In addition, she excels in playing the Clarinet, indulges in reading, and actively engages in a swim team. Druthi takes immense pride in being a valuable participant of the inspiring Vision-Aid program. Preetika Guntireddygari is entering into middle school is a very passionate dancer and learned 2 artforms Kuchipudi and Bharathanatyam. She has performed various stage dance shows showing her talent and dedication to dance. Vanshika Kukunoor is a rising 7th grader who has previously learned Kuchipudi and is now advancing in Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy. She enjoys making art, reading books, and she plays the violin. Yashi Dwivedi is a 5-year-old who learns Bharatanatyam from Smt. Jeyanthi Ghatraju and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. Vision-Aid warmly invites sponsors and Advertisers Why Sponsor? · Enable the visually impaired to gain independence. Meet Ankit, who just landed his dream job at Goldman Sachs! For more details of the show on Jully 23rd, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org/event
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