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| MIT Natya Presents Maanya Sthree - Exceptional Women |
Press Release
02/28/2012
When: Saturday March 3, 2012, 7:00 pm
Where: Kresge Auditorium (Little Theater), MIT, Cambridge, MA
Tickets: General ($15); Seniors ($10); Students with valid ID ($5)
http://mit.universitytickets.
Saturday’s concert, “Maanya Sthree – Exceptional Women,†pays homage to Prithvi - Mother Earth, the holy rivers that are compared to the nurturing mother, and the might of the unconquerable Goddess Durga. The performance continues with excerpts from ‘Jagriti-Awakening,’ which was premiered by Abhinaya Dance Company in 2001 and chronicled the exploitation of women through the ages. Iconic women from Hindu mythology are depicted, including Sita and Ahalya who are deemed role models for the women of India. Following a true story of a victim of domestic violence, the concert concludes with a call to all women to arise and be strong and fearless.
Abhinaya Dance Company
The Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose was founded by its Artistic Director, Mythili Kumar in 1980 to present innovative and professional quality performances of South Indian classical dance. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged several full-length dance dramas choreographed by Mythili Kumar, from Shiva – the Cosmic Dancer (1986) to Jwala – the Immortal Flame (2011). The company has appeared several times in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and in several different Asian Performing Arts Festivals. Abhinaya dancers have toured India as well as several U.S. cities. Abhinaya has been awarded several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from state and city agencies. In 2010, Abhinaya celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a special two-day series - Natya Samarpan.
Website: www.abhinaya.org; email: abdanceco@gmail.com
Artistic Director & Choreographer: Mythili Kumar
Mythili Kumar is the founder of the Abhinaya Dance Company. An accomplished artist, Mythili Kumar performed extensively in India before moving to the U.S. in 1978. Her artistic ability and the high quality of her dance choreography have been recognized in the U.S where she has been awarded several Choreographer's Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. She was honored by World Arts West with the Malonga Casquelord Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2010 and received a “Sustained Achievement Award†by the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award committee in March 2011.
Rasika Kumar (Associate Artistic Director, Principal Dancer & Choreographer)
Rasika is hailed as “among the best of this second generation of Indian dancers.†Rasika learned Bharatanatyam from her mother Mythili Kumar, and continued her training under several renowned teachers including C.V. Chandrasekar and Kalanidhi Narayanan. Her choreography has been featured in Abhinaya’s annual productions since 2006 and in several prestigious venues including the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and SF WestWave Festival.
Company Dancers: Malavika Kumar, Anjana Dasu, Anu Ranganathan, Sindhu Natarajan, Megha Ranganathan, and Anjali Thakkar
MIT Natya
Natya was founded in 1999 to bring together dancers who share an interest in classical Indian dance and to increase awareness of classical Indian art forms (primarily Bharatanatyam) on MIT's campus. Since then, Natya has put on several student shows, providing a venue for young dancers to display their talent. Natya’s shows are entirely student-choreographed and produced, affording Natya’s members unique opportunities to explore the art form.
Natya is honored and excited to present the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose in “Maanya Sthree – Exceptional Women,†marking the team’s first professional guest performance. We are confident that Abhinaya will give audiences and dance connoisseurs in the Boston area a rare treat of new choreography in the Bharatanatyam style. 
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