| Folk Arts - Master Artist - Dr. Jayanthi Raman
Dr. Jayanthi Raman is a master of Bharatha Natyam, a classical dance form from India. Dr. Raman is from Chennai, a city in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India and the area from which Bharatha Natyam originated. Raman has trained under the guidance of renowned Gurus Padmasri Adyar K. Lashman and Guru J. Venkatachalapathy of kalakshetra. She also studied classical music and nattuvangam (conducting the orchestra) as well as other classical and folk dances. She is proficient in three East Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil, and Sanskrit) which facilitates her research in ancient and contemporary literature to choreograph her productioins.
As a performer, she is well known for her precise footwork and eloquent abhiaya-- expressive dance. Her dance and choreography has been lauded for its deep-rooted classicism as well as for its aesthetic experimentation. Dr. Raman is the founder and artistic Director of NATYA Dance, started in 1993 and based in Portland, Oregon. She teaches dance and Indian cultural traditions to adults and children of all ages and backgrounds.
Bharatha Natyam requires many years of study, practice, and dedication before one is ready to perform. Many dancers begin lessons at an early age in order to become a master. The dance form has many intricacies, movements, and nuances that take years to master and are best learned through example.
As a recipient of a 2003 Apprenticeship grant, Dr. Raman taught apprentice Subhashini Santhanam advanced Bharatha Natyam, focusing on classical dance history and theory, nattuwangem (conducting the orchestra and vocal percussion), advanced physical fitness and movement training, choreography and improvisation, and techniques to teach advanced thematic dances to students. Subhashini Santhanam is from the same area of India as Dr. Raman, speaking the same language and dialect. She was taught basics of the same Kalakshetra style of Bharatha Natyam that Dr. Raman has mastered. Subhashini currently resides in Seattle where she teaches beginner and intermediate dance classes. She hoped that her apprenticeship with Dr. Raman will would give her the necessary skills to better pass on this traditional Indian dance form to her students.
As a recipient of a 2005 Apprenticeship grant, Dr. Raman taught Bharatha Natyam to apprentice Nithya Ramaswamy. The master apprentice relationship is essential to passing down this ancient art form and requires a close working relationship. Nithya Ramaswamy currently resides in Bellevue, Washington and is also from Chennai. She recently moved from India where she studied Indian Art Appreciation and learned about the cultural significance of Bharatha Natyam. Nithya spent nine years studying Indian Art and six years performing different art forms. She refers to her master as Jayanthi akka; akka is the respected term referring to the artist as the older sister. Nithya considers herself very fortunate to be learning Bharatha Natyam from Dr. Raman since there are few teachers of her repute in the Northwest.
Raman was awarded a 2009 Apprenticeship grant to teach Pooja Ghelani. Ghelani is an enthusiastic, dedicated dancer who hopes to perform ‘arangetram’, which is the equivalent of graduation for a dancer. She will undergo rigorous training from Raman to accomplish this goal. After the apprenticeship, Ghelani will continue to perform Bharatha Natyam Dance in her Seattle community. They have planned a public performance at the NW Folklife Festival in Seattle in May 2010. | |||
