IRVINE DANCE SCHOOL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

May 24, 2002

For Immediate Release
Ramya Harishankar / Arpana Dance Company
http://www.danceramya.com/
Contact: Harish K Murthy (949) 300-8912

IRVINE DANCE SCHOOL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS
Irvine – The Arpana School of Dance commemorates 20 years of teaching Bharata Natyam, a 2000-year-old classical dance form from India. In 1981, Ramya Harishankar moved to Orange County from India having achieved significant status as a performer. Not in her wildest dreams did she think of starting to teach the traditional art form in California. Today, after 20 years and over 250 students, Ms. Harishankar celebrates this landmark event with two productions at the Irvine Barclay Theater. ‘Maya Manusha-the illusive One’ will feature her Arpana Dance Company on June 30th 2002 and Ms. Harishankar herself will perform in ‘Woman Divine’ on July 6th 2002. Both performances are at 7pm.

A very exacting and demanding dance form, Bharata Natyam often takes 8-10 years before a student can perform a complete repertoire. Through the last 20 years over 60 students have achieved that level of proficiency. Many of them have continued to perform as a part of the Arpana Dance Company. In 1992 Ms. Harishankar choreographed ‘Maya Manusha-the illusive One’ for the Company and in the subsequent year was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship. On June 30th her company will once again showcase this lively and thought provoking production based on the mythical character, Krishna.
Joining her again this year will be master musicians Reji George and Nellai D Kannan from India who provide the musical direction. For this year, this musical team and Ms. Harishankar have put together ‘Woman Divine’, a commentary on the power and multiple facets of a woman based on a mythical Goddess. Within the framework of the traditional Bharata Natyam, Ms. Harishankar will highlight the accomplishments of women and the divinity of their presence on earth.

Ms. Harishankar has been recognized by several organizations for her contribution to the youth and traditional arts. She has provided a solid grounding to the next generation in the classical traditional arts, which has built their sensibilities for other arts and cultures. The popularity of the dance form has grown over the years but she continues to maintain very small class sizes true to tradition.
Over the last 20 years she has produced 10 full-length productions, most of them to benefit charities worldwide. This time, the shows benefit the Arpana Foundation, which Ms. Harishankar helped establish to promote the awareness and understanding of the traditional arts from India. In the last 10 years, the Foundation has presented over 30 visiting artistes in popular venues such as the Barclay. With grants from the California Arts Council and the Fund for Folk Culture, the Arpana Foundation will continue to strive for interesting art presentations and dialogues. Its only been 20 years in this part of the US but the 2000 year tradition is sprouting roots in this exciting diverse community.

For tickets please call the Barclay box office at 949-854-4646 or email the Foundation at harish@arpanafoundation.org.
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