Navatman presents:
Drive East Festival 2019
An Indian Classical Dance and Music Festival
August 15 - 18 at Z Below
Drive East is a classical Indian dance and music festival running from Thurs., August 15 through Sun., August 18 at Z Below in San Francisco, featuring artists from around the world and within the Bay Area. From bharatanatyam to ghazals, kathak to carnatic, Drive East is a one-of-a-kind immersive experience into the world of Indian classical arts and an event The New York Times hails as “an extraordinary feat.”
Immerse yourself in the music and dance traditions of India and enjoy their various permutations from artists across the globe. A festival like no other, Drive East brings you the legacy of a modern voice within an ancient form.
“What you present externally in a dance performance simultaneously allows the artist to find out who we are within.”
BIJAYINI SATPATHY: ODISSI CONCERTON
Thursday August 15th - 7pm - 8:15pm
“Satpathy has the more serene & beguiling smile & the most tantalizing eyes. Her eyes seem to cradle & cajole every member of the audience individually...each convinced that she danced for him alone.”
—Odissi at The Met, Marina Harss
Bijayini Satpathy is considered one of the leading Indian classical dancers of the world today. With an incredible touring record and laundry list of titles to her name including the Mahari Award (2003), awarded to the best Odissi dancer of the year; the Sanskriti Award (2007); Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2007); and the prestigious Nritya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (2011), her concert is not to be missed.
Bijayini Satpathy - Biography
Bijayini Satpathy’s passion for Odishi was instilled as early as Kindergarten, at her school. She is indebted to her father Sri Jagannath Satpathy for his unrelenting commitment to her disciplined dance training schedule, during those early years. A miraculous chance audition for Nrityagram in 1993, by the late Founder Protima Gauri and the legendary Odishi Dancer Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi brought Bijayini to Nrityagram. She has worked with Nrityagram in the capacity of a performer, teacher, research scholar and administrator for 25 years. Bijayini is the recipient of several awards including the Mahari Award, 2003, The Sanskriti award, 2007, Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, 2007, Yagna Raman Award, 2010, Nritya Choodamani, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, 2011 and more.
“There is something magical about the responsiveness of Indian classical music - I get to engage and have a true conversation with the audience with each note.”
HIDAYAT KHAN: SITAR CONCERT
Thursday August 15th
8:40pm - 10:00pm
Hidayat Khan is a 7th generation sitar player - hailing from one of the most treasured lineages of Hindustani Classical music.. A sitar player and vocalist well-versed in the ‘Gayaki ang’, a unique rendition where voice blends with the instrument, Hidayat Husain Khan has lent his versatility in several film score compositions and has performed in numerous classical and fusion concerts, independently and in collaboration with such illustrious musical names as Ndugu Chancler, Ronnie Woods, Alicia Keys, Usher, Zakir Hussain, Pete Townshend, Will.I.Am, Jay Z and Darryl Jones.
“Is one voice worthy? Are our voices worthy together?”
RASIKA KUMAR, SAHASRA SAMBAMOORTHI, NADHI THEKKEK: UNFILTERED
A Bharatanatyam Concert
Friday, August 16th
7:20pm - 8:20pm
Join Nadhi Thekkek (Nava Dance Theatre), Rasika Kumar (Abhinaya Dance Company) and Sahasra Sambamoorthi (Navatman Dance) as they explore the everyday moments that eventually lead to the boiling points that cascade into change within the bharatanatyam style of dance. With live music and music composition by Roopa Mahadevan.
Biographies
Sahasra Sambamoorthi's passion aligns accordingly with Sridhar's; to reignite the fire of the South Asian performing arts within the US. Trained in bharatanatyam by Smt Kalaimamani Ramya Ramnarayan, she has been called by reporters as a "young trailblazer...on the crest of the wave leading us towards a new understanding of South Asian arts in the United States." She continues her studies under Prashant Shah (kathak) and Bijayini Satpathy (odissi) along with bharatanatyam under Ramya as and when possible.
Rasika Kumar is an accomplished Bharatanatyam performer and choreographer, steeped in tradition but with contemporary sensibilities. She has been the Associate Artistic Director of the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose (ADC), having studied under her mother Mythili Kumar, Artistic Director of ADC, and other renowned teachers from Chennai, India. From 2005 - 2016, Rasika was a featured soloist, principal dancer, and choreographer for all of ADC’s performance seasons, and her choreography has been featured in several venues including the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and SF International Arts Festival.
Nadhi Thekkek is the Artistic Director of Nava Dance Theatre, a bharatanatyam dance company based in San Francisco, California (USA). She operates on the belief that bharatanatyam, while classical, is a modern medium with potential to push boundaries of how we can use traditional art forms to understand place, identity, and politics. Nadhi’s work has been supported through, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Dancers’ Group CA$H Grants, California Arts Council, East Bay Community Foundation, and CounterPulse. Nadhi is a student of Smt. Sundara Swaminathan (Kala Vandana Dance Company, San Jose) and Smt. Padmini Chari (Nritya School of Dance, Houston.) As of 2012, she has continued training under Guru Sri. A. Lakshmanaswamy (Nrityalakshana, Chennai.)
ROOPA IN FLUX
A Carnatic Inspired Concert, featuring Roopa Mahadevan
Friday, August 16th
8:40pm - 10:00pm
Roopa In Flux is a groundbreaking, carnatic inspired band led by Roopa Mahadevan. With each member having backgrounds and influences in multiple genres of music, from jazz to hip hop, the sounds combine in a way that is both familiar and completely unexpected
Musicians:
Roopa MahadevanSruti Sarathy (Violinist)
Erika Oba (Piano and Flautist)
Rohan Krishnamurthy (Percussion)
Biographies
Roopa Mahadevan is versatile among Carnatic (South Indian Classical) vocalists, bringing her powerful, emotive voice to explorations in genre, presentation, and theater. Trained under Asha Ramesh and Suguna Varadachari (under Fulbright), she has performed extensively in the Carnatic world (Chennai’s Music Academy, Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana) and collaborates frequently with artists in creative/jazz and R&B/soul genres. Based in New York City, Roopa leads her crossover ensemble, Roopa In Flux, directs the choir Navatman Music Collective, performs with Brooklyn Raga Massive, and is sought-after by leading dancer/choreographers. Roopa is a featured soloist on the Grammy Award-winning album Calling All Dawns.
Erika Oba is a composer, pianist/flutist, and educator based in the SF Bay Area. As a composer she has written works for big band, small jazz ensembles, chamber groups, dance and theater. As a performer she is a member of the Montclair Women’s Big Band, Ends Meat’ Catastrophe Jazz Ensemble, electro-jazz duo Rice Kings, and The Sl(e)ight Ensemble. She is currently on faculty with the Jazzschool Community Music School’s youth program, and is a resident music director for Berkeley Playhouse’s youth program. She is also currently a private jazz piano instructor for UC Berkeley’s Music Department. As an artist, she is interested in exploring ritual, diasporic identities, and community through performance. She received her BM in Jazz Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory and her MA in Music Composition from Mills College.
Sruti Sarathy is a versatile artist in the South Indian classical violin tradition, trained in the Lalgudi style of Carnatic music under esteemed guru Anuradha Sridhar. She also studies under Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath. Sruti has performed with top Indian classical musicians in festivals worldwide. She has taken the role of composer-performer for many dance and theater works. Blessed with an enchanting voice and having trained for over ten years in vocal music, Sruti often lends her voice and violin to collaborative projects. Sruti is the recipient of many accolades including "Best Violinist" from the Madras Music Academy. She is a Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of Stanford University.
Indian-American drummer and composer Rohan Krishnamurthy imagines new artistic intersections to bridge diverse cultures and communities. Acclaimed a “musical ambassador” by The Times of India, Rohan’s cross-genre artistry draws from his study of Indian classical Carnatic music and expanding it across global genres. He received mridangam training from maestro Sri. Guruvayur Dorai in India for over a decade, and studied drum set with Alan Hall at the California Jazz Conservatory. With a Ph.D. in musicology from the Eastman School of Music in New York. He has presented rhythm masterclasses and courses at renowned institutions, including Eastman, Harvard, Berklee College of Music, A.R. Rehman’s K.M. Conservatory of Music, Munich Conservatory, Kyoto University, and Percussive Arts Society. He directs the award-winning RohanRhythm Percussion Studio, which has attracted dozens of students from around the globe. An innovator, he patented the RohanRhythm drum tuning system, which is available worldwide.
CHHANDAM YOUTH DANCE COMPANY AND ADVANCED ADULT STUDENTS
A Kathak Concert
Saturday, August 17th
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Founded by legendary kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das and succeeded by his senior disciples, Seibi Lee, Rachna Nivas, and Rina Mehta, the Chhandam School of Kathak has been a pioneer of excellence for the education, promotion, and advancement of kathak dance and Indian classical music. Their youth group is a nationally acclaimed set of kathak students with incredibly strong sense of rhythm, footwork, and chakkars that fly at the speed of light.
“To do justice to your art is, after sometime, to unlearn what you have learned first, and allow yourself to explore with abandon.”
VIDHYA SUBRAMANIAM: STILL I RISE
A Bharatanatyam Concert
Saturday, August 17th
6:00pm - 7:00pm
In this concert, Vidhya’s seasoned artistry brings out the nuances of the bharatanatyam margam repertoire. Her abhinaya (storytelling through dance) is counted amongst the top artists in the world and her unique choreographies allow an inspiring modernity even within the most traditional of frameworks.
Biography
Vidhya Subramanian is an eminent Bharatanatyam artist, trained under gurus S.K. Rajarathnam and Kalanidhi Narayanan. In her charismatic creativity one witnesses a strong belief in the validity of choreographic structure combined with openness to new influences. A sought after artist to perform and teach, her dance, witnessed in prestigious centers such as World Music Institute in New York, Musee Guimet in Paris, is often described as an offering of mind, body and soul. The Dance View Times of New York says, “Her movements were suffused with a sensuous longing, both earthly and eternal.” Vidhya has an MA in Theatre Arts.
SHAMBHAVI DANDEKAR: KATHAK PARAMPARA
A Kathak Concert
Saturday, August 17th
7:20pm - 8:20pm
Few artists have the power to create an indelible impact on the minds of their audiences through their art form and one such name in the world of Kathak is Shambhavi Dandekar.
Shambhavi Dandekar as an accomplished Indian Kathak master performer, has carved a niche for herself through her sheer talent, unique performances and unparalleled choreography, that has brought her recognition on the national and international platforms.
Her awards include – ‘Singaar Mani’, ‘Nritya Ratna’, ‘Bharatashree’ and ‘Kala Teertha’. She is a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO. She has performed in Japan, China, Bahrain, Muscat, Canada, Australia and Singapore. She has performed her dance productions such as ‘Nritya Sangam’ and 'Strings n Beats' to name a few, in more than 60 cities in the US.
“The beautiful thing about this art form is that you don’t need to know anything about it to feel the power of the music.”
“The classical music brings out the emotions of these bhajans, it brings a whole aura to the experience of devotion.”
“Come with an open heart, because this music, this fragrance, will stay with you.”
JAYANTI SAHASRABUDDHE: COLORS OF DIVINE LOVE
A Musical Journey with Poet-Saints of India
Saturday, August 17th
8:40pm - 10:00pm
Jayanti Sahasrabuddhe presents Colors of Divine Love: A Musical Journey with Poet-Saints of India. This concert explores the work of these saints through different musical compositions, celebrating the diversity in language and raag of Hindustani vocal music. Through english narration by Aravind Kansal and music by collaborators Vivek Datar (harmonium) and Tanmay Bichu (tabla), we travel to the different parts of India to understand the context of the music, the stories behind these poet saints, and the era they lived in to make them come alive
“I love to explore how to bring in the depth of Carnatic music within nontraditional frameworks”
ASHA RAMESH
A Carnatic Vocal Concert
Sunday, August 18th
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Asha Ramesh, a staple of the Carnatic/South Indian music scene, has helped establish the art form’s growth for the past 30 years in the Bay Area. Her ability to maintain pure classism along with innovation is unique and is known to keep audiences in rapt attention.
Biographies
Asha Ramesh, Founder and Artistic Director of Ragamalika School of Music in San Jose, CA is a disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Sri D K Jayaraman and Nanganallur V Ramanadhan. As a United States resident since 1992, Asha is a well respected, highly acclaimed and sought after artist. Her ability to maintain pure classism along with innovation is unique and is known to keep audiences in rapt attention.
Aditya Ganesh hails from a family of musicians and dancers and started learning mridangam from Sri N Narayan at the age of 7. Since 2008, he has been continuing his advanced training under the tutelage of Sri K R Ganesh, son of the legendary Mridangam vidwan Sri M. Rajappa Iyer. With his grandmother, Kalaimamani Smt. Ranganayaki Jayaraman, and mother, Smt Indumathy Ganesh, running their own Bharathanatyam Dance Schools, Aditya developed a strong passion and knowledge in Carnatic music at an early age. In addition to playing the mridangam, Aditya also learned Carnatic music from his aunt, Smt. Asha Ramesh. He actively accompanies on the mridangam for both music and dance performances throughout the United States. Aditya graduated from UCLA in 2016 and currently works as a Software Engineer in the Bay Area.
Vikram Ragukumar, had his initial training under legendary violinist Vidwan H.V. Krishnamurthy at Vijaya College of Music, Bangalore. He later pursued intensive training under the able guidance of All India Radio “A” grade Violinist Vidwan B. Raghuram. Vikram has performed extensively in India and the USA as a solo violinist and as an accompanist for classical music and classical dance performances. He is currently furthering his understanding of music by training under the guidance of Vidushi. Smt. Asha Ramesh. By day he works as a software engineer in the Bay area.
“We can use both classical dance and theater to give a different life to the experiences we have as South Asian women in the diaspora.”
“My film career has spanned decades and continents, but it is the classical arts that have brought me solace and security throughout my life.”
DIVYAA UNNI: A THOUSAND NAMES FOR A GODDESS
Sunday, August 18th
3:30pm - 4:30pm
How does one find a home for your soul? Divyaa explores all sides of self in the world premiere of her concert, A Thousand Names for A Goddess, through bharatanatyam, theater, and live music. Inspired by stories of South Asian immigrant women, history, and mythology, Divyaa performs vignettes exploring those who straddle two worlds to maintain balance within their communities and within themselves.
Divyaa Unni started her Bharatanatyam dance training at the age of three, thereafter she was trained in Kuchipudi, and Mohiniyattam. Subsequently, Divyaa Unni was crowned, in 1990 and 1991, ''Kalathilakom'' in Kerala School Kalolsavam statewide competitions. On India's premier Television Channel Doordarshan, she has presented a variety of Indian dance art-forms to such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, and Indian folk dance. She continues to perform at various Indian dance festivals in India and international stages throughout North America, Europe and Persian Gulf countries. She has received many awards including the Aravindaksha Memorial Award – the Abhinaya Tilaka Puraskaram for the best state dance performance. She is currently the Director of Sreepadam School of Arts in Houston, Texas, United States.
“Craftsmanship is the bringing together of music, dance, and more from different parts of India and the world to tell a story that reflects our identities as artists.”
NIRUPAMA RAJENDRA
A Contemporary Kathak Duet
Sunday, August 18th
5:00pm - 6:00pm
To watch Abhinava is to watch a group who is constantly pushing the boundaries of what Indian classical arts can be capable of. They mix a contemporary understanding with uncompromising classical principles for works of art that are deeply accessible and joyful to watch.
Biography
Nirupama and Rajendra are among India's foremost classical dancers. They belong to a family of educationists, artistes, and traditional storytellers. They have been working in the field of dance for over three decades as dancers, choreographers, producers, and performers and are founders and artistic directors of Abhinava Dance Company. They have created original, innovative, enthusiastic and imaginative works and performed to over six million connoisseurs in several countries across the five continents. They have been empanelled in the “Outstanding Category” of performing artistes by Indian Council for Cultural Relations and have received Karnataka Kalashree state award from Government of Karnataka.
