Jayant Kastuar Performance
Dated: 04.04.2012 New Delhi:
Highlights:1)
The first in the series of Kathak public
performances of Jayant Kastuar in the capital – the former Secretary of Sangeet
Natak Akademi – after he demitted his office in December 2011 to
pursue his North Star – for claiming the
life he was meant to live .2) Vice Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Chairperson of APPAN (Asia Pacific Performing Arts Network) , Smt Shanta Serbjeet Singh was the chief guest.
3) Programme was held in memory of Manna Srinivasan, an eminent cultural activist and Secretary of New Artists Forum
Nritya Choodamani Jayant Kastuar replaced magic with rhythm
at Kamani auditorium this evening with his stunning piece of Kathak performance
before a spell bound audience. The former Secretary and the chief executive of
Sangeet Natak Akademi - having mentored hundreds of dance exponents across the
country for nearly three decades - Jayant was in his elements while performing in memory of Sri
Manna Srinivasan in a classical dance program organized by New Artists Forum.
The Chief
Guest of the evening was the Vice Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi and
Chairperson of APPAN (Asia Pacific Performing Arts Network) , Smt Shanta Serbjeet
Singh who remarked, “the ultimate test of
any dance is its capacity to touch the heart of rasikas. This happens when the
instrument of the dance – the body – is transcended and it no longer matters
whether it is young or old, fair or dark, male or female. All that matters then
is the creation of rasa and the route through which it is transcended. Jayant’s
dance did that”.
The New
Artists Forum – a trust committed to the cause of promotion of classical dance –organized
this program in memory of its former Secretary, late Manna Srinivasan, who was
a well known writer, critic and researcher on performing arts. His specific
contribution lies in the painstaking effort he undertook to introduce, showcase
and promote artists of the south in the capital and of North in South India. Quipped
Tarveen Mehra, the President of the New Artists’ Forum – who herself a senior
Kuchipudi dancer - “Mannaji and I started
the Forum almost 35 years ago and promoted many new talents, some of whom like
Jayant Kastuar are national celebrities today.”
Talking
about his performance today, Jayant Kastuar shared, “ Manna Srinivasan was very close to me
and my Guru Pandit Durga Lal ji and it is my honour to perform in homage
to a passionate cultural worker like him.”
ABOUT JAYANT KASTUAR
Former
Secretary & CEO of I ndia’s National Academy of Performing Arts – The Sangeet Natak Akademi - Jayant Kastuar is
India’s outstanding Kathak exponent, art administrator, speaker, thinker, and
visionary in the world of Indian Performing Arts today.
Born
26 Januar y 1955 in Jamshedpur and educated at St. Stephens College in Delhi,
Jayant Kastuar represents a rare combination of excellence in classical art,
academics and public service. He has equally excelled in stage design,
conceptualization and presentation of national and international shows and
public speaking on the subject of performing arts. He has pioneered several
national and global projects and undertaken significant initiatives for
preservation and promotion of the performing art traditions, whichearned him
wide respect across the country. He has extensively traveled abroad to
countries such as USA, China, Japan, Korea, Brazil among others and designed
international shows and programs in many countries.
After
a long stint of over 12 years as Secretary and the chief executive of the apex
cultural body of per forming arts in India –Sangeet Natak Akademi – Jayant
Kastuar voluntary relinquished his post in December 2011 in order to pursue his
North Star – for claiming the life he
was meant to live – especially to focus
on art and academics. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the
Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Jayant
took to the stage in 1957, gave his first solo performance of Kathak in 1959
and gained wide acclaim as a child prodigy in his region during 1960s.
Initially trained by Guru Shri Indra Kumar Pattanaik, he later came under the
tutelage of the renowned master of the Jaipur Gharana, Pandit Durga Lal from
whom he received higher training in Delhi. He is today recognized as an
outstanding representative of Pandit Durga Lal‘s Kathak style.
Jayant
Kastuar has performed widely across the country and participated in major
festivals of dance. He is known for his commanding performance as a soloist of
the old school. With his exposure to different styles of kathak dance for over
half a century, he is at once traditional as he is innovative. He excels both
in Nritta or pure dance as well as in Nritya and Abhinaya, the expressional parts.
His wide range of innovative Gatnik as and rendering of Bhava to H industani
thumries or compositions of other traditions are highly acclaimed. He has
presented a number of lectures and demonstrations for the benefit of artists,
students of dance, research scholars and university students and IFS
probationers. He has also taught dance to young students from time to time,
conducted workshops in different cities like Lucknow, Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata,
Guwahati, Delhi among others and given guidance to hundreds of young dancers.
Among
the major organizations he has performed for are Sangeet Natak Akademi of
India, Sangeet Natak Akademies of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Zonal
Cultural Centers, state academies and cultural departments of Manipur, Goa,
Assam, Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh. Prestigious events
he has participated in are Kathak Mahotsav (New Delhi), Khajuraho Dance
Festival (MP), Konark Festival (Orissa), Uday Shankar Festival (Kolkata), Nehru
Centre Dance Festival (Mumbai), Lacchhu Mahraj Jayanti (Lucknow), Ganga
Mahotsav (Varanasi), Chakradhar Samaroh (Raigarh), Natyanjali (Chidambarm),
Baudhdha Mahotsav (Sarnath), Bhagyachandra Dance Festival (Manipur), and
festivals of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha, Bharat Kalachar of
Chennai.
For
his excellence and achievement in dance, Jayant Kastuar has been honoured with
the titles of Nritya Choodamani by
Shri Krishna Gana Sabha and Natya Padmam
by Brahma Gana Sabha of Chennai. The Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh honoured
him as Nritya Shiromani. He has also
been honoured with the prestigious Raseswar Saikia Barbayan Award of Assam and
the Tala Vadya Samman conferred by the Mardala Academy, Bhubaneswer.
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