17/01/2018
Vilasini Natyam is the classical dance tradition, of Telugu hereditary female dancer-singers. It is researched, recast, revived by Padmabhushan Swapnasundari. The Telugu devadasis who were also called Kalaavatis were attached to temples and royal courts. Guru Swapnasundari learnt this art from Maddula Lakshminarayana, Maddula Venkatratnam, Maddula Janakamma, Saride Anasuya to name a few. This art which was earlier known as Saani Aata, Bhogam Aata was re-christened as Vilasini Natyam in 1995.
Apart from being a distinctive style, Vilasini Natyam retains the functional classification of the art, i.e. the ritual-specific (Gudi Seva), ceremonial-specific (Kacheri Ata) and dance operatic (Ata Bhagavatam). These have been suitably adapted for modern-day stage presentation by Padmabhushan Swapnasundari who learnt this performing art directly from several direct descendants of the tradition. Her dedicated efforts to sustain and further it are reaping rich results both through own performances as well as those of the dancers she is training.
About Purvadhanashree
Critics and connoisseurs consider Purvadhanashree as one of the outstanding classical dancers of the younger generation. From 2000 to 2014 she learnt Vilasini Natyam under Padmabhushan Guru Swapnasundari. Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi selected Purva under the Young Talent Scholarship in the year 2002.
For the achievement in the field of Vilasini Natyam, Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded Purvadhanashree the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2008. She is an empanelled artiste of S**C MACAY and has been regularly conducting workshops and Lecture demonstrations across the country. In 2015 Bhanja Kala Mandap, Bhubaneshwar honoured Purva with the Jayadev Puraskar. And recently she was awarded the Devadasi Sashimani Devi Smriti Puraskar in the 11th Devadasi National Dance Festival, Bhubaneshwar.
Purvadhanashree is also "TOP grade ” Bharatanatyam artiste of Doordarshan. Born and brought up in New Delhi, her mastering of technique and depth of ‘Abhinaya’ have earned her the privilege of performing on the inaugural day of the December Festival 2000 at the Music Academy, Chennai. She was judged the best dancer at the Spirit of Youth concerts 1999 and was conferred the prestigious Dr. MGR Award. Since then she had performed in several prestigious festivals in India and abroad.
Some of the Major Vilasini Natyam performances
• 73rd Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi, Bhubaneshwar, August , 2017
• World Dance Day celebrations, organized by Natya Vriksha, New Delhi, April 2017
• Nrithaanrithyathi Dance Festival, Raipur, February, 2017
• Samarpan, dance festival, Mangaluru, 2017
• Devadasi festival, Bhubaneshwar, 2016
