Leela Samson Workshop
Dakshina is bringing the award winning teacher and choreographer Srimathi Leela Samson to Washington DC Friday-May 28th through Tuesday June 1st (both days inclusive) to teach a workshop. As many of you know, Leela akka is known for her astute teaching style, and innovative choreography for both soloists and groups–he many talents were recognized with the Padmashri (Presidential Award from the government of India). She is currently the director of India’s oldest dance and performing arts institution Kalakshetra. There will be two parts to the workshop, A) she will be teaching us one of her original Tillana compositions, first in the solo version, and then help us adapt it for a group, and B) Leela akka will work on advanced teaching techniques and performance theory to use traditional vocabulary to go beyond the Margam.
The workshops will take place in Silver Spring MD, with easy access via public transportation, ample public parking and close to several cheap hotels. Details on the fee structure, items etc follow. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at all. Looking forward to dancing with you and sharing this rare opportunity to work with a genius.
Yours,
Daniel Phoenix Singh
| Click here for the Registration Form if you would like to mail in the check or make a paypal payment here: |
Workshop Schedule:
May 28, Friday from 5:00 pm to 10 pm (5 hours)
May 29, Saturday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm (5 hours)
May 30, Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm (5 hours)
May 31, Monday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm (5 hours)
June 01, Tuesday from 5:00 to 10:00 pm (5 hours)
Venue:
Maryland Youth Ballet
926 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4401
(very close to the Silver Spring metro on the Red line)
Tuition:
Early bird Special, before April 15 — $ 375.00 (Receipt date, NOT postmark date)
Registering between April 16 ‐ May 15 — $ 450.00 (Receipt date, NOT postmark date)
Registering after May 15 — $ 500.00 (Receipt date, NOT postmark date)
Recent press mentions when Srimathi Leela Samson performed in DC:
1) In Dance View Times [George Jackson says, "...she dances a smile as distinctive as any Leonardo da Vinci ever painted...Hers is really a repertory of smiles, from the utterly blissful to one which could kill - she showed it just once in a piece about jealousy. ]
2) In the Washington Jewish Week
Srimathi Leela Samson’s Bio:
Leela Samson is among India’s most dynamic and technically brilliant dancers, an outstanding representative of Kalakshetra, the famed institute for the classical arts founded by the late Rukmini Devi Arundale on the Chennai ocean front. Leela joined Kalakshetra as a young child and her formative years were spent in imbibing the nuances of Bharata Natyam and related arts at the feet of celebrated gurus. Her personal style is unostentatious, serene and characterized by an impeccable technique that blends geometrical precision with vibrancy and an unfettered ease. Her rhythmic acumen is apparent in dance compositions containing varied and challenging percussion patterns.
Among the many honours conferred on her, Leela Samson was awarded the prestigious Padmashri by the President of India in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the art of Bharata Natyam as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award instituted by the apex cultural body of the Government of India. She directs Kalakshetra, the oldest institution of performing arts in India, Chennai, founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale.