Daniel Phoenix Singh

What: Open Rehearsal/Silent Auction
When: Saturday March 27, 7 pm – 9 pm
Where: Dance Institute of Washington, 3400 14th Street, NW. Easily accessible via the Columbia Heights Metro Station, or if you are driving, park at the Giant Parking lot around the corner.

Are you ready for some warm Spring time fun? Come join Dakshina dancers for an intimate open rehearsal at the Dance Institute of Washington on Saturday March 27th at 7:00 pm. You’ll get to watch the dancers rehearsing our new works in an intimate setting, and join us for a reception and silent auction after the performances. Get a sneak preview of our works in progress for the 2010 season. Get an exclusive opportunity to look at Dakshina’s Silent Auction items from around the world, and support us with your purchase or donation. We need your help to kick-start our Dance Place show taking place on May 1-2. In keeping with Dakshina’s mission to present a broad range of dance in the DC area, we will be showcasing ROOMS and KARNA at this performance.

Sarah Kaufman selects Dakshina’s Dance Place Show as one of the top picks for Spring

The Washington Post’s chief dance critic Sarah Kaufman selected Dakshina’s Dance Place show as one of the top picks for the Spring. We have the distinct honor of being one of two local companies to make it to this roster that includes internationally known companies. Read Sarah Kaufman’s preview here.

Dakshina has embarked on a multi-year partnership with the Sokolow Foundation and we’ll begin our Spring residency with Lorry May on Sunday March 28th. Lorry May is the former principal with the Sokolow Dance Company and had several dances choreographed with her as the lead dancer. Lorry will be reconstructing ROOMS, the pivotal dance choreographed by the Modern Dance Choreographer Anna Sokolow. As many of you know, we received an NEA American Masterpieces grant for this project and we’re excited to start the second phase.

Along with ROOMS, Dakshina will be re-staging KARNA, the collaborative project that Daniel and Aniruddh worked on this past October. KARNA is performed in the classical Indian dance style of Bharata Natyam, and explores the popular myth of KARNA. The story is told from the perspective of Surya (the sun god), who is KARNA’s father and also serves as the silent witness to his struggles on earth. Dakshina will be premiering ROOMS and presenting KARNA again at Dance Place on May 1-2, 2010. Last year’s show was sold out on both nights, so get your tickets early by visiting www.danceplace.org.

Keep us on our Feet–how you can help

You can help by purchasing something from our silent auction, or if you are unable to join us in person, please visit our donation page to make a contribution today. In addition, we’re looking for exclusive items including electronics, jewelry, vacation get aways and SPA packages. If you have something you’d like to donate to Dakshina, please email us today at info @ dakshina.org. Please mark Saturday March 27th on your calendar and support us by donating cash or items for the silent auction and also participating in the silent auction. Thanks for your ongoing support, you are the dance!

Sarah Kaufman selects Dakshina’s Dance Place Show as one of the top picks for Spring

The Washington Post’s chief dance critic Sarah Kaufman selected Dakshina’s Dance Place show as one of the top picks for the Spring. We have the distinct honor of being one of two local companies to make it to this roster that includes internationally known companies. Read Sarah Kaufman’s preview here.

Dakshina is thrilled to be returning to Dance Place for our Spring concert. In keeping with our mission to present a broad array of dance we will be showcasing Anna Sokolow’s pivotal work ROOMS and a collaborative piece KARNA in the Bharata Natyam style, choreographed by Daniel Phoenix Singh and Aniruddhan Vasudevan.

Choreographed in 1955, Sokolow premiered Rooms, a powerful portrayal of the terrifying loneliness that afflicts even people living in the closest proximity to each other. Lorry May, former principal with the Sokolow Dance Company will be in residence with us in April restaging this modern dance classic on our company. 2010 is Anna Sokolow’s 100th birth centennial and Dakshina kicked of our partnership with the Sokolow Foundation by performing her signature piece DREAMS in Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 3rd to widespread critical acclaim. We’re excited to present ROOMS at Dance Place, particularly as we consider it our home theater. Dakshina’s reconstruction is made possible by a prestigious American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Singh was introduced to Sokolow’s work almost 15 years ago when he saw Kaddish performed at Dance Place by Risa Steinberg and he resolved then to find a way to obtain Sokolow’s works for his company. It is a distinct honor for the company to be working with a genius like Lorry May, who is able to bring to life Sokolow’s vision with so much sensitivity and clarity.

Along with ROOMS, Dakshina will be re-staging KARNA, the collaborative project that Daniel and Aniruddh worked on this past October. KARNA is performed in the classical Indian dance style of Bharata Natyam, and explores the popular myth of KARNA. The story is told from the perspective of Surya (the sun god), who is KARNA’s father and also serves as the silent witness to his struggles on earth. Dakshina will be premiering ROOMS and presenting KARNA again at Dance Place on May 1-2, 2010. Last year’s show was sold out on both nights, so get your tickets early by visiting www.danceplace.org.

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.

With generous support by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Board Members and Donors of Dakshina, we’re very happy to announce our tour dates and venues. Please do join us if you happen to be in the area.

Chennai, India. Presented by the John Britto Dance Company.
Sunday December 27 at 7 pm
The Tapovan Hall
Chinmaya Heritage Centre
NO 2, 13th Avenue, Harrrington Road
Chetpet, Chennai 31
Phone number: 28251166 or 28207561

Ahmedabad, India. Presented by Darpana Academy.
Tuesday December 29 at 8:30 pm
Darpana Dance Academy
Usmanpura
Ahmedabad 380013
Phone Number: 27551389 or 27556669

Dhaka, Bangladesh. Presented by Nrityadhara.
Sunday January 3rd at 7:00 pm
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy
1, Sagunbagicha, Ramna
Dhaka – 1000.
Phone Number: 88 02 9562836

Dakshina will showcase Anna Sokolow’s pivotal work Dreams at the Baltimore Theatre Project, along with their signature program featuring several Bharata Natyam dances, and their signature blend of both Modern and Indian dance styles on November 20—21, 2009. The performance features a diverse range of dance styles, reflecting Dakshina’s mission and commitment to use the arts to build social and cultural awareness including the company’s award winning fusion work Bell Song and a new duet Since You’ve Asked, set to Jacques Brel’s Ne me quitte pas. Dakshina’s Baltimore Theatre Project show features several dances in the Bharata Natyam style, one of the oldest dance forms of India. Buy your tickets at www.theatreproject.org.

Directions are available here.

Friday October 23 at 7:30 pm
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street NW
Washington DC.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

On Friday October 23 at 7:30 pm, Alarmel Valli will open the Festival with a Bharata Natyam performance. Valli is a leading Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer, acclaimed internationally for her ability to turn a traditional grammar into a subtle, deeply internalized, personal dance poetry. Trained by great masters, Pandanallur Sri Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Sri Subbaraya Pillai, she has enriched her dance vocabulary and extended the frontiers of her dance tradition to evolve her own distinctive style, which has been described as “uniquely individualistic…an effortless synchronisation of apparent contradictions – linearity and lyricism, symmetry and sinuosity, precision and poetry”.

Amongst numerous awards received by Alarmel Valli, are two of India’s highest civilian honours –the Padmasri and the Padma Bhushan, conferred by the President of India and the Chevalier of Arts and Letters award from the French Government. She has received the ‘Grande Medaille de la Ville de Paris’, the award of The Sangeet Natak Akademy – the apex body for Indian Music, Dance and Drama, the State award of Kalaimamani from the Tamilnadu Government, and the title of Nritya Choodamani from the Krishna Gana Sabha in Madras.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

Saturday October 24 at 2:00 pm
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street NW
Washington DC.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

On Saturday October 24 at 2:00 pm, Srimathi Madhavi Mudgal will perform in the Oddissi style. Alistair Macauley writes“There are almost no dancers today to whom I apply that dangerous label “great”. There is just one… Her name is Madhavi Mudgal…” Mudgal is one of the leading classical dancers of India, Madhavi Mudgal is a highly renowned exponent of the Odissi style. A prime disciple of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Mudgal is credited with bringing a greatly refined sensibility to her art form. She has received repeated acclaim in major cities and dance festivals that have featured her throughout the world.

Apart from establishing a niche in the international dance scene as a soloist, she has received critical acclaim for her choreographic works. She teaches Odissi at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi, one of the premier institutes in the country. Mudgal has also been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the President of India’s award of Padma Shri and the Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres by the Government of France.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

Saturday October 24 at 7:30 pm
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street NW
Washington DC.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

Srimathi Leela Samson closes the festival on Saturday October 24 at 7:30 pm with a Bharata Natyam performance. 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. She 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. Currently, she is the Director of Kalakshetra, Chennai, the oldest dance/theater institution in India.

Tickets range from $22.50 to $62.50. Click here to buy tickets.

Venue
Maryland Youth Ballet (MYB)
926 Ellsworth Drive,
Silver Spring, MD

Sunday 10-25 from 3-6 pm at (MYB)
Monday 10-26 from 7:15-8:45 pm at (MYB)
Tuesday 10-27 Venue TBA
Wednesday 10-28 from 7:15-8:45 pm at (MYB)

Participants will learn one item and then Ms Mudgal will explore the dynamics of group choreography by adapting the dance item taught into group choreography. For advanced dancers of ANY classical dance form of India. Odissi knowledge is useful.

Cost of workshop $250 if paid before 10-21-09 and $300 thereafter. Only online payments will be accepted.

Alistair Macauley writes“There are almost no dancers today to whom I apply that dangerous label “great”. There is just one… Her name is Madhavi Mudgal…” Mudgal is one of the leading classical dancers of India, Madhavi Mudgal is a highly renowned exponent of the Odissi style. A prime disciple of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Mudgal is credited with bringing a greatly refined sensibility to her art form. She has received repeated acclaim in major cities and dance festivals that have featured her throughout the world.

Apart from establishing a niche in the international dance scene as a soloist, she has received critical acclaim for her choreographic works. She teaches Odissi at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi, one of the premier institutes in the country. Mudgal has also been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the President of India’s award of Padma Shri and the Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres by the Government of France.

Venue
Maryland Youth Ballet (MYB)
926 Ellsworth Drive,
Silver Spring, MD

Sunday 10-25 from 6-9 pm at (MYB)
Monday 10-26 from 8:30-10:30 pm at (MYB)
Tuesday 10-27 Venue TBA
Wednesday 10-28 from 8:30-10:30 pm at (MYB)

Participants will learn one item and then Ms Samson will explore the dynamics of group choreography by adapting the dance item taught into group choreography. For advanced dancers of ANY classical dance form of India. Bharata Natyam knowledge is useful.

Cost of workshop $250 if paid before 10-21-09 and $300 thereafter. Only online payments will be accepted.

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. She 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. Currently, she is the Director of Kalakshetra, Chennai, the oldest dance/theater institution in India.