[Sacha]

Dear Parents, Students, Friends and Well Wishers,
I would like to say that it was a great pleasure and honour to have you share with us the end of session presentation. It means a great deal to all of us to know that you are there supporting and encouraging us at all times.

At this point I would also like to mention how incredibly lucky the teachers and students are to have a guru like Mamata Aunty and to have the support of the school in everything we do. Without her presence it would not be possible to do the things we do.

In looking back at the presentation there are several things that immediately come to mind. In the first place, it was truly a joy to see the progression of the students over the course of the year. Furthermore, that they could share their progression with everyone present. Secondly, it was truly amazing to have the opportunity to see the guest artists present such an intriguing and stimulating pieces. Finally, the event could not have finished in a more wonderful manner than in sharing the food that we had made for each other.

In any case, I could go on and on about the presentation and so will exercise great control and stop myself here. I do hope, however, that this post encourages you all (those that read it) to post some comments of your own.

Looking forward to many more opportunities of sharing,
love,
Sacha

[Nakrabm]

I was happy to see how effectively and imaginatively the theme Abhinaya (mime), chosen as the focal point, was incorporated in the teaching for Autumn 2003 and Spring 2004 sessions. The presentations and the projects were impressive and reflected the hard work put in by all concerned. Sacha has given me undue credit as the three principal teachers Jaya, Renu and Sacha and their assistants deserve that for inspiring the younger dance students to learn the art of Bharata Natya in all its splendour and grace.

I hope to have as much joy and satisfaction when for the next two sessions, Sept-Dec 2004 and March-June 2005, we work on Adavu- the basic unit of dance movement in Bharata Natya as the the aspect to focus on.

Look forward to seeing you all soon.
Love and inspirations,
mamata aunty

[JayaSC]

Dear all,

Dance represents an ocean of beauty and wealth which I, even after 23 years of dance, have only been able to dip my feet into! As I continue to explore the possibilities of teaching and learning I realize that I have been fortunate to have had Mamata Aunty to open my eyes to so many facets of this art, including abhinaya which is an art in iteself.

As a teacher at Kala Bharati, I have been very stimulated by the workshops by Mamata Aunty, as well as her informal talks on what it is to emote, to feel and to imbibe, rather than simply enact.

I still remember whenever she would teach abhinaya she would so beautifully (and so easily!) show how a particular emotion or mood should be conveyed so that it may reach out to the public witnessing it and boy, did I have a workout just trying to follow what seemed so logical. She often sympathized with me and said, "One cannot teach abhinaya...it must be felt". Since then I have always tried not to imitate others but use imagery and my inner Truth to reveal through my eyes and anghika what pours from within...

This session, Aunty has challenged us yet again and with the theme of abhinaya has encouraged us to look deeper within for this inner Truth. Also, she has helped us to understand further the impact of abhinaya and through sports figures and well-known personalities on TV she has conveyed certain nuances which has helped us to better understand the art of abhinaya. Furthermore, she has enabled us to communicate the essence of abhinaya to the younger students in ways that speak to them personally. This is the inspiration behind our project ideas and classroom presentations this end of session.

I look forward to exploring with Aunty the theme of Adavu and how it can be used to convey emotion...yet another stimulating challenge for us young teachers (and students) to meet!

with appreciation and love,
Jaya didi

[Reeshu]

I really enjoyed the end of session presentation. To tell the truth, before we began with the theme of Abhinaya, I liked pure dances rather than emoting and performing pieces using abhinaya in front of everyone. I remember on the first day, Mamata aunty gave just a little introduction to abhinaya... I never knew there were so many aspects to it and I was much more excited for the upcoming classes!

So throughout the year I worked on improving my expressions, although it was hard to make my facial expressions natural as aunty always reminded us to do. After completing the two sessions, I came to the end of session presentation with my own project on abhinaya to show everyone. By this time, I was much more comfortable performing in front of everyone my abhinaya piece. I actually really enjoyed it!

I also have to add, that as well as all the other dancers and pieces, the visiting artists inspired me to continue working on my abhinaya. Both dancers had a strong presence on the stage and I felt that I badly wanted to be as comfortable on stage and not worry about anything.

I have to add that the decor and the space itself gave the impression of a stage, but I also felt more communication with the audience while I did my little presentation. The food afterwards was wonderful as Sacha didi mentioned. I also found that the aspect of seeing the progression throughout the dance school’s levels was really nice.
I really hope we have will be able to have another session just like this past one and finish once again with a great presentation!

-reesha-