5 months ago
1
Bharatanatyam exponent Urmila Satyanarayanan was presented the Nritya Kalanidhi grant astatine the 19th Dance Festival, inaugurated astatine the Music Academy successful the metropolis connected Saturday (January 3, 2026).
Presenting the award, Takahashi Muneo, Consul-General, Consulate General of Japan successful Chennai, said the honour recognised not lone her creator excellence but besides her lifelong committedness to the preservation and propagation of Bharatanatyam.
Drawing parallels betwixt Indian and Japanese creation traditions, helium noted that classical Japanese forms specified arsenic Noh, Kabuki and Nihon Buyo emphasise controlled question and subject — aspects that resonate powerfully with Indian classical dances. Both traditions, helium said, stock a heavy respect for practice and the teacher-disciple lineage.
Observing that Bharatanatyam had gained wide appreciation successful Japan, Mr. Muneo said galore Japanese students had travelled to India to larn the creation form, portion respective renowned Indian dancers had taught and performed successful Japan, serving arsenic a almighty illustration of however civilization tin link nations.
He besides released a creation brochure and gave distant prizes to winners of assorted creation competitions.
Accepting the award, Ms. Satyanarayanan expressed gratitude to her teachers, students and the Music Academy for their continued support. Recalling that her creation arangetram was astatine the Music Academy, she said receiving the grant from the renowned instauration was a milestone successful the beingness of a dancer. She envisaged a aboriginal wherever each idiosyncratic would cognize astir the bequest and past of the creation form.
Earlier, N. Murali, president of the Music Academy, and Director of The Hindu Group of Publications, said the grant to Ms. Satyanarayanan comes astatine an important signifier successful her creator travel - 50 years aft her creation arangetram and 30 years since she founded the creation schoolhouse ‘Natya Sankalpa’. She is known for her improvisation and innovation, with respective acclaimed thematic presentations and creation dramas to her credit, helium said.
This year’s festival would diagnostic solo and radical performances successful antithetic genres of the classical creation forms, including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Yakshagana, helium said.
