India:
The land of many colors, many flavors, many faces
India…
It the most mystic and mysterious place in Asia. Many travelers and wisdom seekers go there for an unplanned and often unpredicted journey to find a spiritual path.
India is a country of many Colors: The sacred and daily used pooja Powder; The endless designs and fabrics of the women's Saris; The colorful and tasteful spices decorating and constructing the Indian cuisine.
India is a country of many Flavors: The massive variety of Foods, changes its taste and color while alternating Places: The mild or spicy Red Chili of the south, Sweet jaghri- melting raw sugar, The ultimate coconut- in every south Indian dish, Cooked tarkari- seasonal vegetables in spices (yellow, green, red curry),Crunchy nuts (badam), Cool curd (to soothe the hot & spicy feel…), The many type of breads- Roti, Chapati, Puri…
India is a country of Faces: The appearance of the people changes from north to south: skin color, facial structure. The fair Indians are the Himalaya dwellers and the southern Indians have the perfect tan. There are also a variety of Languages, religions and cultural mixture: Hindu, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Sikkim and others.
Wherever and Whichever way you travel through India, time can be frozen as it is going on…
Indian Dance
Indian Dance has
also many features. There are 7 Classical dance forms today, among them
the structural BaratNatyam, the gracefull Kuchipudi, The famine Odissi,
the energetic Katak. The common features of all the styles will be
rhythmic footwork, hand gestures (mudras) and facial expression. Each
style excel with a different characteristic.
Abhinaya
Nataraja-
He created the world with his dance and music.
Foot work
Mudra
My journey through India was in search of Indian Dance. I found a great Kuchipudi Guru, Vyjayanthi Kashi, in the city of Bangalore, state of Karnataka.
It was a great opportunity to Experience life with a kind Indian family and a superior opportunity to observe an excellent artist in creation.
Kashi was at the dawn of a new dance-drama program called 'Yagna'. As her student I was honored for the chance to go on stage with 'YAGNA' and we toured India all the way to Jaipur (22.2.2004), Delhi (06.03.2004), Mumbai (09.03.2004), and other stages within the state of Karnataka. Those were four months I will always Remember.
No words can describe this astonishing journey in India. The strong energies cannot be shown at any photo.
India…just go there!
Link to photo album: India: Colors, Places, Dance
Links to Indian Dance:
saigan.com/heritage/dindex.html
www.umich.edu/~hindu/dance/dance1.htm
dmoz.org/Arts/Performing_Arts/Dance/Classical_Indian/