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To Varnam ... with Love

UK National Tour -Autumn 2022


Having already visited Plymouth and St Albans we continue to London and Ormskirk.

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Rich Mix, Bethnal Green, London

Friday 18 November, 7pm

PLUS workshop on Sunday 13 November 11am-1pm

The workshop focuses on Musicality in the Dancing Body. This workshop is aimed at ages 10+ and experienced dancers (of any style) who are ready to take part in a short public performance as a curtain raiser to To Varnam..With Love on 18th November. Price £25 includes a free ticket to the performance.


artsdepot, North Finchley, London

Thursday 24 November, 7.30pm

PLUS free workshop on Sunday 20 November 1pm-3pm

The workshop focuses on Musicality in the Dancing Body. This workshop is aimed at ages 10+ and experienced dancers (of any style) who are ready to take part in a short public performance as a curtain raiser to To Varnam..With Love on 24th November. Free and includes a free ticket to the performance.


Rose Theatre, Edge Hill Arts Centre, Ormskirk

Spring 2023 - date tbc (re-arranged due to tech issue at venue)​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the performance:

A story of unsettling timely relevance - about being separated from those we love. Obsession, devotion, commitment & rejection are untangled as exquisite performer Divya Kasturi reveals the 'Varnam'; a pièce de résistance of the Bharatanatyam (classical South Asian dance) repertoire.

 

A story of love, devotion and commitment; to a god, to a myth, to a way of moving and being.

 

See the  show trailer here

 

 

Set against a projections visual backdrop, this research places the Varnam, a ‘piece de resistance’ of a Bharatanatyam repertoire performance, within an ever-changing, fluid contemporary moment.

 

Personal & arresting, this dynamic tale attracts a breadth of audiences and captures artistic lineage, historical nostalgia & reverence for tradition via song, humour, dolls, projection & soul-soothing South Asian/Western choreography. 

 

Inspired by Saskia Kersenboom’s book ‘Word, Sound, Image’ (1995) and Chitra Sundaram’s performance ‘Moham – A Magnificent Obsession’ (2003). Created as part of The Place’s research and development programme Choreodrome 2017.

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Funded by Arts Council of England. 

Supported by Trestle arts and The Place

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Thank you to:

Dr Avanthi Meduri, Smt. Nandini Ramani, Nina Head, Clare Winter,  Janaky Ramanujam, Rosie Powell, Premalatha Aravindan, Nithiya Kunalan, Chelvy Harish, Aparna Sriram, Sree Kumar , Prem.

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To Varnam... with Love was supported as part of 
Choreodrome 2017, The Place (London).

Research and development was funded by Arts Council England, and supported by The Place, Trestle Arts Base,
Watford Palace Theatre and Akademi.
 

Sharing were presented at The Place's Touchwood showcase (September 8 2017) and as part of Fun Palace at Trestle Arts Base (October 8 2017)

Performances upto date- 

*Key Theatre, Peterborough
*Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
*The Place, London
*Kalasangam, Bradford
* Barbican Theatre, Plymouth
 
Credits

Choreography and performance

Divya Kasturi

 

Dramaturgy & Creative Support

Chris Fogg

 

Dramaturgy and movement

vocabulary

Chitra Sundaram

 

Video design

John-Marc Gowans

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Theatrical  Consultant

Emily Gray

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Chitravina and Indian Carnatic music- playing and composing

Chitravina Ganesh 

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Indian percussion

N Ramakrishnan & team

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Lighting

Ric Mountjoy

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Kyla-Booth-Lucking, (Producer), Clearcut and Madeleine Wilson (Tour Booker)

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Marketing

Rohanne Udall

 

Music

‘Mohamana’ Varnam, composed by Ponnaih Pillai (b.1804)

Additional composition, vocals and instrumental: ‘Chitravina’ Ganesh

 

 

Photography-Simon Richardson, Christian Emmanuel and Jayanthi Jayakumar-

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Costume -Aarika ( by Ashwini Viswanathan)

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Anita Srivastava- New Dimensions- Initial Advice, Marketing and Press

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