Natya Rasa, a dance festival to raise funds for ailing guru in India

The Center for Kuchipudi Dance, in association with the American Telugu Association, organized Natya Rasa, a folk and classical Indian festival last week at the North Brunswick High School Auditorium in New Jersey.

Resplendent with color, seeped in the tinkle and thaap of ghungroos and tabla, Natya Rasa saw some of the best of New Jersey's performers give it their all to help out an ailing guru based in India.

“We aimed to raise about $ 20,000 to help Kala Ratna Vempati Ravi Shankar, who is suffering from both failed kidneys and lacks the funds for a transplant. You know how our gurus are, in India. They hardly ever think about being financially savvy, preferring instead to teach and focus on the finer aspects of art,” says Indira Sreeram Reddy, the Artistic Director of the Center and the organizer of the show. Kala Ratna Vempati Ravi Shankar, a well-known Kuchipudi dancer, is the son of Late Guru Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam, who was also Reddy's guru.

The festival saw participation from 12 dance schools in New Jersey. The dance styles presented were Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and even a jugalbandi of Bihu and Bharatanatyam.

There were also classically created choreographies that were performed on renditions of popular Kannada and Tamil folk songs.

The event was attended by over 900 people and almost everyone stayed till the very end, surely a mark of its success. But ask about making it an annual affair, and Reddy balks at the idea. “I don't think so,” she laughs. “It was close to a couple of months of continuous work, and I don't know if I can do it again. I am still tired!”

The event was a colorful and beautifully presented showcase of different styles and talents. Sorely lacking were the presence of any dance forms of Northern or Western India, which seemed mysterious.

“Well, I was in talks with a couple of schools for including Kathak performances, but it just did not pan out. This is a busy time of the year, and there were too many schedule clashes, I suppose,” explains Reddy, agreeing it was a pity that the whole nation could not be evenly represented.

But maybe someone somewhere else will do it. There's always hope.