Dhananjayans
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V. P. Dhananjayan & Shanta Dhananjayan | |
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Born | Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan, Shantha Dhananjayan 17 April 1939 12 August 1943 Payyanur, Kerala, India |
Website | bharatakalaanjali |
Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan (born 17 April 1939) and Shanta Dhananjayan (born 12 August 1943), together known as the Dhananjayans, are an Indian dancing couple who were awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Personal life
V.P Dhananjayan was born into a
Shanta Dhananjayan was born on 12 August 1943 into a
The couple has two sons. The elder, Sanjay, lives in the USA and the younger, Satyajit,[1] lives with his wife and son in Chennai, India and is a dancer, choreographer, dance instructor, and automobile photographer.[2]
In Kalakshetra
Dhananjayan received a scholarship at
While at Kalakshetra, it was love at first sight for Dhananjayan.[
Career – Dancing Duo
The Dhananjayans left
Their performances/productions include:[3]
- Pandit Ravi Shankar's Magnum Opus "GHANASHYAM" 1989/90
- National Dance Institute, New York "CHAKRA", with a cast of 1,000 multinational children
- A joint venture of Ohio Ballet Co., Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland Cultural Alliance – Jungle Book Ballet
- Choreographer for International Art Festival of Government of Singapore, "Sita Rama Katha" 1986 in the same festival, choreographed dance drama "Sanghamitra" with Singapore Artistes 1994
- Mahaabhaaratham dance drama jointly produced by French Theatre Fluerry & Association Vaani in Reunion French Island 1998, 1999
Bharata Kalanjali
The Dhananjayans started their own dance school Bharata Kalanjali in 1968 in Adyar, Chennai. It began with a handful of students, and is today a premier academy of dance and music with several hundreds of students and a repertory fashioned out of its own students and graduates.[citation needed]
Bhaaskara
The couple has established an academy of arts at Dhananjayan's birthplace Payyanur in Kerala. They conducted an annual summer Naatya Gurukulam camp which is no longer in operation.[citation needed]
Yogaville
The Dhananjayans have been conducting an annual summer gurukulam camp at the Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville, Virginia, USA, since 1988. Developed by the Natya Adyayana Gurukulam, the camp is an intensive, full-time residential course devoted entirely to the fine arts. Situated in the Virginia countryside, it is attended by Indian-American and international students. The teachers endeavour through it to spread awareness to their students of Indian culture, values, and explicate the philosophy underlying Hinduism.
Honours
Some of the major awards and accolades conferred on the Dhananjayans:
- Padma Bhushan, Government of India, 2009[4]
- Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, 1994[5]
Social issues and politics
Dhananjayan has the reputation of voicing his views and is very forthright in speaking out about social and political issues. His recent publication Beyond performing art and culture, discusses various social and political issues concerning present day India or Bhaaratam, the way he urges everyone to call the country.[6]
Films
V. P. Dhananjayan played a pivotal role in
Publications
V.P Dhananjayan is a prolific writer and writes not only on dance but also on social and political issues. His publications include:
- Beyond Performing Art and Culture : Politico-Socio Aspects, V.P. Dhananjayan. New Delhi, B.R. Rhythms, 2007, xviii, 314 p., ills, ISBN 81-88827-08-8.
- Dhananjayan on Indian Classical Dance, V.P Dhananjayan, B.R Rhythms, 2004, 3rd revised edition, ISBN 81-88827-04-5
References
- ^ "Studio Satyajit official Website". Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Bharata Kalanjali Website – Biography
- ^ Dancer on Dance, V.P Dhananjayan, Bharata Kalanjali
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ "Dance". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ISBN 81-88827-08-8
- ^ Ramnath, Ambili (31 October 2023). "Bharatanatyam artists Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan make their presence felt in cinema". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 January 2024.