Company Background | PLAY BALL | Education | Audience Development | Marketing and Press Details | Technical Requirements | Tour Schedules 2007 | Biography of Artistic Director | Biographies of Collaborators | Press Quotes | Audience Feedback
SRISHTI - Nina Rajarani Dance Creations
SRISHTI – Nina Rajarani Dance Creations is in an exciting era of international profile, following Nina’s hugely successful win of the Place Prize 2006, Europe’s largest choreographic competition sponsored by Bloomberg. Based in London, Srishti tours both nationally in the UK and internationally, striving to maintain the authenticity of Indian classical dance and music whilst presenting these forms in fresh and innovative ways.
Led by the energetic and critically acclaimed choreographer, Nina Rajarani, the company has grown in reputation and has steadily reached new heights of recognition and achievement. Nina Rajarani is renowned for challenging boundaries with her company and for her unique style of choreography.
Srishti has toured several productions nationally in the UK and internationally in India and Europe – Quiet, Please! (2007), Mirage (2006), Women Are From Venus… (2005), Equilibrium (2004), She (2003), Vaachikam (2002), Santripti (1998), Independence (1997/8), Hidden Forces (1996/7), Utsav (1995), Golden Chains (1994), Meetings (1992/3).
The company also has a strong commitment to both school and community based education work linked to tours and performances, and makes the provision of training opportunities a priority.
SRISHTI’s new touring production, PLAY BALL, is a dynamic triple bill with live music that includes the outstanding 2006 Place Prize winning piece, ‘QUICK!’. This electrifying, 15 minute piece is proving so popular with audiences across the board that it continues to tour worldwide. The other two pieces in the triple bill are new works that will equally stun, entertain and thrill your audiences.
Permanent Members of The Company
Artistic Director / Choreographer / Dancer – Nina Rajarani
Composer / Vocalist – Y Yadavan
General Manager – Bryony Kimmings
Contact Details - Availability, Fees and Further Information:
SRISHTI - Nina Rajarani Dance Creations
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8868 7746
Email: dancecreations@srishti.co.uk
PLAY
BALL, a triple bill of short pieces from a male-dominated cast, is
about Lads' Culture and shows off “what the lads do” when at work, when at
play and when in love… and boy do our lads love to show
off!
Bend it… is on football. Let's Play Ball! The use
of complex footwork that Bharatanatyam and football share makes a
testosterone charged peacock like display of skill. The dancers and
musicians become 2 teams… they tackle, they shoot, they fake injury like
all the greats… a goal is scored, the crowd erupts and the celebration
dance ensues. Never before has Bharatanatyam been so competitive!
Chemistry is the lovers’ reunion after a tiff. ‘Will she
play ball?’ he thinks as he tries to woo her back. This male-female
duet, induced with passion and laced with vigorous but playful rhythmic
passages creates a romantic and fiery dance that celebrates love and
happiness and the softer side to men.
Quick! is the winning
piece of the Place Prize 2006 , Europe ’s largest choreographic
competition sponsored by Bloomberg. In “Quick!”, an energised
display of 8 London businessmen unravels. Are the business associates
going to play ball and close the deal? “Quick!” is a piece
reflecting today’s cut-throat business world.
To
Nina, Bharatanatyam is the perfect medium for this piece. Not only
because that’s the style she has trained in, but also because the form
is characterised by precision and accuracy. It has clean, crisp
angular/geometric movements, governed by symmetry. The technique fits
the concept of QUICK! very appropriately. It is also quite a formal
style, so it also fits the businessman image. Nina sees the rhythmic
complexity that Bharatanatyam allows correlating to the “big money”
talks that London businessmen engage in on a day-to-day basis.
PLAY
BALL continues
the unparalleled collaboration between choreographer Nina Rajarani and
composer Y Yadavan that has steadily consolidated over the last few years
and has been an integral part of the company’s recent successes.
Training
and education work is of prime importance to the company and a linked
education programme will benefit those in schools as well as in
community settings. Over the past years, SRISHTI has built up a strong
education programme that has been well received.The company aims to organise education work in each region where it will perform. Local authorities will be contacted as well as schools, community organisations and dance groups in the area. The venues’ education officers and their contacts will be liaised with carefully to set up education work around the performances. Any support from the venue to enable this will be gratefully received by the company.
PLAY BALL can be booked as a stand alone evening of performing arts. It can also form part of a festival and / or work in conjunction with an audience development package which includes open company class for advanced / professional dancers and third year vocational dance students and post show discussions.
Tailored to maximise the potential of our visit and the venues’ own audience development priorities, we want to use our extensive experience in youth dance development, educational packages, community programmes - all with relevant cross-curricular interest to secondary schools and colleges and local organisations.
It is expected that the bringing together of dance and football through Bend it…should open up new doors for our education programme with schools. Our aim is to reach those who would not naturally respond to dance on its own, to enable us to widen the appreciation of dance.
SRISHTI is actively committed to developing audiences, and encourages organisations to supplement its performance with related activities. SRISHTI’s audience is looking for good quality classical Indian dance and music that is rooted in tradition, yet exciting and fresh.
The popular themes of PLAY BALL to which people can easily relate open up our work to larger audiences. Each of the three pieces portray the common man in different roles through the highly sophisticated and stylised mediums of Bharatanatyam and Karnatic music.
SRISHTI has successfully drawn to its performances family groups, students, young dancers and musicians, professional dancers and musicians, multicultural audiences and those not even vaguely interested in dance and music.
What is the style of dance and music?
The entire production will be a fusion of the classical Indian Bharatanatyam style with a contemporary aesthetic, presenting work that is authentic, yet exciting and fresh.
Overall, the music for PLAY BALL will be Indian classical, but integrating modern and popular music.
Is there an age limit on this show?
No. This production is for everybody who is interested in good quality classical Indian dance and music and for those who enjoy the inclusion of live music and popular themes.
How long is PLAY BALL?
The performance is approximately 65 minutes, including an interval.
Main selling points for the new production
• Strong classical dancers
• Excellent standard of live music
• Dance film
• Winning piece of the Place Prize
• Popular themes
Publicity Material
SRISHTI will provide high quality, full colour A3 posters and A5 leaflets. A small quantity of larger posters also can be supplied on request. Electronic photographs, brochure copy and a press release will be provided in advance of the show, in accordance with the venue’s given deadlines. On the day of the show, full colour programme brochures will be provided.
Press
The company engages the services of London based The Works PR who work with every venue to ensure press coverage to all regions to which we tour. The contact details for press are:
Judy Lipsey 020 7940 4686 judy@theworkspr.com
Staging
• 10m x 10m (please discuss with us if your space is smaller as we can often accommodate this)
• Grey dance floor
• White cyclorama
Lighting
A lighting plan will be provided in advance
The technician will run the lighting from a laptop via the Horizon System, and will need a DMX connection.
Sound
There are 4 musicians (Vocal, Percussion, Violin and Flute), and they move around on the stage during the show. All will require clip on radio mics which the company will provide.
The sound requirements are:
• Vocal – 1x Radio mic
• Violin – 1 x Radio mic
• Flute – 1 x Radio mic.
• Percussion – 2 x mics (SM57/58), 1 x Radio mic
• A good quality reverb unit
• 4 x stage monitors, 2 SR, and 2 SL
Projection
2 x projectors and 2 x DVD players are required
1 projector to be hung centrally in the rig to produce a large image on the cyc, with the video connection running to SR. 1 projector to be sited SR on the floor, with the video connection running SR.
Both DVD players to be sited SR in the wings.
The company will provide the 2 DVD players and 1 projector for SR.
Other Information
The backstage requirements are:
• 2 clean, well-ventilated/heated large dressing rooms or 3 smaller ones for exclusive use by the company with lights, mirrors, wash basins and access to toilets/showers to accommodate 8 male and 1 female artists
• 2 irons and ironing boards
• Tea/coffee making facilities and still drinking water
Contact
Technical Manager
Stuart Walton
Tel: 00 44 7768 224616
stuartwalton@yahoo.com
Srishti - Nina Rajarani Dance Creations
presents Play Ball at the following venues in Spring
2008:
The Traverse, Edinburgh 26th January
2008, Box Office: 0131 228 1404
The Clocktower, Croydon
30th January 2008:, Box Office: 020 8253 1030
The Maltings Arts
Theatre, St Albans 1st February 2008, Box Office: 01727
844222
The Corn Exchange, Dorchester 8th February 2008,
Box Office: 01305 266926
Middlesbrough Theatre,
Middlesbrough , 13th February 2008, Box Office: 01642
815181
Harrow Arts Centre, Harrow 15th February 2008,
Box Office: 020 8416 8989
Adam Smith Theatre,
Kirkcaldy 22nd February, Box Office: 01592 412929
The
Gate, Goole 29th February 2008, Box Office: 01405
763652
Chipping Norton Theatre, Chipping Norton 9th
March 2008, Box Office: 01608 642349
The New Theatre
Royal, Portsmouth 11th March 2008, Box Office: 023 9264
9000
Swindon Dance, Swindon 14th March 2008, Box
Office: 01793 601700
Duckie, Royal Vauxhall Tavern,
London 15th March 2008 www.duckie.co.uk
The
Drum, Birmingham 27th March 2008, Box Office: 0121 333
2444
Theatre Royal, Bath 3rd and 4th of April, Box
Office: 01225 448844
The Flavel, Dartmouth ,7:30pm
5th April ,Box office: 01803 839530
(Note: Indian canapés will be served from 6:30pm)
The Place, London 11th and 12th
April, Box Office: 020 7121 1100
If you wish to book Play Ball
for 2008 please contact Bryony Kimmings, General Manager
on 020 8868 7746 dancecreations@srishti.co.uk
Nina Rajarani – Artistic Director and Choreographer
Nina Rajarani carried out her Bharatanatyam training under Prakash Yadagudde at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s London branch, during which time she also had additional training with Chitra Visweswaran of Chennai, India, during her visits to London. Nina was awarded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Diploma in Bharatanatyam in 1986, and in 1987 she staged her Arangetram under her guru Prakash Yadagudde. Since 1988 Nina has received training regularly in Chennai under Shanta and VP Dhananjayan. In 1989, the Arts Council of England in conjunction with ADiTi (the national organisation for South Asian Dance in the UK) awarded Nina a scholarship to undergo an intensive training period with the Dhananjayans in Chennai. Nina’s dance style today is unique in its assimilation of the best qualities from each of the different traditions followed by the gurus with whom she has trained. Nina has also received Karnatic music vocal training under Sivasakti Sivanesan at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s London branch, and under Karpagam Balasubramanian in Chennai.
As a performer, Nina has toured extensively within the UK, in several other European countries, in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.
In September 2006, Nina won the Place Prize, Europe’s largest choreographic competition sponsored by Bloomberg. Out of 204 entries by choreographers, Nina was one of the chosen twenty commissioned to create a new dance piece. Her piece “Quick” won the competition with raving comments from the judges and the press. The winning piece was incorporated in Nina’s work Quiet, Please! that toured nationally and internationally from February 2007.
Nina has earned herself an admirable reputation as a teacher and has to her credit, a thriving school of dance based at the Harrow Arts Centre in Middlesex, since 1991. Her students pride themselves upon the high standard of dancing they aim to achieve.
In recent years, Nina Rajarani has been closely involved with a committee of dance teachers that has devised a syllabus for Bharatanatyam with graded examinations. These examinations are being conducted by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) that runs examinations worldwide for various different dance styles including Ballet, Tap and so on. Nina is currently the secretary of the South Asian Dance Faculty of the ISTD and is also a Bharatanatyam examiner for the ISTD.
Y Yadavan – Composer and Vocalist
Yadavan is a vocalist that hails from a family that is deep rooted in the traditions of Karnatic music and Bharatanatyam. He trained from a very young age in Sri Lanka. To further his musical aspirations, Yadavan went to India where he studied under the renowned Sangeetha Kalanidhi B Rajam Iyer in Chennai. Yadavan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Indian music from Madras University, India, as well as a Diploma from the Music Academy of Chennai, for which he was awarded the “Sangeetha Rathna” title. He also won the GNB Memorial Award for “The Best Male Vocalist” in the 1999 Music Academy annual competitions, and also broke records by being awarded as many as nine prizes in the same year.
Yadavan is a most sought after vocalist and has provided vocal accompaniment for many dance performances all over the world. He has been performing on a regular basis in the UK, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India and Canada. Since April 2002, Yadavan has been collaborating with Nina Rajarani, touring internationally with SRISHTI and composing the company’s music scores. In September 2006, Nina Rajarani’s piece Quick! was the winner of Europe’s largest choreographic competition, the Place Prize 2006, sponsored by Bloomberg. Yadavan composed the music for this piece as well as directed and performed in the musical team of this winning company. Yadavan has been involved in all of SRISHTI's education initiatives nationally. In addition to this, he teaches Karnatic vocal music at Srishti’s dance school. Apart from teaching in the traditional way. Yadavan is well acquainted in teaching the music component of the Bharatanatyam syllabus of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). He has also sung for the ISTD's Bharatanatyam audio resource for teachers.
Ben Pacey: Lighting Designer
Ben’s recent work includes Mirage and Quiet, Please! for SRISHTI (international tours, 2006 and 2007), Handmade/Manmade and Stuffed for Wired Aerial Theatre (Linbury, ROH), Frozen, After Miss Julie and The Birthday Party for Theatre by the Lake (Keswick, 2006), It is Like it Ought to Be for Uninvited Guests (Nuffield Lancaster and national tour, 2006), Shiver for Silver Tongue Theatre (Edinburgh, 2006), I am Waiting for the Opportunity to Save Someone’s Life for The Other Way Works (Mailbox, Birmingham 2006), Ruins for Anurekha Ghosh Dance (international tour, 2005), This Lime Tree Bower for the Young Vic (Theatre 503, 2005), The Fall of Man and Delirious for Lali Chetwynd (Tate Britain and Serpentine Pavillion, 2006).
Stuart Walton: Technical Manager
Since becoming freelance in 1995, Stuart has worked as a Production Manager, Lighting Designer, and Music Composer for, amongst others, Brouhaha, Snap Theatre, Angika, The Young Shakespeare Company, DreamThinkSpeak, and the European Chamber Opera. He has also toured the US with the London City Opera and has worked as the Technical Manager of the Paul Robeson Theatre in Hounslow, Middlesex. Stuart has been touring with SRISHTI since 1997.
“There’s no doubt in my mind who deserves the big prize. Nina Rajarani, who runs her own company Srishti, is competing with Quick!, a terrific piece for four men in shirts and ties who strut about like peacocks in the workplace. Written in the highly rhythmic style of bharata natyam (and abetted by four onstage musicians), its stamping percussive energies and mimetic animation are filled with frantic testosterone vanity and the high-powered stress of the modern businessman. Rajarani’s take on classical Indian dance is invigorating.” Times, September 2006
“Quick! by Nina Rajarani, performed at stunning speed by four male Bharatanatyam dancers in suits and ties, shows the strains and pressures of the business day. To a deafening torrent of tabla-runs, Rajarani throws in faster and faster routines. The pace is insane, but the classical precision of the dancing never falters.” (Observer, September 2006)
“The nicest surprise is Nina Rajarani's Quick!, in which four guys in city clothes dance the most testosterone-infused bharatanatyam I have seen. Rajarani's conceit is to link the speed and glitter of the Indian dance to the frenetic pace of modern life. Yet by splicing the dancing with laddish grooming rituals and an uneasy joshing, she also evokes something touching and vulnerable about the men themselves.” Guardian, September 2006
“East meets West: The energetic burst of Nina Rajarani’s Quick! makes it a worthy finalist of the 2006 Place Prize.” Metro London, September 2006
“You can’t help but gaze at Nina Rajarani, she has a dedicated look in her eye and an effervescent nature…this is a very emotive piece as she flirts with the special lighting and we are arrested by the verve and joy that suffuse every moment of Rajarani’s choreography… This is an entertainment of artistry and coordination with excellent body control." Dance Expression, May 2006
“Breathtaking double bill of Indian classical dance…a stunning performance. Her technique is beautiful, her speed and rhythm extraordinary and her feet fascinating to watch. An altogether extraordinary evening." The Stage, March 2006
“It was a very impressive performance. The final memory I’ll take away from this night of energy, passion and conflict is the telling sound of feet landing on the floor, cracking like gunshots.” www.bbc.co.uk, February 2006
"It was marvelous and breathtaking. Thank you so much!" Hilary Rourke, November 2006
"I have seen much dance for many years and this performance really shone
out like a beacon for me. I was transported by the interweaving
of the music (especially the vocals) and dance. It make me feel
glad and happy. The dancers seemed to be very joyful – I
felt kind of grateful to them – for the spirit they
embodied. The gestures and forms were crystal clear. And
the feeling and quality of the vocals really touched me." Daphne Cushnie, November 2006
"Visually and emotionally exciting – a feast." Anonymous, November 2006
"Beautiful and mesmerizing. Wanted to see more." Alice Rowlands, November 2006
"This show is splendid, awesome, and definitely a stress reliever!" Raja Ravipati, November 2006
"Completely spellbounding – breathtaking and dynamic – enchanting." Christine Nionty, November 2006
"The performance was beyond words of praise for me. Well
choreographed, each dancer was wonderful. The musicians were
amazing. The singer Yadavan deserves special mention as his voice
mesmerized the whole stage." Mrs Devipriya, October 2006
"I loved the use of hands, eyes and facial expression, the vitality and
power in the dancers’ movements and I found I could not take my
attention from them for a second." Clare and Paul Sheridan, April
2006
"I’ve never seen Indian Classical Dance before and was overwhelmed
by the performance last night – so much energy and clearly so
well practised so as to master everything to perfection. I will
certainly go and see Indian Classical dancing again, if I get the
chance." James R Wood, April 2006
"What a talented set of dancers!" Parvati Rajamani, March 2006
"Amazing! How clever! Well done!" Sallie Medden, March 2006
"The musicians were top class and the high quality and enthusiasm of all
participants captivated the audience." Anonymous, March 2006
"Absolutely wonderful dancing, choreography, musicians and vocalist.
Most professional… We are so fortunate to have a company like
yours to visit." Ann Milston, February 2006