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PADME (2014) - Credits Padme, is inspired by the Lotus flower. A better metaphor for human development is hardly imaginable, the growth being a symbol of spiritual awareness and enlightenment. Kalpana gave the image of the lotus to the dancers as a point of departure. Through ancient Indian dance and western modern dance they depict their own experiences with religion and the relevance of spirituality in today’s society. The mixture of dance styles results in an exciting new movement language. Credits Producer and Artistic Director: ANITA RATNAM Concept and choreography: KALPANA RAGHURAMAN Dancers: SAVIO, MANO, KEERTANA, MEGHNA, MEENAKSHI, SUKRUTI, ASHWINI AND VANDANA Music design: PETER LEMMENS Originally produced by: Korzo produkties (the Netherlands) Commissioned and co-produced in the current version by Anita Ratnam/Arangham Trust Kalpana Raghuraman  Kalpana Raghuraman is a
full-time choreographer and performer,
who was born and raised in the
Netherlands and is deeply rooted in
Indian culture. She is seen as a bridge
builder between cultures, traditions,
and people. Kalpana is mainly known for her choreographic skills and her talent of making pieces that suit different type of dancers. Kalpana’s base has been Bharatanatyam. In the course of many years she was initiated into Bharatanatyam and travelled to India to dance and to research in Cultural Anthropology. After her Masters in Anthropology, Kalpana decided to focus on the exploration of modern choreography inspired by Indian dance. Since 2010 Kalpana is artist in residence as a choreographer at the renowned Korzo theater in the Hague. Kalpana’s career as a choreographer has been successful since she knows how to prye loose Bharata Natyam from its conventions to connect with modern dance thus making it accessible to a variety of audiences. Her work has been very well received and she has several creations to her credit, such as ‘Kiss of Life’ (selected for the Netherlands Dance Days 2011, 2 National tours in the Netherlands), ‘Towards Dawn’ (commissioned by the renowned Holland Dance Festival 2012), ‘ ‘She Ra’ (guest choreography for Ramli Ibrahim’s Sutra Dance Theatre in Malaysia) and ‘The spirit of Frida (commissioned by Anita Ratnam’s Epic Women Festival 2012, Chennai). ‘Tightrope Walker’ (October 2013). More and more organisations and companies are inviting her to share her work or create work on their dancers since she has such a personal and special style. Kalpana distinguishes herself in the rich dance filed in the way she creates using Indian dance forms with European contemporary dance, leading to her very own exciting and innovative style. Seven dancers from different genres (of dance), backgrounds and identities coalesced together for months to train and present Padme... They share their experiences of being part of this project     |