here - Upahaar School of Dance

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Upahaar
school of dance
Bharatanatyam
Kathak
Mohiniattam
U
pahaar School of Dance was founded on the simple
urge to share the joy experienced from expressing
and communicating through dance. It offers training in
some of the oldest Indian classical dance forms such as
Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Mohiniattam as well as Carnatic
music, to interested students of any age. Upahaar has
branches in different locations around London.
Founder & Principal
The school was founded by Shalini Shivashankar in 2003
with the first centre in Croydon. Based in Sutton, Shalini
was trained in Bharatanatyam initially by Guru Padmini
Ramachandran and later by Gurus Shyamala Surendran
and Radhika Shurajit - disciples of the Dhananjayans.
Kalamandalam Saraswathi and Sreedevi Rajan (daughter
of Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma) trained her in
Mohiniattam. Shalini taught students in India and Bahrain
for many years before moving to the UK in 2003. She and
her daughter Pallavi have since, performed on many stages
in the UK and other countries such as India, Canada and
Bahrain. Shalini has also qualified in HR management with
a Masters from London School of Economics, London.
Bharatanatyam is the name given
in the early twentieth century to
the dances known as ‘Dasi-attam’
and ‘Sadir-attam’ which evolved
over centuries in the temples and
royal courts of southern India. It
highlights the beauty of strong lines
making geometric and symmetrical
shapes, and is embellished with
expressive hand gestures and
elaborate storytelling through facial
expressions.
Mohiniattam, like all other classical
dance forms also originated in the
temples of India and was known
as ‘Dasi-attam’. It later came to be
known as Mohiniattam which literally
means ‘dance by a beautiful lady’. It
is a feminine style characterised by
soft, graceful and gentle movements
which can be likened to the swaying
of leaves in the breeze. The emphasis
is on ‘abhinaya’ or facial expression.
Mission & Values
One of the core philosophies of Upahaar School of Dance
is that dance and music can be learnt and performed at
any age. The school aims to bring Indian classical dance
to every sector of the community through its activities
and events and to offer high quality training by a team
of well-qualified, dedicated and committed teachers.
The Principal and faculty greatly appreciate any form of
support to achieve these goals.
Kathak originated as a storytelling
art form in the temples in northern
India where ‘Kathakars’ (storytellers)
narrated stories of Hindu gods and
goddesses through dance, music and
mime. It further developed in the
Mughal courts and is characterised
by fluid body movements, complex
patterns of footwork, fast turns and
sudden stillness.
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Training and Activities
Classes are offered for all ages from toddlers to adults. The staff and students of Upahaar
regularly present solo and group programmes and have been commended for their performances
on many stages across the UK, including the UK Parliament. The annual event Nrithya-Upahaar
that showcases the students’ performances is also a popular local community event. NrithyaUpahaar 2013 marks the completion of a decade of Upahaar in the UK.
Lecture-demonstrations and workshops in schools & universities has been a unique project
undertaken by Upahaar over the last two years. These sessions encourage children and adults
to explore their innate abilities to express through dance and mime. This is a confidence
boosting exercise for Upahaar students since they get an opportunity to perform in front of
their school mates. The project is on-going and has already been conducted in at least 30
schools and other institutions around London.
Upahaar also regularly organises workshops by Gurus from India and UK to provide its students
exposure to their dance styles. Students at Upahaar have had the privilege of attending
workshops by Guru Shyamala Surendran in 2012 and very recently, by Guru Radhika Shurajit
in April 2013. They are also encouraged to take the ISTD dance exams as and when they are
confident and comfortable at each grade.
Vision
The vision is a school for Indian classical dance where the individual is moulded in an
ambience that is holistic and comprehensive. Music being an integral part of dance, Carnatic
music classes have been introduced in some of the centres. Besides expanding this to all its
branches, Upahaar plans to include Hindustani vocal, Mridangam and Tabla in its curriculum.
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‘The feet may learn the steps,
but only the spirit can dance...’
We understand the discipline required to learn dance and are committed to providing
a stimulating dance environment that enables students to reach their fullest
potential. Bring with you a passion for dance, a willingness to learn, a determination
to succeed and we promise you an enriching and fulfilling experience.
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Classes are offered in
Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Mohiniattam and Carnatic Music
at:
Croydon, Sutton, Twickenham / Hounslow, Crawley
Contact
Shalini Shivashankar
Tel +44 (0)20 8661 2865 Mob +44 (0)7811 823 684
Email [email protected]; [email protected]
www.upahaar.co.uk