Kalapadma Dance Academy holds 25th anniversary show
Des Plaines-based Kalapadma Dance Academy held its 25th anniversary show on Sunday, June 16, at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre in Batavia.
The school students danced to the theme of the "Ganges: The Mighty River." All the students danced to show the importance of the sacred Indian river Ganges and its mighty force as the screen behind was lit up with images of the river that is the backbone of North India.
The Ganges River has six headstreams namely, the Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi. The five sacred confluences, known as the Panch Prayag, are all along the Alaknanda River.
The main stream of Ganga, or the Ganges, begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Ranjit Singh, consul at Indian Consulate to the Consul General Sudhakar Dalela, was the chief guest of the show.
The dancers, led by Guru Ruth "Parijata" Varghese, mesmerized the audience with their graceful dance moves and beats that were in rhythmic union with the music. The guru herself was in top form with her emotive gestures and dance steps.
Various dances dedicated to Lord Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, and Saraswati were performed, like "Shabdam," dedicated to Lord Krishna; "Shaam Aap Baso" for Lord Krishna; "Bho Shambho" for Lord Shiva, "Kalyani Jathiswaram," an intricate sequence of dance steps with hand gestures but without emotions, and "Tillana," a rhythmic piece in fast tempo.
Alumni students also performed. Some of Varghese's students have learned dance under her for 15 years. Some former students just came to watch the show. During her 25 years of teaching in the Chicagoland area, Varghese has taught dance to 700 to 900 students. The age of her students ranges from 3 to 55. Her daughter, Anjali, is also a talented dancer.
Kalapadma Dance Academy has its branches in Bhopal, Varanasi, and Chicago. The school was started by her father, Guru Shankar Hombal in 1960. Varghese had her training at the internationally famed academy of classical art Kalakshetra, Chennai, where her father was also trained. Ruth's husband, Santosh Varghese, serves as the president of KDA.
Other pieces performed included Alarippu, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Gujarati song "Vaishnav Jan To," a Malayalam devotional, and Jugalbandi with the I-RADHA Kathak team.