Anita Ratnam

Anita Ratnam
Ratnam, 2012 in Cologne
Born	(1954-05-21) 21 May 1954 (age 71) Madurai, Madras State, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	Kalakshetra
Occupations	dancer choreographer actress
Known for	Director, Arangham Interactive, Chennai
Website	www.anitaratnam.com

Anita Ratnam (born 21 May 1954) is an Indian classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer. Classically trained in Bharat Natyam, she has also received formal training in Kathakali, Mohiniattam, and tai chi and Kalarippayattu, thus creating a dance style which she has coined "Neo Bharatam". ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Education and training

Anitha Rathnam had her initial dance training under Bharatanatyam guru, Adyar K. Lakshman ^[4] and later went to Rukmini Devi Arundale's 'Kalakshetra' for advanced training and earned a Post graduate diploma in Dance. She trained in Bharatanatyam as well as Kathakali and Mohiniattam, the classical dances of Kerala. ^[5]

Career

Anita Ratnam, Festival "Ramayana in Performance" in the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne, 2012

She did her MA in theatre and television from the University of New Orleans, and spent the next ten years as a television producer/commentator in the United States with productions including a weekly series on art, travel and culture in India. She set up Arangham Trust, in 1992 in Chennai, followed by Arangham Dance Theatre, a performance company in 1993. ^{[6] [7]}

She has also appeared in some Tamil movies over the years, such as Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Boys (2003).

Choreographies

• A Map to the Next World (1997), With Native American poet Joy Harjo
• Inner World (1998), ; with Pangea World Theatre in Minneapolis
• Daughters of the Ocean (1999), ; with writer Shobita Punja
• Dust (2002), with Mark Taylor of Dance Alloy, Pittsburgh, USA. ^[8]
• Hyphenated (2002), for Toronto's Lata Pada.
• Seven Graces (2005), with Canada-based Hari Krishnan
• Vortext (2006), with Canadian dance artist Peter Chin
• MA3KA (2009). ^{[9] [10]}

Awards

Anita Ratnam has received several awards and recognition for her work in the performing arts in India and abroad. Some of them are:

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2016) by Sangeet Natak Akademi for contemporary dance ^[11]

References

1. "Potent rasa". Business Line. 17 August 2007.
2. "Stirs the intellect: Anita Ratnam does it, with her holistic approach to choreography, the spoken word, sets, lighting design and costumes". The Hindu . 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008.
3. "Dance diva waltzes on: Anita Ratnam has struck a fine balance between the commercial and aesthetic components of her art". The Hindu . 15 March 2005. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
4. "Singing paeans to a guru". The Hindu . 25 December 2009.
5. Anita Ratnam
6. Kothari, Sunil (2003). New directions in Indian dance. Marg Publications on behalf of the National Centre for the Performing Arts. p. 186.
7. "Interview:'I Call Myself A Contemporary Classicist...'". Outlook . 17 December 2003.
8. "Spirituality in dance: Popular danseuse Anita Ratnam in partnership with Mark Taylor." The Hindu . 4 December 2002. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
9. Anita Ratnam: Classical dancer & Choreographer Profile Archived 16 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
10. "Celebrating woman power". The Hindu . 29 December 2009.
11. "ANITA R RATNAM Akademi Award: Contemporary Dance" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Arangham Trust, website