Shovana Narayan

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Shovana Narayan
Shovana Narayan.jpg
Born (1950-09-02) 2 September 1950 (age 75)
West Bengal, India
OccupationDancer
Years active1970–present
SpouseHerbert Traxl
Career
Dances Kathak
Shovana Narayan New Image.jpg

Shovana Narayan (born 2 September 1950) is a recognised Indian Kathak dancer and a career officer with Indian Audit and Accounts Service. She performs in India and internationally, and has been awarded the Padma Shri. [1] She trained under Birju Maharaj. [2]

Contents

Biography

Sadhna Bose in Kolkata and Guru Kundal Lal in Mumbai initiated Narayan into Kathak at the age of four. [3]

She studied at Miranda House in Delhi, India, graduating with a master's degree in physics in 1972. She completed M.Phil. in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras in 2008 and MPhil in Social Sciences from Punjab University in 2001. She also worked as a career officer for the Indian Audits & Accounts Service [4] and retired in 2010. She is married to Dr. Herbert Traxl, Austrian Ambassador to India (retired). [5]

As a "performer and guru," Shovana Narayan has performed widely in several prestigious national and international festivals and before several heads of state and governments and has trained several Kathak artists of the young generation. [6]

As a choreographer-performer, Shovana Narayan has worked with leading dancers of western classical ballet, flamenco, tap dance, Buddhist chants with Buddhist monks, as well as dancing the compositions of western classical composers.[ citation needed ] She was the creative director-producer-dancer of the first-ever trilogy involving western classical dance-Kathak-flamenco in "The Dawn After" in 1994.[ citation needed ] She was also the creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 6th abylimpics 2003, held at New Delhi.[ citation needed ] She delivered the opening & closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games Delhi in 2010.[ citation needed ] She has spearheaded and produced several collaborative works with leading dancers of several Indian classical dance styles.[ citation needed ]

Research and films

Shovana has researched and discovered 8 Kathak villages near Gaya with documentary and official records. She collaborated with Sanskrit & epigraphy scholar KK Mishra, who discovered Prakrit inscription in Asokan-Brahmi script relating to Kathak dated to the 4th century BC.[ citation needed ] She is the first dancer to have conceived, conceptualised and brought out a dance video on the philosophy and legend of the immortal Khajuraho temples entitled ‘Dance of the Temples’.[ citation needed ] She is the leading actor in films "Akbar’s Bridge" (Hindi) and "Das Geheimnis des Indisches Tanz" (German).[ citation needed ]

Shovana has authored 19 books and numerous articles Her research on Kathak villages led to the discovery of a living Temple Kathak tradition in the Gangetic belt as well as of several (19) Kathak villages, many of which had been allotted Census code numbers.

Over 80 articles with in-depth research were published in several national newspapers, recognised journals, etc. such as the Times of India, the Tribune, the Asian Age, in journals of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Rajasthan University, UNESCO, and several others.[ citation needed ]

In 2016, Documentary film maker Beenu Rajpoot made a film “Born to Dance” on the life of Shovana Narayan. [7] [8]

Filmography

Shovana Narayan has been featured as the main protagonist in several dance-based and narrative films. Her notable screen work includes:

Books

Books on Shovana Narayan

(2006, Kanishka Publishers & Distributors, 4697/5-21 A, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, N Delhi-2 ; Tel: 011-23270497, 23288285; Fax: 011-23288285)

(2025, Vitasta Publishing Private Limited, 4348/4C, Upper Ground, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi- 110002; ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8199171200; ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8199171206)

In 2022, documentary film maker Beenu Rajpoot directed a film "Kathak Log of Kathak Villages" on the life of Shovana Narayan. The film took four years to complete and it is based on a deeply researched book Kathak Lok; the film unearths little-known facts of the pre-Christian era roots of Kathak. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi first screened the documentary on April 30, 2022. [9] [10]

Awards and honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Famous Kathak Dancers". Bhavalaya. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Shovana Narayan Biography | Childhood, Family, Contribution to Kathak Dance, Facts". www.culturalindia.net. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. ↑ S. Sahaya Ranjit (13 November 2006). "Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan unfolds her life in 'Meandering Pastures of Memories'". India Today. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Shovana Narayan". Miranda House's website. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  5. ↑ Chatterjee, Rupa (2007). Raising a Daughter. Pustak Mahal. p. 127. ISBN   9788122308228.
  6. ↑ India, The Dance (24 November 2020). "Shovana Narayan: A Dynamic Exponent of Kathak". THE DANCE INDIA. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "A gaze at danseuse Shovana Narayan's journey". The Indian Express. 7 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Danseuse par excellence: A glimpse into life of a maestro who amazed the world". Hindustan Times.
  9. ↑ "इंडियारा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केंद्र" (PDF). IGNCA.
  10. ↑ "Kathak Lok: Temples, Traditions and History: Shovana Narayan, Geetika Kalha's new book is an eye-opener for Kathak lovers". Firstpost. 5 May 2022.
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