NAYAKA: The Hero's Perspective

"Nayaka: The Hero's Perspective" is an exploration of the facets of a nayaka's, or hero's, perspective through the lens of Bharatanatyam. Ever wondered what it would be like to see the nayaka as the protagonist or primary speaker of a Bharatanatyam piece? If yes, you're in the right place!

As a majority of our ancient compositions like padams and javalis that explore relationships, whether romantic or that of friends, are indeed centered around the heroine's experience, we find that there is little space to explore male relationships. The artists presented in "Nayaka: The Hero's Perspective" have endeavored to open up this space, so we hope that you will join us!

Sakha, an original production by P. Praveen Kumar, a renowned Bharatanatyam artist from Bangalore, is centered around a nayaka and explores the hero's inner thoughts and emotions as he finds himself in various roles. From depicting Krishna's friendship with Arjuna to filling the shoes of a seemingly ordinary nayaka who finds himself at a conflict between love and family, and much more - Praveen Kumar truly takes the viewer into the perspective of the nayaka.

Vivek Ramanan will be presenting a thematic margam anchored by pieces in which the protagonist, or the main speaker, is a nayaka whether as a court poet praising his king or a husband fearing his wife’s response to his tardiness.

Shashank Iswara will be presenting a production exploring aspects of Bharatanatyam that have conventionally been conveyed through the nayika.

We look forward to seeing you all at "Nayaka: The Hero's Perspective" at Austin Hindu Temple Auditorium in Austin, Texas on Saturday, May 31st, 2025 from 5PM onwards. Purchase your tickets now!

Praveen Kumar

Hailing from a family of artists, Praveen Kumar's tutelage was under the eminent gurus Smt. Narmada and Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar. Praveen is an accomplished nattuvanar and choreographer and has several critically acclaimed productions to his credit including Tyagaraja Hruth Sadana, Rtu Vismruthi, Vani, Sakha, and many more. He is also the founder of the Chithkala School of Dance in Bangalore. Praveen Kumar, an empanelled artist of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and an ‘A’ grade artist on television, is the recipient of the Senior Fellowship Award for the year 2024 by Kalavaahini Trust headed by Malavika Sarukkai, Best Dancer of the Season from The Madras Music Academy for the year 2018 & 2019, and many more accolades.

Vivek Ramanan

Vivek Ramanan is a multifaceted and dynamic artist of Bharatanatyam dance, konnakol, and mridangam. Vivek is an experienced solo performer and choreographer, has created multiple video productions for social media, and co-created stage productions on new thematic ideas using the Bharatanatyam grammar. With his formative training under Smt. Madhusri Sethuraman and Smt. Vidhya Subramanian in Bharatanatyam and Sri. Ramesh Srinivasan in mridangam, he currently is under the mentorship of Dr. Apoorva Jayaraman and continues to perform, choreograph, and create music for dance.

Shashank Iswara

Shashank Iswara, son and disciple of Bharatanatyam artist Smt. Vani Iswara, has been immersed in the world of dance from a young age. Shashank was honored as a National YoungArts winner in dance in 2020. Since then, he has had the privilege of showcasing his talents in numerous solo and group performances including TRTP in Dallas and Seattle, the Battery Dance Festival in New York, Yuva Kala Sangam in Phoenix, and Krishnaa Frost to Fire production of Nirupama & Rajendra. He was especially honored to perform at MS University of Vadodara, where he presented a margam dedicated to the choreography of his Parama Guru and former dean and head of the department of performing arts, Padma Bhushan awardee Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar. In addition to his dance training, Shashank is trained in Mridangam under Sri Poovalur Sriji.

When

Sat, May 31 2025

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM CDT

(May 31 2025, 10:00 PM GMT)

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Where

Austin Hindu Temple Auditorium

9801 Decker Lake Rd

Austin, TX 78681

Artists

Shashank Iswara

Vivek Ramanan

Praveen Kumar

Terms and Conditions

No cancellations, exchanges, or refunds.
Admission will not be allowed without a ticket.
Please arrive by 4:45 PM for seating.

NAYAKA: The Hero's Perspective