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What: Himalayan Performing Arts Festival
Where: KHQN Radio and Krishna Temple
When: Saturday June 15th, 5 pm
Admission: $3.00 Adults/$1.00 Children
Contact: Charu or Vai 798-3559/787-1510 
www.iskcon.net/utah 
carudas@earthlink.net 

The following are among the many artists who will perform at the Himalayan Performing Arts Festival on Saturday June 15, from 4 pm. The venue is KHQN Radio/Krishna temple at 8628 S Main St., Spanish Fork. In addition to the performing arts, there will be hot meals for sale, a fashion show by designer Veena Yadav, a grand procession, and dramas.

4:15 pm Nama Hatta, devotional songs by a group composed of Nepalis, Russians, Moldavians, and Indians.

4:45 pm Melodies of India will present Carnatic style of Indian classical music.

This concert will be led by Mr. Mullaivasal Chandramouli. Mr. Chandramouli is a visiting professional violinist currently in Salt Lake City on a teaching mission. He is a renowned artiste in the world of Carnatic music who has performed on many prestigious stages in many parts of the world including the presidential palace in New Delhi a few months ago. Mr. Chandramouli is both a soloist and an accompanying violinist who has been performing in many US Cities during the past 10 years. He is an A-graded artist in All India Radio and TV, a grading measure used in India to recognize and compare the performing artistes in the Indian music world and is the recipient of many awards. Mr. Chandramouli holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, but his passion for music so great that that he chose classical music as his career.

The violinists Deepa Ramachandran and Divya Ramachandran grew up in Salt Lake City. They were initiated into Indian Classical music with a Utah Arts Council Folk Arts Apprenticeship a few years ago. They received their initial training in music under the guidance of Dr. S.N. Narasimhan and by the Suzuki method. They later became the disciples of Mr. Chandramouli for their advanced training. Deepa has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah, and Divya is an undergraduate student at the University. This concert is a great opportunity for them to perform with their mentor.

Mr. Ashwin Krishnakumar, who will be playing the flute, was trained in music in India by Sri. B.N. Suresh before he moved to Salt Lake City three years ago as a graduate student. He is currently getting advanced training in music under the guidance of Mr. Chandramouli. Mr. Krishnakumar graduated with a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah and is working as a research engineer. He has been performing in Utah for the past two years.

Mr. George Grant, a noted percussionist who has written books on percussion instruments of the world. He is known for his technique of DrumtalkTM as a method of teaching music. He will play tabla in the concert. Both as a performer with many groups of international music and as a teacher, Mr. Grant has a great reputation.

Mr. Anand Gopalan, also an electrical engineer by profession, graduated from the University of Utah. He will play the keyboard. His musical talent is being nurtured by Mr. Chandramouli.

5:15 pm Asian Fashion Show by Veena Yadav, who is proprietor of ŒTreasures of India retail outlet in Centerville.

5:45 pm Anju Thapaliya presents Nepali Folk Dances (outdoor stage)

6:00 pm Bharat Natyam Classical Dance (outdoor stage)

Malathi Iyengar & Rangoli Dance Company of Los Angeles along with musicians from India present "Sri Krishna," a Bharata Natyam performance featuring episodes from Bhagavatam and Sri Bhagavad Gita. The centerpiece, "Sri Krishna Kamalanatho" is a musical composition of T. Srinivas of Bangalore, and verses are from the ancient text Krishnaashtotharam. The performance also features other works glorifying Lord Krishna.
The company dancers and musicians from India weave a tapestry of vibrant soundscape and colorful dance imagery in their performance. Musicians from India will also give a classical music concert followed by the dance performance.

 Choreography, Artistic Direction and Nattuvangam -
 Malathi Iyengar

Musicians from India
Vocal - Balasubramanyam Sharma
Mridangam - Gurumurthy G.
flute - H. S. Venugopal

Dancers from Rangoli School
Lakshmi Iyengar, Malathi Iyengar, Shyamala Moorty, and Sandra Chatterjee.

7:00 pm Drama of the Scholar and the Boatman
7:15 pm Utah Tibetan Dance Alliance
8:00 pm Kathak Classical Dance
Kathak is among the six major classical dances of India and one of the most dynamic theater arts in the world. The word "Kathak" is derived from "katha," meaning "the art of storytelling." It is also synonymous with the community of artists known as Kathakas whose hereditary profession was to narrate history while entertaining. With dance, music, and mime, these storytellers of ancient India would bring to life the great scriptures and epics of ancient times, especially the great Indian epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and the Puranas of Sanskrit literature.

Four leading students, including the two described below, of the Chitresh Das dance Company from San Francisco, California

Jaiwanti Das-Pamnani
Jaiwanti began dancing at the age of eight in the Fiji Islands, where she grew up. She found her passion when she began to dance with Chitresh Das nine years ago. Among some of the concerts she has performed in with CDDC are the Mid-Summer Arts Festival at Stern Grove in San Francisco, and at UC San Diego’s 19th Annual Performance Art Series, and in London at the Brahma Kumari National Conference. She also performed in India this past year. Jaiwanti has been a senior instructor at the Chhandam School of Kathak Dance for over six years.

Charlotte Moraga
Charlotte, originally from Florida, began dancing at the age of nine. Although she has studied ballet, jazz, and musical theater, she finds Kathak to be the most challenging and exhilarating art form she has encountered. Since joining CDDC in 1992 she has performed with the company nationwide and in India and performed with CDDC this year in her hometown of Tampa, Florida. Charlotte is a senior instructor at the Chhandam School of Kathak dance.

Please note our new email address is carudas@earthlink.net. 

Visit our web site at http://www.iskcon.net/utah. 

Best wishes,
Caru das and Vaibhavi

© CHAKRA 29 May 2002