Reci Reci Reci

Reci, reci, reci (Words, Words, Words) (1991)
Director: Michaela Pavlátová
Runtime: 10 min
Language: None
Country: Czechoslovakia

Remeber Durgotsav

Beautiful animation be Rajesh Chakraborty

1000 Pillared Hall

1000 Pillared Hall in Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, India.

Ustad Zakir Hussain & Ustad Sultan Khan

Sarangi:Ustad Sultan Khan
Raag: Nat-Bhairav

Khansahib

Maestro Ali Akbar Khan passed away peacefully on June 18, 2009, 12 days after my previous post about he.
Khansahib (as he was affectionately and respectfully addressed)was admired and loved, and will be greatly missed.

Om Namaha

Film: Gitanjali (1989)
Directed by Mani Ratnam.
Music by Ilayaraja

"Symbiosis" by Pilobolus

Pilobolus Dance Theater (www.pilobolus.org) is an internationally-renowned dance company, is based in Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Giya Kancheli

Giya Kancheli is Georgia's most famous living composer and arguably its best-known cultural export. He has written music for dozens of films, many of them well-known in the Russian-speaking world but virtually unknown outside it, such as Georgi Daneliya's sci-fi cult hit Kin-dza-dza.
Theme from this film by Moscow Virtuosi. Conductor: Vladimir Spivakov.

Anita Ratnam

The classical dances of India are essentially story-telling arts. Some of the names, such as Kathak and Kathakali, are even derived from the root word 'katha' meaning story. In fact the Natya Shastra in its chapter on the origin of dance describes how in the Treta yuga, the gods -- concerned at falling morals in the mortal world -- asked Brahma to create an edifying art that would not only provide lessons in ethics but also entertain the audience and practitioners. And who doesn't love a good story? So it was, says the author of the Natya Shastra, that Brahma devised the art of dance, culled from the essence of the four Vedas.
Anita Ratnam, one of India's most gifted artists, is an accomplished classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre

According to legend, Cloud Gate is the name of the oldest known dance in China, a ritual dance of some 5,000 years ago. The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan was the first modern dance company in Asia and is now thought to be one of the best in the world.

Jugalbandi

A jugalbandhi is a performance, in Indian classical music, featuring two solo musicians. The word jugalbandhi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet could be either vocal or instrumental. In jugalbandhi, both musicians act as lead players, and a playful competition often ensues between the two performers.

An South & North traditions jugalbandi with 2 masters of classical music: U.Srinivas on mandoline & D.Bhattacharya on guitar. On tabla Subashish Bhattacharya (Debashish's brother) and on mridangam B. Harikumar.
Raag: keervani

LAKME - DELIBES - OPERA IMAGINAIRE

Opera Imaginaire (1993) is an assembly of animated short films based on twelve of opera's most popular arias, including excerpts from "The Magic Flute," "Tosca," "Madame Butterfly," "Pagliacci" and more.

Flower duet, directed by Pascal Roulin, music from LAKME by Léo Delibes (1836-1891).

Under a dome of white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On a river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning

Gently floating on it's charming risings
On the river's current
On the shining waves
One hand reaches
Reaches for the bank
Where the spring sleeps and
The birds, the birds sing.

Under a dome of white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

Under a dome of white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On a river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together
Gently floating on it's charming risings,
On the river's current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the birds, the birds sing.

Under a dome of white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

Fabulous!

Sanu ik pal

Sanu ik pal chain na aawe sajjna tere bina.

Great qawwali by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. 

I cannot find a moments peace
My beloved, without you

My foolish heart sinks lower and lower,
My beloved, without you

May the lord not even give an enemy the illness of separation.

The world taunts me while this separation eats away my soul.

Nobodys beloved should leave to foreign lands,
Nobody should be presented with [the dilemma] separation
At night, I light the lantern with tears in place of oil,
Oh Lord, why dont you hurry and reunite me with my beloved?

Kali Kali Zulfon Ke Phande

One of my favorite qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from the album "Shahen-Shah".
Great.

Nusrat with Michael Brook - CREST

GOD BLESS HIM...

Mohiniyattam

The swaying coconut trees in the gentle breeze is reminiscent of the soft and languorous movements of Mohiniyattam - the feminine classical dance form of Kerala. Literally meaning the Dance of the Enchantress, it is deeply rooted in femininity, GRACE (Lasya) and BEAUTY (Sringara) forming the quintessence of this dance form.

Ashtapadi

Ashtapadis or Ashtapadi rhymns are regular compositions of music in India where there are eight lines (steps) within the composition. Each song of Ashtapadi is set in a special raga and tala. It is a rhyme of eternal love and supreme devotion.The literal meaning of "Ashtapadi" is "eight steps".
Performer: Sri.B.Sasikumar
Raag: Navarasakannada

Mozart

Concerto n° 20 ,
Maria Joao Pires,
Direction : Pierre Boulez,

View of Silence

View of silence by Joe Hisaishi and 9 Cellos. Performing at Tokyo Opera City concert hall.

Kuchipudi by Raja Radha Reddy

Raja, Radha and Kaushlya Reddy it's a famous trio of Kuchipudi.
While Raja Reddy teaches them tandava, elements of Kuchipudi dance (strongly masculine movements), Radha and Kaushlya Reddy teach the lasya or the feminine moments, both of which form an integral part of this dance. Being exponents in their respective fields helps them to impart complete training in all finer nuances of Kuchipudi dance which is more a character-based than an event-based dance.
Traditionally performed by males, Kuchipudi has now start attracting women as well. In fact now there are many performances solely by women where they even do the roles of the males. Most of the performances are based on stories from the Pauranas, Mahabharata and other religious epics. Most of the dance stories are told primarily with the help of facial expressions.