The Nritarutya Dance Collective

THE COMPANY

Artistic director & founder Mayuri Upadhya, co-founded Nritarutya, an Indian Contemporary Dance Company, along with associate directors – Madhuri Upadhya; Geetha Ballal, Sathyanarayan B.G. and Umesh B. Naidu.

Nritarutya (Nritya – dance, taru – tree) semantically referring to a ‘dancing tree’ was founded in the year 2000, with a vision at bringing about innovation in tradition, by making the ancient philosophies relevant in the present world through their artistic creations.

Nritarutya currently has two operational wings, managed by Mayuri Upadhya & Madhuri Upadhya, both contributing to building awareness around contemporary dancing in India. The Nritarutya Dance Company is a self-funded professional organization that has ventured into commercial projects, engaging with professional dancers and creating experiential pieces for their commissioned performances. It works towards building a future with sustainable infrastructure for the artists. The Nritarutya Trust, on the other hand, endeavors to promote the art form at a global level, through initiating and curating festivals, and conducting several dance-based education projects. It provides training facilities to the younger generation of artists and gives them opportunities to perform. It has identified talented choreographers and dancers, from the industry, and provided them with performance opportunities, production assistance and launching platforms.

Nritarutya, for the last 15 years has been presenting artistic pieces while exploring a new direction in contemporary Indian dancing. Through its work it supports and initiates understanding of new Indian dance expressions arising from urban structures of living, physical (martial, dance & movement) traditions and performing practices. "Nritarutya is Indian Dance, that's traditional and eclectic; contemporary and spiritual” writes Ashish Khokar, Reputed Critic-Scholar, Historian & Editor of Attendance Dance Magazine. While dance critic & scholar Padmashri Dr. Sunil Kothari said, “Their approach is bold. And commendable as they are, they extend the dance vocabulary to present themes, which are not hackneyed and run of the mill". Another famous personality, Sanjoy Roy, Dance Critic, The Caravan Magazine also quoted "In presentation, these guys are pros....The pieces they perform are sharp, smart and accessible. It’s cool, without being clichéd."

With performances in over 15 different countries, the company has acquired a high profile clientele. Their client list includes the likes of Govt. of India, Govt. of Karnataka, Her Majesty, the Queen of England, several top-notch industrialists like Ambanis, Moranis, The Vedanta Group, Birlas; as well as Bollywood bigwigs like Amitabh Bachchan. They have also toured extensively across the globe, participating in several International dance festivals like Raw energy dance festival- UK, World performing Arts festival - Lahore, Trafalgar Square festival – London, Sama Arts Festival – Newcastle.

Empanelled with the ICCR [Indian Council for Cultural Relations], it has been rated by the yearbook of Indian dance – “AttenDance” - as among the best five in India. The company has also been rated among the top 3 "dance makers" by the acclaimed magazine "India Today" 2015 annual edition.

NRITARUTYA’S WORKS

Performances:

Nritarutya’s productions showcase a wide range of dance movement forms. Their expanse of performance ability ranges from small to medium to large-scale customizable productions. The company dancers undergo in-depth training in varied dance forms including classical Indian style, like Bharatanatyam, Indian ballet, Indian folk & ritual form, martial arts and yoga along with contemporary dance. In Nritarutya’s creations we also see the use of several multi media elements combined with dance and movement forms, which make their productions unique and appealing.

Some of their note-worthy productions that bring out their artistic vision are as follows:

· ‘Make In India’ [Mumbai, Feb 2016] – Nritarutya performed at the inaugural ceremony of the Make in India week, Various innovative techniques incorporating 21 dance & movement forms, brought together by 107 dancers, from all over the country surely proved the company’s reputation in dance innovation.

· The performance for ‘Travel & Tourism Mart – PATA’ [Bangalore, Sept 2015] The PATA performance was a ‘welcome’ act, showcasing the different dance forms and heritage of Karnataka, while also involving technology in the sequence. The act was elaborate in its form, capturing the rich heritage through its dance, culture, art and architecture, textile and clothing. The various dance forms included folk, classical, contemporary styles. The show was highlighted by an aerial act and a classic finish, with a royal procession, that received applause for its innovation in presentation.

· The ornate stage setting, as was seen in a masterpiece musical, ‘Madhur Milan’ [Mumbai, Feb 2014] – The musical act was a celebration of ‘love’, glorified through Lord Krishna’s relationship with the three iconic women in his life – his mother Yashodha, his lover Radha, his devotee Meera. The large-scale work was brought to life by a team of 104 dancers, flown from Mumbai and Bangalore. Raghu Dixit composed the music and Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla designed the costumes for this unique act.

· The extensively researched & costume-backed performance in ‘Pro-Kabaddi Finale’ [New Delhi, March 2016]. The concept was a sequence showing two teams in their warrior mode, fighting for the coveted cup. The sequence was a stylized contemporary act with high-energy performance, enacting the war of Gods. It was a reflection of the final match between two power-teams Mumbai & Pune, fighting to win the title of the league. [ ]

Nritarutya is currently working with two eminent choreographers – Mayuri Upadhya & Madhuri Upadhya. Their contemporized style and language of dance is unique to Nritarutya. Their choreographies bring out the same aesthetic expression in all their commercial and artistic ventures.

The expansive range of work the company undertakes has given dancers a forum for experimentation on various facets of dance making and performance. Their work has had a universal appeal with audience of all genres, ages, classes and cultural backgrounds admiring their performances.

Nritautya’s artistic expressions are seen in its home-production Prayog, a series of short unconventional pieces:

(A) Prayog - Prayog meaning ‘experiment’, series is known for its bold, imaginative and intuitive artistic creations. The choreography has been extraordinary, quirky, and out-of-the-box dance compositions.

Prayog series has effectively used technology, classical dance, movement, martial arts, poetry and storytelling to create breath-taking works of art. From previous editions of Prayog has emerged some of Nritarutya’s most loved, critically acclaimed works

Prayog-4 - November 22, 2013, furthering on the creation of a unique, unconventional dance brand that would lead the Indian contemporary dance ethos into new directions. It featured three choreographies – “Matsyaangnaa”, and Trishanku” choreographed by Madhuri Upadhya and “Chakra” choreographed by Sathya BG. [1]

Prayog-3 - January 4, 2008, showcased a multi-media production with a massive team of 35 artistes - dancers, musicians, photographers, light designers, graphic artistes and installation artistes. The choreographies were “Dwandwa” by Mayuri Upadhya; “Mars” by Sathya B.G.; “Chittara” by Madhuri Upadhya

Prayog-2 - August 2004, took their work to a larger audience With 10 performers scanning the stage space, this production was also earmarked with a release of a booklet on contemporary dance titled ‘Reflections’. There were 4 pieces shown – “Ardhanarishwara” & “Footnote” choreographed by Mayuri Upadhya; “What puppets do” by Madhuri Upadhya; “Between Lines” by Shatha B.G.

Prayog-1 - August 2001, the pilot project was the collaborative effort of 14 artistes - live musicians, fashion designers and fine artists – to present six thematic choreographies: “Oum” choreographed by Mayuri Upadhya; “I” & a solo act “Shadow in the mirror” by Sathya B.G.; “Samishrana” by Harini B.C.; Yantra by Mayuri Upadhya & a prop-based untitled piece by Madhuri Upadhya.

(B) Adhyaya - Adhyaya is a self-funded festival curated by the company to promote and present emerging and established performers, both locally and internationally. The festival is not limited to any genre of performance and identifies and portrays exceptional talent from the rural village of India to the most recognized artists internationally.

Nritarutya has four Adhyayas, to its credit, so far, featuring:

· “Rising” – A Kathak and Contemporary dance recital by Aakash Odedra, U.K [2012]

· Bharatnatyam recital by Kum.Haritha and Kum.Rajamally from Kalakshetra, Chennai.

· Contemporary Dance performance by Ms.Maja Dobrac, Croatia.

· Kathak recital by Sri Anuj Mishra; disciple of Pandit Arjun Mishra

· Contemporary Dance performance by Sandra and Shyamala, of Postnatyam, USA.

· Contemporary Dance performance by Veena Basavarajaiah, India.

· Odissi recital by Kum. Pavithra Reddy, from Nrityagram Dance Village.

· Kathak recital by Kum. Jayanthi Eswarputhi; renowned disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj.

(C) Feature Films – Nritarutya’s venture into the world of cinema has encouraged execution of aesthetic and intelligent choreography that introduces newer and bolder ways of viewing and presenting movement forms on a commercial platform.

Nritarutya has, to its credit, choreographed for regional as well as Bollywood films:

· Kannada film IJJODU, directed by M.S. Sathyu

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY8Ql81hxAY&list=PL100D19B28E945BC9&index=3&feature=plpp_video]

· Kannada Film THAMASSU directed by Agni Sridhar [https://www.youtube.com/watchv=eK9nqB0cJAk&list=PL100 D19B28E945BC9&index=2&feature=plpp_video]

· Kannada Film PANCHARANGI directed by Yograj Bhat [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxdmW0d0fOA]

· Soon-to-be released Bollywood film MIRZIYA, directed by the reputed Rakeysh Omprakash Mishra

Dance Training:

The Nritarutya dance syllabus, crafted by company’s senior dancer Vishwakiran Nambi, creatively combines artistic intelligence with technique. The syllabus is structured basis their understanding and reflection of contemporary dance in India. It is modeled as a performance-based training, to facilitate and groom future dancers.

Nritarutya has established 4 centres, across Bangalore at - Jayanagar; Koramangala; Malleshwaram & Indiranagar, for the purpose of conducting Dance training classes and workshops, across a wider age bracket.

Teachers Training program:

Nritarutya’s training course is designed for dancers to become dance trainers. The program is created around the company’s understanding and knowhow of contemporary dancing in India and includes the study of anatomy, technique, tips to design a class module, and the definition of three levels of contemporary dance – Beginner’s; Intermediate & advanced level

Education:

Nritarutya’s initiation and participation in various seminars & speeches; interactive forums; newsletters, workshops, etc., inculcates the element of examining practice and critiquing art making as part of education in the community. The trust exclusively has also designed modules and courses for universities across the city, around dance-education and training:

· Designed and implemented a 20-hour module on “Fundamentals of Contemporary Dance” for the Performing Arts Department of Christ University, for Mount Carmel College and St. Joseph’s University

· Conducted workshop on Dance in story-telling, for the English department of Jyoti Nivas University, Bangalore

· Designed the question paper on “Dance Theory” for the semester-end examinations of Jyoti Nivas University

· Participated in the seminar held by Attendance, on the occasion of World Dance Day, 2016.

Collaboration:

Nritarutya as a company engages extensively with commercial and corporate sector. They have developed innovative methodologies to create visually illustrative work that is specially designed for ‘product launches’; ‘brand & logo revelations’; conference openings etc. They create work that is distinctively creative, deep-rooted in tradition and in tandem with the latest technology. They are able to create tailor-made choreographies and generate performance for corporates while upholding the Nritarutya language of dance expression.

Nritarutya also creates path-defining work by collaborating with exponents in different fields like music, costumes, stage/set design etc.

Some of their innovative collaboration work is listed:

· Collaborated with painter Raghava K.K. to create a photographic exhibition series.

· Has collaborated with singer-composer Raghu Dixit & 21 pieces live orchestra as well as Rajasthani folk dancers & horses, to create a theme act for the Queen of England on the Queens 80th birthday celebration [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoyWgqyaSwg]

· Worked and created theme acts / performances for several fashion designers – Sabyasachi, Manish Arora, Anju Modi, Tarun Tahiliani, based on their individual launch collection pieces.

· Collaborated with Swiss Company 19/0, to conceptualise a special act with theatre artists and dancers, showcasing both the country’s cultures

· Has also done collaboration work with Raghu Dixit project, for a very popular musical television series “Dewarists”, that’s part documentary, part travelogue featuring the journey of inspiring musicians. Nritarutya worked together with mask artist – Sridhar Murthy, and caricature artist - Rob to create a dance act on Raghu Dixit’s song that was showcased as the highlight of the episode. [2]

· Directed by Vasu Dixit, Nritautya choreographed for a song called ' Days in the sun' for a band called 'Subra-mania', led by L.Subramaniam's Daughter Bindu Subramaniam and son Ambi Subramaniam. The piece was shot in 'Hampi' for 3 days, along with the band. The choreography was very picturesque and suggestive.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS -

Mayuri’s Awards:

· Manav Ratna” award for contribution in the field of Arts and Culture (2013)

· International Competition for choreography concept for Asian Dance Productions, South Korea (2012)

· RAPA Best Choreographer Award for Television Commercials, Chennai (2005)

· Young Women’s Achievement Award (2004)

Madhuri's Awards:

· Rajarathnam Scholarship for Painting, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (1998)

Company Awards & Recognitions:

· Uday Shanker Award for "Best choreography", awarded to Mayuri and Madhuri, by Attendance Dance Awards (2015)

· Nritarutya won the Bronze Award for "Make in India, Best International Cultural Event" at Hannover Messe, Germany (2015)

LISTED MAJOR PERFORMANCES -

1. Performance at the closing ceremony of the finals of the Pro-Kabaddi League match, telecast by Star Sports and event managed by DNA Networks, February 2016
2. Inaugural performance at “Make in India week”, held in Mumbai on February 13, 2016
3. Performance for the “Make In India” event held at Hanover, Germany for the Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi 2015
4. Part of an upcoming Bollywood movie directed by Rakeysh Omparakash Mehra 2015
5. A production “Katha Parva” as a part of Lakshadeepotsava, Dharmasthala 2014
6. A musical “Madhur Milan” on Smt. Kokilaben Ambani’s 80th birthday celebrations at her residence “Sea Wind” 2014
7. Collaborated with The Raghu Dixit Project and Harun Robert for the final episode of The Dewarists Season 3 2014
8. The Raghu Dixit Project and Nritarutya Collaborative performance 2013
9. Prayog 4 featuring three new artistic works 2013
10. A musical based on Kalidasa’s ‘Shakuntala’ starring Rani Mukherjee commissioned by Vedanta Group
11. B- 70 celebrations for Mr.Amitabh Bachchan’s 70th birthday 2012
12. Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations with Raghu Dixit at Windsor Castle (UK) 2012
13. “India fantastique” book launch for the Ambanis’ celebrating designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s 25 years journey in fashion industry 2012
14. “Aanaksh” a Milap feature at Capstone theatre, Liverpool (UK) 2012
15. Television launch of Kaun Banega Crorepati in Suvarna channel 2012
16. MAD Festival – a festival of Music, Dance and Arts (Ooty) 2012
17. Danse Dialogues- Indo French Festival by the French Embassy(Bangalore)2011
18. Maya Ayam International collaboration with Chitraleka Dance Company(India-UK tour)2011
19. Prayog-3Kamani auditorium(Delhi)2011
20. Mangalyam-50 artists ensemble, commissioned by GVK Group (Hyderabad) 2011
21. Nav Durga classical contemporary dance production (Bangalore) 2011
22. Flash Mob with 100 dancers -in association with Radio city (Bangalore) 2011
23. Navy ball for Indian Navy (Port blair) 2011
24. Dance Jhatre(Bangalore)2011
25. Film and Television Institute of India-Golden Jubilee(Pune)2010
26. Bharath Nivas(Auroville)2010
27. Kaliyarangu International Theatre Festival(Irinjalakuda)2010
28. Jhalapathothsava –Government festival(Shivanasamudra)2010
29. SAMA Festival-(New Castle,UK) 2008
30. World Performing Arts Festival-(Lahore,Pakistan)2008
31. Birmingham International Dance Festival 2008
32. Prayog 3 2008
33. Dharwad Utsav 2008
34. The Soorya Festival(Trivandrum,kerala) 2007
35. Hampi Utsava (Hampi, Karnataka) 2007
36. Unity – A Relief Effort (Muscat) 2007
37. ‘India Now’ – Trafalgar Square Festival (London) 2007
38. Kalagodha Art Festival (Mumbai) 2006
39. World Kannada Conference by AKKA (USA) 2006
40. India Men’s Fashion Fair (Bangalore) 2006
41. Mastakabhisheka Celebrations 2006
42. Luxury Conference (Gateway of India) 2006 - A 35-dancer production for designers Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Arora, and Sabyasachi Mukerji
43. National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad) 2005
44. Asian Arts Mart (Singapore) 2005
45. Yuva Dasara (Mysore) 2004
46. Kala Nadam Arts Festival (Bangalore) 2004
47. Ninasam Kalashibira (Heggoddu) 2004
48. Prayog(Bangalore) 2004
49. Khoj International Artist Festival (Bangalore) 2004
50. Bangalore Biennial International Festival for Movement Arts 2004
51. Lakme India Fashion Week (Mumbai) 2003 – Collaborated with two international designers and choreographed exclusive dance pieces
52. Miss India Pageant (Mumbai) 2003 - Conceptualized a theme-based production
53. One Way (Bangalore) 2003 - A collaborative production with 18/0 Water Proof – a Swiss dance company
54. Tunga Mahotsav (Shimoga) 2003/2008
55. Bangalore Habba 2003/2004
56. Shankara Arts Festival (Bangalore) 2002
57. Trans Indus Art Festival (Bangalore) 2002
58. World Dance Day (Bangalore) 2002
59. India International Coffee Festival (Bangalore) 2002
60. Prayog (Bangalore) 2002

Crowdfunding Campaign

Nritarutya has launched their crowdfunding campaign for Adhyaya 6 on ZingoHub. Adhyaya is a Nritarutya initiative that aims to support and provide a platform for the young and upcoming talents in the dance performance space.