Venue: Houston Durgabari Auditorium Date: Saturday, May 18 Time:
Glimpses of Kalabhavan Annual Day 2019
Houston Durgabari celebrated it’s annual Kalabhavan Day with the usual enthusiasm and fervor on Saturday, May 18, 2019. It commemorated the completion of the Fall and Spring sessions and included performances from students of the various arts under guidance from their respective faculty.
The evening started with a Bharatanatyam performance by the students of Bharatanatyam. The first dance was Natesha Kauthuvam, a dance in praise of Lord Shiva – the god of destruction as well as the god of dance (Nataraja). The second dance was Allaripu (the word Alarippu means “flowering bud”) based on raga nata and taal tisra. Bharatnatyam at HDBS Kalabhavan is directed by Smt Arpita Mukhopadhyay.
Next was a contemporary music soiree starting with a bhajan. It was followed by a modern Bengali song. The subsequent song showcased the influence of western music on popular Hindi songs. The contemporary music students ended their segmentwith a Bengali song demonstrating the effects of harmonization. Smt Anindita Roy directs the contemporary music class at Kalabhavan.
“Kathakers” from Kathak classical dance started with Guru Vandana, a tribute and respect to all Gurus of Kalabhavan. Each level, Prarumbhik, Level 1 & Level 2 kathakers presented their technical foot work in Teentaal. Tarana in Kathak was presented by the senior student of level 3. At the end of the recital, all kathakers from different levels presented Jugaulbandi and concluded the show with Tihai. The Kathak segment was directed by Smt Dolly Goyal.
The Arts School students had a presentation of their works with an informative powerpoint showcasing the talent of our young artists at Kalabhavan Art School. Some of the artworks, created under the direction of Sri Kaushik Chakrabarti were also displayed at the entrance of the auditorium.
The Kalabhavan Odissi sectiom, directed by Smt Supradipta Datta, started with an invocation to Lord Jagannath (Jaya Jagannath). It was followed by a prayer to Lord Ganesha (namo Ganesha) that described his valor and benevolence. The concluding presentation by the senior Odissi students who presented Naba Durga, an expression-based composition enacting the Mahisasur Badhan by Devi Durga and they ended with the demonstration of the nine forms of the Devi.
In the next segment, students of the classical music section of Kalabhavan, under the direction of Smt Rajnita Bandyopadhyay, presented a classical musical extravaganza that showcased their vocal skills.
The grand finale of the evening, directed by Sri Raja Banga, was by the students of the Tabla School with an opening item on Raga Sahana on Rupak and Ektaal, followed by Raga Khamaj on Jhaptaal and Tintaal . It ended with a fusion jamming of tabla-sitar with drumset, cajon and djembe.
Many thanks to our emcees, Chandrayee Soneja and Monali DasBiswas, for being wonderful hosts. The students of each school received a Certificate of Merit and a medal as a token of participation. The occasion also gave us a chance to felicitate the Kalabhavan faculty in appreciation of their services to Kalabhavan and Durgabari. Sumptuous food was served by ‘Tacos and Frankies’ a local Houston restaurant. Houston Durgabari thanks all the patrons who showed up in support of our young talents of Kalabhavan.
Anirban Banerjee, Education Chair
Program Schedule
| # | Time (pm) | Subject | Director |
| 1 | 4:00 | Bharatnatyam | Smt Arpita Mukhopadhyay |
| 2 | 4:20 | Vocal Contemporary | Smt Anindita Roy |
| 3 | 4:40 | Kathak | Smt Dolly Goyal |
| 4 | 5:00 | Art | Sri Kaushik Chakraborty |
| 5 | 5:20 | Odissi | Smt Supradipta Datta |
| 6 | 5:40 | Chess | Sri Dhiman Bhattacharya |
| 6:00 | Teacher & Student Recognition | ||
| 7 | 6:20 | Vocal Classical | Smt Rajnita Bandyopadhyay |
| 8 | 6:40 | Tabla | Sri Raja Banga |
…
