Lasya Dance Company - Vidhya Subramaniam

Lasya Dance Company . Founder & Artistic Director, Vidhya Subramanian, dedicated to preserving and promoting the ancient dance-form of Bharatanatyam, today announced that it would stage its 16th production on Aug 8, 2010, at the McAfee Theater in Saratoga. .Navarasa- Her Choice., choreographed by Vidhya Subramanian, will showcase 10 women from Indian mythology, fiction and history, in a blend of classical Bharatanatyam and theatre. The heroines to be portrayed represent the 9 universal emotions: Sringara (Love), Veera (Bravery), Hasya (Mirth), Roudra (Anger), Bhibatsa (Revulsion), Karuna (Pity), Bhayanaka (Fear), Adbhuta (Wonder), and Shanta (Peace).

Lasya's Panchadasaka Natya Samaroh was a celebration of the 15th year of successful teaching in the bay area for Artistic Director Vidhya Subramanian.

In the first half, Vidhya envisioned and choreographed the amalgamation of the training repertoire of Carnatic music with the strength and beauty of Bharatanatyam. Through a slow progression of rigor in music and dance, the pieces, starting with the geetham to the swarajati to the varnam and ending with the keerthanai, were presented by Lasya's dancers with dexterity.

The second half consisted of "Kanchi Kshetram" performed by Vidhya as a solo. This was a repeat of a performance Vidhya presented earlier at the prestigious Natyarangam festival in Chennai, as a culmination of research and choreography.

In November of 2006 Lasya presented the second of its Confluence series, the juxtaposing of two styles of Indian dancing. Two Southern dance forms, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi were positioned side by side providing a visual feast of the collaboration of grace and power. Vidhya Subramanian and Jyothi Lakkaraju presented the culmination of their joint effort in showcasing the differences and similarities between these two beautiful dance forms.

For centuries, sculpture has been used as a medium of representation, of life and living. Sculptures were immobile but spoke volumes.dance is mobile and can fill the gap between the sculptor's and the spectator's minds.

Lasya's 'Living Sculptures. explores the mutuality between sculpture and the ancient Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. How does the Sun rise and begin life everyday? What compelled Nataraja the Destroyer- to dance? Whose arrival is the dancing girl awaiting? Why was it believed that a living soul (Jeevatma) paved the path to sublimity (Paramatma)?

Lasya was invited to present Meenakshi Kalyanam at the 25th anniversary celebrations of South India Fine Arts on May 30th 2004. Vidhya choreographed the dance drama in a grand manner and the story was enacted and danced with grace and excellent expressions by Vidhya Subramanian and Lasya Dance Company.

In (March, 2004), Lasya presented the first of its Confluence series, the juxtapositioning of two styles of Indian dancing. Southern tempests of Bharatanatyam set ablaze the warm eastern waters of Odissi in "Sangamam". Vidhya Subramanian and Asako Takami danced out a path-breaking margam featuring among other items, a jointly-presented Ashtapadi.

'Does anyone make a beautiful harp and toss it in the dust?
Speak Goddess Sakthi, You have endowed me with glowing intellect

Won't you give me enough strength to make this land useful and purposeful
Instead will you let me be a burden to this earth?'

Lasya's 2003 production was dedicated to the beautiful compositions of the Tamil poet Subramanya Bharati, who was also a freedom fighter for India.

Lasya 2002 production was a huge event -

The 'Splendor of Dance' was presented by 70 dancers to lively classical and ethnic music, dazzling costumes, gems from panchatantra stories, western and eastern rhythms.

"Whence comes this woman! Whose daughter is she? A single woman, who has lost her husband, has conquered the evil King with her anklet, and has destroyed our city with fire!'"

'Silapadikaram' Lasya Dance Company's 2001 production, was based on a literary masterpiece of the same name, written between 200 - 300 AD by Ilango Adigal, the son of a Chera King. It is the story of the chastity & courage of one woman who defied the King and fought for justice.

'If I want the flowers of spring, the fruits of the later year,
If I want what charms and delights, what satisfies and nourishes,
If I want to grasp heaven and earth with a single name;
I name you Shakuntala and so all is said.'

Lasya's premier production was based on the literary genius Kalidasa's Abhignana Shakuntalam (Shakunthala Recognized/ Redeemed). This epic poem in Sanskrit has captured the minds of artists, historians and literatuers all over the world. Lasya's dance-drama based on this saga brought to life the romance between a King and the beautiful daughter of a celestial dancer.