India Dance BN presents
Vibha Selvaratnam in Dashavatara (10 Incarnations of Vishnu)
Presented through the Bharatanatyam with English narration; A beautiful, ancient, internationally popular Indian Classical Dance style.
The main piece of the show is Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations) of Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. Vishnu descends to earth to save the world from its own excesses to restore peace and harmony. As the world becomes more aware of the troubles it faces due reckless human actions, the concepts in the show have great relevance to the issues in the current world.
Performed by one of UK’s most talented and mesmerising dancers, Vibha Selvaratnam. Vibha was awarded the Devon Ignite commission from Exeter Phoenix for the initial development of this work.
Audience reactions:
“… mesmerising motion in Dance… pleasure watching…” – S. Krishna (Arts Critic Bangalore)
“Dances like a dream” – Ashanti Omkar (BBC Asia)
“I was left wanting for more”
“Not many of these come along in life”
“Her bhavas (expressions) tugged our hearts”
About Vibha Selvaratnam
Vibha was born in to dance and trained in Bharatanatyam from a very early age. Her outstanding talent has propelled her onto the international dance scene. As well the UK, she has been invited to perform in India.
Vibha has performed in many productions with India Dance BN and is involved with collaborations to explore her art form further, for example with Four Swords as part of the “Beyond Gaia” production at Exeter Cathedral. She has also been praised for the choreographic innovation shown in her experimental solo works such as Nayika. As a Bharatanatyam dancer brought up in the UK, Vibha has always been particularly passionate about being able to share and portray the art form in a way that relates to a UK audience. She heads the Company’s South West region, regularly choreographing, performing and teaching in Exeter and Plymouth.
About Bharatanatyam
The Company’s work is based on Bharatanatyam – the internationally popular style of classical Indian dance, which derives its origins from the Hindu temples of South India. The dance style has two main aspects:
Nritta (abstract dance movements) which excites and energises, and Abhinaya (portraying feelings and emotions) which reaches out to the hearts and minds of the audience.
Bharatanatyam is the universal language of expressive dance, where human feelings are communicated with the flow of music and movement. The dancer’s body displays energy and joy of movement, whilst the mood engages the mind through emotional states, making dance a perfect channel of expression.
The history of this ancient dance style is embedded in the religious culture of Hinduism. Nearly 2,000 years ago the principles of this precise dance technique, gesture language and presentation style were documented in a text called the “Natyashastra”. This text is believed to have documented art forms that had already existed for many generations.
About India Dance BN (BharataNatyam)
(Previously known as India Dance Wales est 1993)
As India Dance Wales, the company has been enchanting audiences with the art of classical Indian dance since 1993. The company has been a driving force for creating and establishing an interest in Indian dance across England and Wales as well as making a mark in India. Growing from strength to strength, over the past three decades the Company has become one of the foremost classical Indian dance organisations in the UK. Whilst heading the South West area, Vibha has created well-received productions such as Navarasa and Nayika, performed at various venues throughout the UK and India, as well as holding regular classes in Exeter and Plymouth.
Barnfield Theatre
