 from the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Good afternoon. I'm Theodosia Austin, the public events coordinator for the American Folklife Center here at the Library of Congress. And on behalf of the entire staff, welcome to the fifth concert in the 2013 Homegrown Music of America concert series. We bring you the best of traditional music dance from across the country. And to do that, we work with very talented state folklorists and public sector folklorists to identify, search their regions, and identify the very best artists that we can, and bring them here to you. The Folklife Center works collaboratively with the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center to sponsor all of these artists. So the performers come here to the library, and then we'll be at the Kennedy Center. This group will be there tonight at 6 o'clock if you want to catch them again, or if you know people that you think would enjoy the presentation there as well. I wanted to let you know that this concert will be webcast, and the content will go into our permanent collections at the library. So this is a good time to turn off your cell phones. Otherwise, they will also be memorialized forever on the library's website. Today we have a very special group of dancers from Bethesda called Kalanidi Dance. They're directed by Anuradha Nehru. She'll be presenting information about each dance throughout the performance. You'll hear her voice blended seamlessly into the music for each piece. But we have a very special guest to introduce the group. His name is Dharan Sitaran. He's the counselor for press and information and culture at the Embassy of India. So please join me in welcoming Dharan. Thank you, Dharan. Good afternoon to all of you. I have the pleasant job of introducing this team. I entered to do it briefly by touching upon who they are, what they are doing, and what we are supposed to do. Who they are is very simple. Thanks to friend Anuradha Nehru, who is the director of the Kalanidi. She fed me fully. I may not do justice, but briefly I'll touch it. Kalaniti, if you know the Indian language, means a treasure, art treasure. Kalaniti means treasure or wealth. So this is basically about, like all the important treasures in life, this is also a treasure that is worth having, which becomes more when you share. Other treasures are OK, but most of the important treasures we have in life become more when you share. And so they are sharing art with all of us. And Anuradha is a Sishya, or the student disciple of one of the greatest doyens of Indian dance, Kuchipudi dance. And I mean, Chinnasatiam is a well-known figure in Indian dance, and she is a direct disciple. And she has been teaching Kuchipudi for the last, from 1992 onwards. She has been teaching and performing at various countries. And she has started the school here so that the kids can learn that. And the company has a company there. From 2005, they are operating here. Like any of the, I've been doing this introduction of Indian cultural organizations in Beijing, Hong Kong, Fiji Islands, wherever I work as a diplomat, I've been doing what touches me is that the dedication that these kids put into this. Even back in India, you may have to drag people there. But here, people are so dedicated about the whole thing. And the whole thing has a pithy nature to it. The teacher, in Indian tradition, as you know, the guru Sishya, the teacher and student relationship is one of the most important relationship. I see that wherever I go, that tone of relationship is still maintained wherever they go. Now, coming to what they do, briefly, I'm sure Anu will do the more elaborate thing on this. Kuchipudi is actually a village, very, very tiny village. Even if you take Indian map, you can't really find it. It's a tiny village close to the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. And that is where this dance form emanated. People say from 5th century, 6th century, 7th century. But beyond 1,000, it doesn't matter. It's really, really classical dance form, one of the eight forms that we have. And it has grown mainly as a male dance. The male dancers used to dress as females, and they used to dance it. Initially at the folk level, and then at the festival level. And later, it became a very classical form. And institutions have started emerging. And why I mentioned this is when you see this, you will see it has more power in action than the normal Indian dances. Because it was conceived for a male in mind. At the same time, since they used to dress like female, there will be slightly accentuated feminity added to it. So there's this strange combination of power and this accentuated gracefulness makes it very special. And they have been performing in, I mean, they have been to India in 2007 for one of the very important dance festivals. And they have performed in Singapore. They have performed in Jakarta. And this team has performed, of course, in the US in so many places, including Kennedy Center. What interests me is that Anuradha is not restricting to just the classical form. They have interacted with French opera. They contribute to French opera in bringing this cultural combination between this and that. So this is very exciting. And I just briefly saw the five beautiful, cute young dancers waiting for you. I don't know what to stand in between. But let me just touch up on what, I said that who they are, what they do. A third one, I said that what we are supposed to do. You know, we come for a dance and we can easily see it as a dance. But just to think of it, if they're going to do this, this is called a deer, right? And if they do this, this is a parrot. And this was conceived in fifth century AD. And this has been coming along over the centuries from generation after generation. And this is one of the eight classical dances. And we have hundreds of dance forms in India. And these are performed all over the world every day by hundreds and millions of people. So when it's raining, you go out and extend your hand and there are few drops on your hand. What you are experiencing is not a few drops. You are experiencing a magnificent rain. And you are experiencing to the capacity that we can, what our hands can take it. And that is how I see these performances. These are very small in nature. A few hundred people are so. But they are a harmony, a part of the harmony that's happening all over the world. We are very happy from the Indian Embassy to collaborate with Kalanithi on various things. And we want to continue it at the Library of Congress in this area also. We want to continue a lot of collaboration. So I'm also no less eager to watch this program and I wish them best. Thank you. In Hindu philosophy, as creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first vibration, manifesting as the sound, Om. Om embraces all that exists. It is an omnipresent reflection of absolute reality. In the first dance of this program, the dancers are inspired by Lord Ganesha, the manifestation of Om. Ganesha is the unsurpassed, the faultless provider. The dancers' movements to the rhythmic beats and musical syllables in the song Ananda Nartana Ganapatam reflect Ganesha's joy. Ananda Nartana Ganapatam will be performed by Ramya Durvasula and Praknya Thamire. Om embraces all that exists. Lord Shiva is the god of dance. In Hindu mythology, when Lord Shiva beat a hand drum, the world heard its first rhythm. As he moved his body in time with its beat, the universe came into being. For this reason, Indian dancers conceive of classical dance as the highest form of worship and dedicate themselves to Lord Shiva as the dancing Nataraj, the supreme symbol of cosmic energy. In our next dance, Shivastuti, we present two distinct halves composed to a poem and a song. The dance begins with a poem which describes Shiva as the three-eyed god with four hands, the embodiment of peace, whose body glows like the early morning rays of the sun, the one blessed with a smiling face, who holds the river goddess Ganga in his hair, who destroys all evil, whose right leg is held in the beautiful Kunjitam position, while his left leg is lifted high above the ground. In his first hand, he holds a trident, in his second hand, a kettle drum. His third hand is held elegantly in dola hasta, and his fourth hand holds a vessel containing fire. On his left ear, he wears a moon-shaped earring. And on his right ear, a earring made of a crocodile skin, adorned with snakes on his chest. His whole body is smeared with ashes. To such a Lord Shiva, the epitome of knowledge, we offer our humble prayers. The second half of the dance continues with a song that describes the power of Lord Shiva. He is accompanied by a celestial orchestra comprised of Lord Vishnu on the drums, Lord Indra on the flute, Lord Brahma on the symbols, and Goddess Saraswati on the Veena. As the sages and celestial dancers watch this performance in awe and wonder, Shivasthiti performed by Supraja Chitari, Ramya Durvasula, Fragnya Tamire, Ankita Durvasula, and Devika Valiyal. Shri Ramya Durvasula, Ankita Durvasula, Ankita Durvasula, and Devika Valiyal. Shri Ramya Durvasula, Ankita Durvasula, Ankita Durvasula, Ankita Durvasula, and Devika Valiyal. The next dance that we present to you has been composed to the song Aalokaya Sri Balakrishnan, taken from a Sanskrit opera on Krishna, called Sri Krishnadeela Taringini. Each song taken from this opera constitutes a chapter or a Taringini, and the dance composed to it is called a Tarangam. A Tarangam typically forms the centerpiece in a Kuchapuri dance concert, as it incorporates all three elements of Indian dance – nritha or pure dance, nrithya or narrative, and natya or mime. It characteristically ends with the dancers standing on the rim of a brass plate while they move to complex rhythmic beats. Krishna, one of our most lovable and endearing gods, is often portrayed as child Krishna, capable of performing superhuman pastimes, such as lifting mountains with his little finger. Today, the dancers tell the story of how the young Krishna dares to attack the venomous and mighty serpent Kaliya. A cowhead boy, young Krishna, is often seen playing with his friends as they take their cows to green pastures. In the nearby Yamuna River lived the fearsome Kaliya. One day Krishna leads his cows to the river to escape the summer heat. Krishna plays his flute, a favorite pastime of his, before he notices that his beloved cows have died. Agast, he suspects the purity of the waters from which the cows have drunk and discovers that they have been poisoned. He finds the source of the poison to be none other than Kaliya, the deadly serpent. Krishna dives into the river and taunts Kaliya. Kaliya attacks Krishna and a fierce battle ensues. Krishna emerges victorious and dances joyfully on Kaliya's head. Aalokayeshri Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula and Praknya Thamire. Aalokayeshri Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula Balakrishnan performed by Suprijachetari Ramya Durvasula We conclude today's performance with synergy. Synergy is a creative concept of nrita or pure dance, which blends the traditional foundations of kujibudi with contemporary ideas, performed by Ankita Durvasula, Ramya Durvasula, Pragya Thamire and Devika Valil. And I'd like to introduce the artistic director Anuradha Nehru, Kalanidhi Dance. Thank you all so much for coming, they were beautiful dancers. Thank you all so much for coming, and please join us September 11th at noon Los Texmaniacs, Konhunta Dance Band will be playing here. So thanks very much, bye-bye. This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc.gov.