 |
"Dancing
is the loftiest,
the most moving,
the most beautiful
of arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life, it
is life itself."
-Havelock
Ellis
|
The
legacy of Indian Classical dance is
rich not only
with grace and rhythm made alive by the dancer's body, but is also
embedded in a spiritual heritage that provides strength and peace for
the dancer's soul. Since her very first visit to dance class at the
tender age of five, Tonushree's movements have reflected her growing
strength, talent, and commitment. In the span of over a decade, her
study of Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi has bridged continents
and generations as this simple joy transformed into a deeply spiritual
and intensely personal connection to her inner self and to the rich
heritage that the dance embodies. Under the loving guidance of her
teacher, Neena Gulati (pictured below), master of the Panthanullar
style of Bharat Natyam, founder and director of the Triveni School of
Dance, and a living cultural treasure in the Boston area, Tonushree
became part of the Guru-Shishya
(teacher-student) tradition that has transmitted oral Indian culture
since antiquity.
| As
a student,
Tonushree first graced the stage at only six years old, at the
prestigious Kresge Auditorium at MIT in October, 1985. Since then she
has given numerous performances at cultural and educational
institutions including MIT, Northeastern University, Boston University,
Harvard University, Boston Museum of Science, Boston Children's Museum,
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston,
Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, the McLean
County International Women's Association, and countless cultural
programs. She has appeared on national television in Mauritius, and
gave a special lecture-demonstration to the junior and senior students
of Hinduism at Illinois Wesleyan University when she was only fourteen
years old.
|
 |
After
nearly a decade of practice,
performance, and dedication, Tonushree performed her Arangetram
on August 6, 1995. The word Arangetram combines two words from the
Tamil language, arangu
(stage) and etram
(rising), and marks the first time a young artist rises to the stage
for a professional debut performance. Because of a family move to
Chicago in 1992, Tonushree practiced on her own during the school year
and returned to Boston for the three months of the summer every year
for three years to live with her guruji, practicing anywhere between
four and eight hours a day. Her hard work culminated in a performance
that wowed the several hundred people who witnessed the event,
including special guests honorable K.R. Sinha, Consul General of India;
Dr. Minor Myers, President of Illinois Wesleyan University; Jesse
Smart, Mayor of Bloomington; Mr. Fred Kardon, Executive Editor of The
Pantagraph;
and Mrs. Lyndetta Alsberry, Director of the Agape School of Dance. And
although resembling something of a graduation, the performance marked a
new beginning, not an end, in this young dancer's life and career.
Soon
following her debut, Tonushree was
offered several
other invitations to perform including at Chicago State University,
Indiana University, and Kansas State University. So on November 4,
1995, she gave her second professional recital, this time as the sole
performer at a benefit dinner-concert, sponsored by the Chicago
Consulate of India and held at the Palmer House Hilton. The event
helped to raise pledges of about $100,000 for an India Studies Chair at
Indiana University. And the following March, she donated proceeds
totaling $1200 from a performance at Ferris State University to Apna
Ghar,
a shelter aimed at battered South Asian women and children, where she
had volunteered many hours. Outside the realm of performance, she began
working on a project with Dr. Kim Pereira, Professor of Theatre Arts at
Illinois State University, to develop a new theatrical genre that
synthesizes the spoken word, in this case the works of poet laureate
Rabindranath Tagore, with dance movements. Tonushree's remarkable
talents have led to even more invitations, including one from the
prestigious Heritage of India festival in Durban, South Africa, next
Spring.
"As
the voice of my soul, as the essence of my
spirituality, and as a refuge of strength, hope, and peace, dance has
become an inextricable part of me. As Havelock Ellis said, "dance...is
life itself," and through dance, through life, I have always found and
hope always to find, joy."
-Tonushree
Jaggi
Winning entry in
the 'Portrait' category at the annual meeting of the American
Photographers' Association, Midwest Zone,1996
photograph by Robert E. Handley |
Critical
Acclaim after Arangetram
"Tonushree
and Ms. Gulati, you are India's unofficial, but most effective cultural
ambassadors to the wider American community."
-Honorable
K.R.
Sinha,
Consul
General
of India
"...a soul
satisfying experience...It has been several years since I
witnessed an Indian Classical dance concert and you reminded me how
exhilarating the experience is...I felt privileged to be invited to
share in this cross cultural moment, for in the environs of a Western
audience, Tonushree's performance only emphasized what is inherent in
any artistic endeavor -- that art transcends the restricting barriers
of space and time."
-Dr.
Kim
Pereira,
Professor of
Theatre Arts,
Illinois State
University
"Tonushree...all
the gods have their vehicles...and you have certainly
found yours! You certainly transported us to dance heaven!"
-Dr.
Brian
Hatcher,
Professor of
Hinduism,
Illinois
Wesleyan University
"Her grace, her
art, and her humility combined...to make this lovely experience...It
was a treasure."
-James
Keeran,
The Pantagraph
"...a brilliant
dancer...a scintillating performance...She received a standing ovation
in honor of her performance."
-Lakshman
Rao,
India Tribune
|
{
To arrange a concert, contact Dr. N.K. Jaggi at njaggi@titan.iwu.edu or
(309) 556-3418 }
|
