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CALENDAR  Himalayan Fest June 7th BY CARU DAS  SPANISH FORK, Jun 7 (VNN) — Expanded Description of Himalayan Fest, June 7thWhat: 2nd Annual Himalayan Fest Where: Krishna Temple, 8628 S Main St., Spanish Fork, Utah 84660 When: Saturday, June 7, 6 pm Contacts: Caru and Vai 798-3559/787-1510 carudas@earthlink.net http://www.iskcon.net/utah The 2nd Annual Himalayan Performing Arts Festival will be held Saturday June 7th at the Krishna Temple one mile south of Spanish Fork on Main St. Performing artists will take the stage from 6 pm, and present a menu of classical Indian dance, drama, music and songs. One presenter will be Radha Carman of Los Angeles. Radha Carman heads her own school of Kathakali Classical Dance. She will depict the famous story of the Mohini (enchanting female) incarnation of Vishnu, as told by the sage Veda Vyas in the ancient Bhagavat Purana. Thulasi Shyamasundar of Phoenix, and Sathya Narayana Raju of Bangalore, will present graceful, fast moving pieces in the Bharat Natyam classical style, including a sublime Radha Krishna Duet. Inserted amongst the dance programs will be one drama and one comedy. The drama will portray the legendary story of Savitri from the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. Savitri was the chaste lady of all time who wrested her husband back from the hands of death. The story is known and loved by all of Indian birth. The comedy is called The Genie in the Lamp. Based on the Bhagavad Gita, this fun play tells the story of a king (the soul), his minister (the intelligence), and a genie (the mind) who is totally out of control until he finds a higher engagement. Acting in the dramas will be Randy Seelig, Karuna Manna, Jon Chavez, Joe Perry, Divya Frazier, Siddhartha Das, and Caru Das. Throughout, festival goers can purchase hot meals of the regional cuisine, consisting of curries with homemade cheese (paneer), rice pilao, blueberry hallava, papadams, mango lassi etc. There will be exhibits on the art, culture, dance styles, history, and cuisine of India. Admission fee is $3.00 adults, $1.00 children. Those who would like to call or email to volunteer for 1 and 1/2 hours in the food booth or with parking etc, will receive a free festival t shirt. For more information contact Caru or Vai at 798-3559/787-1510 or visit the web site http://www.iskcon.net/utah SATHYANARAYANA RAJU is one of the leading dancers of Bangalore, India who has carved an eminent niche for himself in the field of Bharatanatyam. Endowed with a charismatic personality and lingering stage presence, Sathyanarayana has won prestigious accolades, both from the press and public alike. Known as an impressive dancer in the international dance scene, he is also an 'A' grade Artist of Doordarshan, India. SATHYANARAYANA RAJU was initiated to the art of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi by Smt.SUBHADRA PRABHU. He pursued his training in Bharathanatyam under the tutelage of the renowned Guru Smt. NARMADHA at the Shakuntala Nrityalaya, Bangalore. Devotion dedication and hard work have molded Sathyanarayana into an unforgettable dancer. He further received training under the able guidance of guru Smt. PADMINI RAVI, Smt. SAVITHRI JAGANATH RAO (Chennai) & Guru BHANUMATHI. His versatility and passion for dance also attracted him to kathak and he trained under the eminent Gurus Smt. MAYA RAO and Smt. CHITRA VENUGOPAL at the Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography, Bangalore. He has many solo performances to his credit which have won him encomiums from connoisseurs of art. His noteworthy performances include 'Natarajothsava', Mysore, 'Dasara Mahotsava', 'Halebeeda Festival', 'Soorya Festival', Trivandrum, 'Natyanjali Festival', Chennai, Kinkini Festival, Abhinava Utsav and Bharat 'Kalachar Festival', Chennai, 'Prasiddha Foundation' Bangalore. SATHYANARAYANA has the experience of working and winning acclaim in dramas directed by renowned Directors like Shri M.S. SATHYU and Smt. B. JAISHREE and others. SATHYA is the Artistic Director of 'SAMSKRUTHI', The Temple of Art, which is a Cultural Organization in Bangalore. SATHYA has been awarded 'KALA ARATHI RATHN' by Arathi School of Dance, Arizona Phoenix, USA. Radha Carman began training in Bharata Natyam, a south Indian dance style, in Los Angeles in 1978 with the Shakti School of Dance. As a senior student of Shakti, Radha performed lead roles in all the company's dance dramas such as Dance of the Immortals in 1985 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Manifestations of Shakti in 1986 at the Japan America Theatre, and Dasavatara in 1987 at Excelsior Auditorium just to name a few. In 1989, Radha was the first student at Shakti to give a debut solo performance, marking her transition into the professional field of dance. While attending her first year at UCLA, Radha began to study another Indian art tradition, Kathakali, the stylized theater of Kerala. She studied diligently for two years in Los Angeles with one of the few Kathakali teachers in the U.S., Jan Zeitlin. Later, in 1991 Radha traveled to India to take intensive training in Kathakali under the guidance of FACTPadmanabhan. While in India, she also studied Mohiniyattam, Kerala's classical dance, at the institute of the renown Mohiniyattam artist Kalyanikutti Amma. Within a few months, Radha was performing in India Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. Radha stayed back two years to complete her training before returning to the U.S. In 1993, Radha started her own school in Los Angeles. Over the years, she has concentrated more and more on Mohiniyattam, developing her own unique compositions which she has presented to audiences in Kerala, the U.S. and Mexico. In 1995, she founded the Kerala Dance Theatre and became its administrative director. In 1997, she received a grant from the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department to do a long term residency at three Los Angeles high schools, teaching students the art of Kathakali, a project that culminated in a performance by the students. Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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