Natya Presents:
Rama Vaidyanathan’s “New Directions to the Margam”

Ticket Link: https://natyadancetheatre.salsalabs.org/newdimensionsfinal

The “Margam” in the Bharatanatyam classical dance tradition is a basic set of compositions that
a student learns from the Guru. The term “Margam” which means path in Sanskrit, is the
journey that a practitioner embarks upon once the training begins. It begins with simple and
direct composition describing the Gods and Goddesses, followed by more complex
compositions exploring various emotions and movement dynamics. The path culminates to a
crescendo of heightened fast paced movements that is symbolic of a final burst of joy and
vibrancy when a journey ends. The “Margam” provides the bedrock for a dancer to grasp and
imbibe the Bharatanatyam’s grammar and core principles. In “New Dimensions to Margam”
Rama Vaidyanathan the choreographer and the chief dancer, explores a fresh perspective to the
collection of dance compositions that comprise the “Margam”. She explores new themes in
different languages, which have never been seen in a Bharatanatyam performance. She uses
time, space, music and movement with a contemporary approach, to add a fresh impetus to the
traditional “Margam”.

‘New Dimensions To The Margam’ showcases what Bharatanatyam should be in the 21st
century, and it indicates what is a possible course of the journey ahead in the next decade. This
work hopes to inspire dancers and dance lovers to balance tradition and modernity in their own
work.

Credits:
Choreography and performance by Rama Vaidyanathan

accompanied by her disciples:
Kavya Ganesh, Reshika Sivakumar, Shubhamani Chandrashekar, Vaishnavi Dhore

Live Orchestra:
Nattuvangam and Kanjira by Ashwin Subramaniyan
Vocal by Anugrah Lakshmanan
Mridangam by Sannidhi Vaidyanathan
Violin by Vishwesh Swaminathan