Sitara Koushik lives in Chandler’s Ford and for a time worked as a volunteer for the Hiltingbury Community Association.
A celebrated dancer in India she has now organised a Mela – a presentation of classical dances – for this Sunday 29th November 2015 at Thornden Hall.
This is an event not to be missed (yes I have seen the rehearsal!) and will include the chance to snack as food stalls will be available in addition to Thornden Hall ice creams and Bar.
The evening will be a presentation of different forms of Indian classical dances by world renowned dancers.
There will be an inauguration of the show by the Mayor of Eastleigh Councillor Jane Welsh, who will light the lamp to start the show.
There will be some breathtaking dance pieces performed in Bharthnatyam Style by Sitara Koushik for 30 minutes.
Professionally trained in Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) in Tanjore Quatret style, Sitara completed her ‘Arangetram’ (first public performance) at the young age of 14 under the guidance of her Guru K Shiv Rao and since then has been pursuing this beautiful art form with passion and devotion.
Sitara has performed extensively on stage and national television in India and is classified as a graded artist of Doordarshan.
Settled in the UK since 2009, she has had the opportunity to perform in different prestigious venues in London, Oxford, Leicester, Manchester and Cardiff (Wales). She is founder of Lassya Dance School in Southampton.
Other performances include the Kathak performance by Anuradha Chaturvedi. She has performed in concerts both in India and in the UK. She is trained under the guidance of Kathak guru pundit Arjun Mishra in Lucknow, disciple of Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj.
Lassya Dance School students will be performing semi-classical and classical dance pieces. There is a guest dance piece by Bhartanatyam troop KalaKunj from Reading to end the show.
To enjoy the show, you can buy tickets from Thornden Hall.
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I can back Roger up. This is a fantastic art form and most enjoyable to watch. The dancers use their whole bodies including fingers and toes. They show remarkable changes in facial expression, not just the frozen grin that you see on Strictly.
I spent a morning watching dancing tuition and rehearsals at a Bharatanatyam institute in Chennai (Madras) a few years ago. It was a fascinating experience.