COMMENDATION:

Natyarpana was invited by Mr. Kevin Crawford, Mayor of Manitowoc to present Bharatnatyam with Live Musicians and a 15 member ensemble.

The show had an overwhelming response in the city of Manitowoc with a full house.

“Whenever 'Bharatnatyam' is mentioned in Madison and Milwaukee Indian music circles, one of the first names always mentioned at the top of the list is Kripa Baskaran, founder and dance/artistic director of Natyarpana School of Dance. Anyone with an objective eye for music and the arts who has seen Baskaran perform knows why, and anyone with the same objectivity who has seen Natyarpana students perform credit their guru for doing an excellent job". ,

Heidi Pascul, Wisconsin Magazine.

“In the seven years I have participated in programming, I have never seen so many people stop to view a performance, nor have so many stayed to enjoy the entire program. The dancing and costumes were excellent and eye catching and the information presented about Indian dance were enlightening and educational”.

Events Coordinator, City of Madison

“Our audience was thrilled with the performances and the dancers did an excellent job of introducing families to the cultural background of each of the dances. Outdoor museum events such as Kids for peace day draw a very diverse audience, ranging in age from grandparents to infants and toddlers. I was very impressed with the group’s ability to engage such a broad audience and I was grateful for the flexibility they demonstrated in adapting their performances for our informal outdoor event setting. I would highly recommend the Natyarpana dance company for performances at schools, libraries, festivals and other venues”.

Program manager, Dane county cultural affairs commission

Dear Kripa,

I want to say that we are very lucky here in the Madison area to have a dance company like Natyarpana--and we know, of course, that Natyarpana couldn't exist without your efforts.  It is unusual, I think, in a small city like Madison, with a comparatively small South Asian community, to have such a large and multi-talented Indian dance company.  Natyarpana has attempted and successfully brought to fruition some very ambitious productions of Indian Classical dance.  It is notable that, when needed, Natyarpana members are capable of providing live musical accompaniment as well.  The teaching efforts of Kripa Baskaran has enriched the community with additional accomplished dancers.  A Natyarpana production is an experience not to be missed!

Rick March, Wisconsin Arts Board

My name is Jonathan Gramling, the Publisher & Editor of The Capital City Hues, a multicultural, biweekly newspaper located in Madison, Wisconsin. For the past seven years, it has been my pleasure to attend and write about artistic and cultural performances that are held in the Madison area. Some of the most consistently enjoyable and technically proficient performances that I have witnessed over those seven years have been performed by Kripa Baskaran and her Natyarpana School of Dance. During this time, I have
witnessed Kripa perform with singers and dancers from India and across the United States. These performances have been entertaining and mesmerizing. Kripa and her dancers are very adept at drawing their audience into their performances with their projection of emotion and artistic portrayal of the
storyline. The time flies by quickly because the performances are very enthralling. From a lay perspective, it is difficult for me to imagine very many other schools of dance that consistently achieve excellence in their performances. If only I were 30 years younger so that I too could learn to
dance with such precision and enjoyment.

Jonathan Gramling, Publisher and editor Capital City Hues News Paper

The second performance of the evening was “Krishna Smrithi” by Kripa Baskaran from Milwaukee, USA, and her disciples Josna Haritha, Ramya Sundaresan, Swathi Damodaran, Radhika Muralidharan, Anusha Ramaswami and Sirisha Sumanth. They were supported by Mohan and Ramya (vocal), Prasanna (nattuvanga), S.V. Balakrishna (mridanga), Jayaram (flute), and J.K.Sridhar (violin).

The invocatory item “Anjali”, which featured impressive group choreography provided a lively and colourful start to the programme, and was followed by “Ganga Sthuthi”, paying obeisance to the sacred river. “Madhurashtakam” was the main item of the recital, describing the incomparable sweetness emanating from every aspect and attribute of Krishna, and every facet of life associated with him.

The piece was choreographed with pure dance segments interspersed with interpretation of the text, each verse being enacted by a single dancer and joined by another for a nritta interlude, after which the first dancer made her exit, and culminating in an elaborate group sequence.

Madhavi Ramkumar

Media Support and Acknowledgement:

Wisconsin State Journal

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Shepherd Express

Asian Wisconzine Magazine

Capital City Hues

Madison Times

Wisconsin Trails

Middleton Times

Hindu

Wisindians.com

WORT public Radio

WKOW TV

Foundations:

Overture Center for the arts

Hindu Temple of Wisconsin

Brookfield United Methodist Church

Bayview Foundation

Public Agencies:

Wisconsin Arts Board

Dane County Cultural affairs commission