Urmila Nagar

   

      

“Rhythm runs in every vein of Urmila Nagar and music is part of her being”  

                                                    — The Statesman, New Delhi

Born into a family of musicians, Urmila Nagar ranks as one of the foremost artists of India in the field of Kathak dance. She is one of the few artists of India who is both an outstanding dancer and a reputed vocalist.  
 
Her complete faith in and total dedication to this dance form, keenness to preserve its traditional heritage and effort to depict its devotional aspect has been highly praised. The audience is thrilled by her dazzling footwork, melodious voice and superb abhinaya. She is gifted with a golden voice which is a rarity among dancers. Aided by her command over music, she has developed a unique style of her own, presenting abhinaya, while singing Thumri, Bhajans etc., herself on the stage. She is hailed as a dancer with singing ghungharoos (anklets). Through her rich and varied experience she has devised performances in a systematic way beginning with prayers to almighty God, followed by items which are inter-woven in a regular sequence. Any form of dance without percussion support is extraordinary. It was she who visualized Kathak dance without tabla support but without sacrificing its inherent charm. She has performed all over India in prestigious music conferences. She is a regular artist of All India Radio (AIR) and has participated in number of music concerts organized by AIR and Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi.

She was also the Director and senior-most Guru in National Institute of Kathak, New Delhi, a premier institute set up by the Government of India. She has received the Sangeet Natak Academy award by the President of India for her invaluable contribution towards Kathak. She has choreographed and given music to a number of dance compositions.

In Utsav 2007 Urmila Nagar will present an introduction to the traditional literature of the dance with demonstrations of the story-telling movements. Stories from the epic Ramayana, the lives of Krishna and Shiva will then be presented in dance form.

She will be accompanied by dancers Chaitee Sengupta, Jayashree George and the Leela Kathak dancers. Brandon McIntosh will accompany them on the sarod and Annie Penta on the tabla.

Venue: Ethnic Cultural Theater. Date: Friday October 12. Time: 10:30 AM (Workshop) and 1:30 PM (Performance)