|
Bala Devi Chandrashekar
Artist in Residence: Princeton University
For 2010, Bala Devi Chandrashekar is a professor of
practice specializing in Asian performing arts. Her approach is
interdisciplinary and involves lecturing and researching in performance
studies juxtaposed with anthropology, culture and art history. She is
the artistic director of
SPNAPA Academy of
Performing Arts -- a premier arts academy based in Princeton, New
Jersey.
As an artist, she became renowned as a soloist in
developing her dance technique, and currently she works on a number of
projects that raise the awareness of the rich history of the performing
arts with respect to dance and its religious and spiritual significance.
Bala works on the study of movement technique investigating the
relationship of the archive and the repertoire, from an
interdisciplinary domain.
NJ Council of the Arts Panel Artist: Classical Indian Dance
 Bala is an acclaimed senior artist, choreographer and
teacher of Indian Classical Dance. Trained under the noted Bharata Nrityam exponent
Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Bala works on developing and perfecting the
style that is seamless and fluid while yet retaining the precision,
power & purity of line - typical of classical dance. She works on the
study of movement traditions from a cross-cultural perspective. Bala
teaches a revived dance technique translating theoretical concepts into
practice based on her research and
teaching.
Bala has been an active participant in some of the prestigious dance
seminars and workshops. She is involved in developing “Performing
studies” in collaboration with Theater and Dance, History, South Asian
Studies and Music departments of various Universities in the United
States. Bala is a panel artist with New Jersey State Council on the
Arts. She has served on several panels both as an advisor, moderator,
and an educator to bring out the
traditions of classical dance styles with their contemporary
explorations and new presentations. Bala has guided students through the
process of receiving scholarships for performing arts. She was recently
awarded by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts for
coaching students in exceptional artistic achievements.
She has hosted workshops for senior
artists from both western and Indian Classical traditions.
These workshops demonstrated the validity of the movement vocabulary approach to
body training and its role in different cultures, based on the study of Natya Sastra: an ancient Sanskrit treatise on dramaturgy by Sage Bharatha.
This encyclopedic work is Pan-Asian in
character, giving the scientific analysis of these arts and their
fundamental grammar treated through kinetic and physiological principles.
Her disciples get a holistic view of the various aspects of dance:
art-practical, theoretical, emotional, intellectual and above all
spiritual. Her courses include classes in practical and theory of body
language in relation to psychological analysis. She focuses on creating
and consolidating awareness about the link that the ancient heritage has
through the classical style of dance.
Governor's School of NJ: Board of Overseers
In January 2007, Bala was appointed to the Board of Overseers of the
Governor's School of New Jersey by Gov. Jon Corzine. The Governor's
School contributes to New Jersey's civic culture by developing its
gifted and talented young citizens. The program instills in these
students a sense of responsibility to share their experiences and
accomplishments that benefit all of society and nurtures ethical, social
and civic responsibility. The foundation of the program is a commitment
to provide an enriched educational opportunity for gifted and talented
high school students that will not only be beneficial to them as
individuals, but will also benefit the State and is critical to the
future well-being of our society. |
