Pandit Birju Maharaj and Company
With Special Guest Artist Zakir Hussain
Co-presented by the Barclay and the Arpana
Foundation
April 2-3, 2003
Irvine Barclay Theatre
and the Arpana Foundation are pleased to announce a rare opportunity
to see two world-class artists on the same stage. Pandit Birju Maharaj,
one of the world's leading gurus in the art and discipline of Kathak,
brings his company of dancers and musicians to the Barclay on Tuesday,
July 1, 2003 at 8pm. Special guest artist, Zakir Hussain, a
classical tabla virtuoso, will join Pandit Birju Maharaj and company
for a special evening of story and spectacle.
This event begins a collaboration
between the Arpana Foundation and the Barclay, in bringing the highest
quality presentations, representing the best of the culture and performing
arts of India. "We hope this partnership will create experiences and
dialogues that will enhance the quality of community life in Orange County
and promote an appreciation of its diversity," said Harish Murthy,
Executive Director of the Arpana Foundation, which, for the past 13 years,
has been presenting renowned artists such as the late Sanjukta Panigarhi,
Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the Dhananjayans, and Prof. C.V. Chandrashekar,
along with a host of upcoming young artists and companies. A presenter
of multidisciplinary arts, the Barclay has featured Indian music and dance
as part of its annual World Stages Series. "This partnership will further
expand the Barclay's vision of offering vibrant programming that reflects
the culturally diverse world we live in. The Barclay is delighted in bringing
the elegance and beauty of India's performing arts to the community,"
said Douglas C. Rankin, Irvine Barclay Theatre president.
Born into a family of dancers,
Birju Maharaj is the torchbearer of the famous family, Kalka-Bindadin Gharana
of Lucknow, which has, for centuries, performed Kathak, a classical dance
style of northern India. Kathak is traced to the ancient Kathaks, or story-
tellers. It is characterized by fast rhythmic footwork, complex timing
and is accompanied by percussion such as tabla and pakhawaj. Dancers and musicians often perform together
in improvisational displays of rhythmic wizardry at lightening speeds.
Birju's choreography on traditional
themes is bold and intellectual, whereas his contemporary works are entertaining
and refreshing in concept. Birju Maharaj has given a new dimension to Kathak,
by applying it to dance-dramas.
Birju Maharaj is also an accomplished
singer, having command over Thumri, Dadra, Bhajan and Ghazals, and a superb
drummer, playing nearly all drums with ease and precision. He has choreographed,
composed music, and sung on two classical dance sequences in the film,
The Chess Players, directed by Satyajit Ray. Most recently, he wrote the
lyrics, tuned and choreographed one of the song sequences in the award-winning
movie Devdas. At the age of 28, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award.
He is the recipient of India's second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan,
as well as several other prestigious awards. He holds honorary Doctorate
degrees from Banaras Hindu University, as well as Khairagarh University.
He is widely acclaimed not only as a performer but also as an inspiring
teacher, having successfully trained numerous students in India and abroad.
Zakir Hussain is an international
phenomenon as a percussionist and in the music world at large. A classical
tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting
performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his
own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. The favorite accompanist
for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, from Ali
Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and Shivkumar Sharma, his
playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity.
The son of tabla legend Ustad
Alla Rakha, Zakir was a child prodigy, who was touring at the age of twelve.
He came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career.
He has composed music for the films In Custody, Ismail Merchant's
directorial debut; Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha; and composed,
performed and acted as Indian music advisor to Vanaprastham, a film
screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1999. In 1987, his first solo
release, Making Music, was acclaimed as "one of the most inspired
East-West fusion albums ever recorded." In 1988, he became the youngest
percussionist to ever be awarded the title of "Padma Shri" by the Indian
government, a title given to civilians of merit; and in April 1991, he
was given the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India, making
him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition from India's
governing cultural institute. In 1992, Planet Drum, an album co-created
and produced by Zakir and Mickey Hart, was awarded a Grammy for Best World
Music Album.
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