Bharatanatyam Dancer and Scholar to Present Lecture Demonstration

February 22, 2007

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA –Suparna Banerjee, an internationally recognized Bharatanatyam dancer and scholar, will present a lecture demonstration at 8 p.m. on Wed., March 7, in the Pavilion Theatre. The multifaceted program, titled “Kinetics of Hindu Deities: Interface Between Iconography and Dance Tradition,” will introduce some of the major and minor Hindu deities through literary and sculptural evidence, to highlight the significance of Hindu iconography within the Bharatanatyam repertoire. Audience members will have an opportunity to learn some of the iconographic postures and gestures used in Bharatanatyam. The performance, sponsored by the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture and School of Theatre, is free and open to the public.

Banerjee is an accomplished danseuse, choreographer and scholar from Pune, India. She graduated with First Class with Distinction in Bharatanatyam while pursuing her post-graduate studies at the Centre for Performing Arts, University of Pune. She has also completed advanced studies in the fields of dance criticism and aesthetics.

Banerjee’s dance metaphor is evocative, and her in-depth study of poetry and literature broadens her spectrum of choreography. Her choreography has been performed internationally and she recently collaborated with Janice Baker of Iowa State University on “Tap Natyam,” which juxtaposes Bharatanatyam with tap dance. She has won a number of awards for her work.

Contact: Michele Dunleavy, 865-6113, mfd10@psu.edu