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Tag Archives: George Ruckert

At nearly 70, Pandit Chitresh Das delivers an energy- and inspiration-filled residency

19 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by chhandika in Chhandika events, News, Pandit Chitresh Das

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Ali Akbar Khan, artist residency, Chhandika, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, guru, kathak, Manju Sheth, Pandit Chitresh Das

Pandit Chitresh Das, guru to Gretchen Hayden, spent a week in Boston recently, running a series of classes and events for Chhandika’s students. Read all about it here in an India New England article with photos or scroll down for the text below. But first: check out this feature below! (Click on image for link to article.)

Dadaji DNA article

Chhandika Hosts Ten-Day Kathak Dance Residency with Pandit Chitresh Das
By Gretchen Hayden
(originally published in India New England on 4/17/14)

April 14th is the birthday anniversary of the late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan— guru of my husband, George Ruckert. We are remembering him fondly, respectfully and with immense gratitude—for his unique contributions to the world as a brilliant musician; for his untiring dedication as a teacher; for the role he played in establishing Hindustani music in the United States and globally; and for bringing a young Chitresh Das to develop a Kathak dance program at his Ali Akbar College of Music (San Rafael, California) in 1971.

This is the world I entered in 1972, as a young dance student, and where I eventually became a disciple of world-renowned Kathak master Pt. Chitresh Das. On this birthday remembrance in 2014, we reflect on the enormous, far-reaching contributions of these two giant artists over the decades since we first came into their presence. Khansahib may no longer be amongst us, but his music lives on and his teachings are carried forth by his senior disciples—some who began training with him as early as 1966. My Guruji is very much with us—here and globally! And he recently came to a Boston for a weeklong residency, teaching and diligently passing on the Kathak tradition to the next generation of students at the Chhandika Institute of Kathak.

April 5th—2014:
Entering through the back door, I am guided by the richly textured sounds of tabla mingled with singing, recitation, voiced instruction, footwork, and ringing ghungru drifitng through the halls and down the stairs. The sound grows louder as I reach the second floor, opening the door to behold a large room filled with pulsating energy. Swirling and sweating Chhandika students of all ages are being led by Pandit Das, as he alternates from playing driving rhythms on the tabla and dancing in front of the class—all the while reciting and/or speaking to those present. Family and guests are seated in chairs lining the surrounding walls. Exhilaration and intensity fill the air, as one is soon transported to a world all its own!

This was the culminating event of a ten-day artist-in-residence program sponsored by Chhandika Institute of Kathak Dance, as we hosted classes and events with Guruji throughout the week. Those who are familiar with the work of Pandit Das know he is one of the most dynamic and far-reaching artists to have emerged from modern India. A prolific artist, his performance, choreography and dynamic teachings have influenced the evolution of this worldwide art form. Based on his concept of “innovation within tradition,” he continually refines his artistry, while exploring the boundaries of Kathak dance and performance, creating compelling new works and techniques deeply rooted in the traditions of Kathak.

As a committed guru, he has trained many dancers who have gone on to establish their own careers in dance. A few disciples have taken it a step further, establishing kathak institutions in India, Los Angeles, Toronto, and here in Boston—Chhandika. With a group of dedicated students, I founded Chhandika Institute of Kathak Dance in 2002 with the aspiration to pass on the Kathak tradition and Guruji’s teachings in the Boston area. Through dance classes for all ages, community outreach and professional performances, we aim to share this rich Kathak legacy with the wider New England community.

We have hosted Guruji and the Chitresh Das Dance Company in the Boston area since 1995 and began presenting more formal residencies in 2002, when Chhandika became a non-profit organization.

These residencies present Chhandika students the opportunity to study directly with Pandit Das, while at the same time exposing their families and the greater Indian community to his unique approach of using Kathak as a vehicle for self-awareness and for understanding life’s deeper lessons. Indeed, his teachings go far beyond the steps taken on the dance floor. They tap directly into the vein of Indian culture, while incorporating Vedic philosophy, mathematics, history, and yoga.

At the core is a set of guiding principles that have been conveyed to his students ever since he began teaching classes to Westerners in 1971. Over the decades they have been crystallized into the eloquently stated Nine Principles of Chhandam. These span from attitude/ etiquette, systematic training and deep knowledge to devotional practice and selfless service.

Dr. Manju Sheth, a board certified physician at Lahey health, community leader and President of Indian Medical Association of New England 2013, reflected on the far-reaching, holistic nature of the teachings by sharing a personal story with those present at the master class on April 5th.

“As a young child, my sister-in-law Ushma studied Kathak with Pandit-ji’s Guruji, Pandit Ram Narayan Misra in Kolkata . Later in life, my sister-in-law suffered from Rheumatoid arthritis. I believe that the intense training required to learn Kathak teaches you value of discipline and hard work. I also believe that learning dance at an early age is good for your muscles and overall fitness for life,” said Dr. Sheth. “I have always noted that dancers have very strong leg muscles . I think this intense training in childhood and her passion for dancing into her adult life helped my sister-in-law recover faster after her knee replacement surgery for arthritis. In my book, optimum health is best achieved with multiple modalities including dance, yoga and meditation. Dance like other aerobic exercises is also known to release endorphins which helps in stress management, anxiety and depression.”

Dr. Sheth said that her daughter, Shaleen, benefitted immensely from her kathak classes with Gretchen as young child. “On a side note, it was an honor to watch Pandit Chitresh Das conduct a kathak class. It is amazing see how he blends in the traditions of an ancient dance and yet teaches kids in the language that they can identify with including talking about Facebook and other social media . I was extremely impressed. We are very blessed that Panditji makes a yearly trip to meet and teach his students in Boston. It was truly an unforgettable experience.”

“I am not a dance teacher, I am a dance preacher,” Guruji once stated many years ago. Those fortunate enough to experience his master class and Q/A on April 5th received an inspirational and memorable taste of the wisdom he imparts, as he brilliantly danced, played tabla, spoke, joked, coaxed, nudged, and infused each participant with the bright light he imparted to all present.

 

We Here Now: A kathak and sarod concert on March 2nd, featuring Gretchen Hayden and George Ruckert

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by chhandika in Chhandika events, News

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Anjali Nath, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, kathak, kathak concert, sarod, sarod concert, Shefali Jain

George_Ruckert_Gretchen_Hayden_Concert

SUNDAY MARCH 2nd at 4:00 PM. Mark your calendars and purchase tickets here.

Ten Years! On building a kathak community.

19 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by Anjali Mitter Duva in Chhandika events, News, Pandit Chitresh Das

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community, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, kathak, outreach, Pandit Chitresh Das, Retreat

by Anjali Mitter Duva

Chhandika began ten years ago. Gretchen Hayden had already been teaching in the area for a decade, but she had a vision of an organization that could carry her work into more settings and have a broader reach than she felt she could on her own. A handful of students worked with her to form this organization, and in November 2002, on a very windy day, I stepped out of the Attorney General’s office in Boston with our stamped letter of incorporation in hand.

Since then Chhandika has grown into a thriving kathak community, the only one of its kind in New England. We have held classes in Cambridge, Brookline, Burlington, Acton, Somerville, Andover and Shrewsbury. Hundreds of students have come to our classes and made their mark. This area has a transient population, and many have moved on, pulled to other areas by higher education, new jobs, new spouses, but many have remained, and many continue to come through our doors. All of them have benefited from this tradition of cultural and artistic integrity.

Every year, Chhandika has offered workshops, Intensive weekends and sometimes retreats to supplement our classes. Our affiliation with Pandit Chitresh Das has offered us the privileged opportunity to work closely with him, and Chhandika has hosted him in the Boston area many times. For the past three years now as well, Chhandika students and instructors have traveled to California to take part in the intense retreats with Chhandam students, thus strengthening our connection to this lineage.

Pandit Chitresh Das addressing Chhandika students in 2012. Photo by Darpan Dand.

We are delighted that we have been able to partner with other organizations to bring Pandit Das and his professional, high-caliber performances to New England: retrospectives of his work, lecture demonstrations at the Peabody Essex Museum and Sackler Museum, India Jazz Suites, and of course Sita Haran coming up in May 2013.

We have held annual shows in which increasing numbers of students participate every year, and increasing numbers of students and parents volunteer.

Kaliya’s Tale, Annual Show 2009. Photo by Praveen Sharma.

Some of these children and adult students have had the opportunity to perform on other stages as well, alongside Gretchen Hayden, or opening for Pandit Das. And of course there have been Gretchenji’s performances, those wonderful events at which we have seen deeper into the creativity, integrity and artistic excellence that she and her sarodist and composer husband George Ruckert, disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, have nurtured for forty years.

Gretchen Hayden performing in Sangeet in 2007. Photo by Sri Thumati.

Shefali Jain performing with Gretchen Hayden, music composed and played (sarod) by George Ruckert. Sangeet, 2007. Photo by Sri Thumati.

One of the primary reasons to form a non-profit was to be able to offer outreach programs for children and adults in other settings. Over the years, Chhandika students have presented workshops and demonstrations at dozens and dozens of cultural festivals, public and private schools, museums and community centers, as well as performed at benefit events for other non-profit organizations. These are invaluable experiences for us as students, and a wonderful way to raise awareness of kathak in the region.

Outreach performance at Harvard University’s Arthur Sackler Museum in 2006. Photo by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard

Outreach performance at Summer in the City, Cambridge, MA in 2003. Photo by Kavita Pillay.

Being involved in the local community is a key component to Chhandika, and in so doing, through our programs and events, we have seen a special community of its own grow around Chhandika. Our students, parents, families and volunteers represent this community. There have been weddings. Babies have been born, and grown into Chhandika students. The line for canoe rides at our annual picnic keeps growing! Children have grown into teens, and teens into adults. Parents have become students themselves. Siblings have joined classes. Members of this community have cooked for our dinners, made backdrops for our shows, looked for studio space, pitched in with administrative work, restrung bells, photographed events, driven children to and from class, hosted visiting artists, staffed information tables, sold tickets, sewn costumes and much more.

It has been a decade of learning and sharing and growth, and we look forward to the next decade being even greater. Thank you to all our supporters for your continued generosity.

Community kathak performances

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by chhandika in Chhandika events, Non-Chhandika events

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Chhandika Youth Ensemble, community performances, George Ruckert, Gretchen Hayden, Hamsadhwani, Hindu Heritage Day, Kaliya Daman, kathak, New York Dance Festival, New York Dance Parade

May seems to be shaping up to be Community Performance month. Coming up on May 11th, Chhandika will be delighted to participate in the International Night festivities at the Peirce Elementary School in Arlington, MA. Five young kathakas ages 7 to 8 will perform the story of Kaliya Daman–young Krishna battling the water serpent Kaliya–with choreography by Pandit Chitresh Das. Following them will be three members of the Chhandika Youth Ensemble performing a version of the Hamsadhwani Tarana, composed by George Ruckert and choreographed by Gretchen Hayden.

On May 19th, two performances will be taking place, one in Marlboro, MA, and one in New York City. May 19th is Hindu Heritage Day in Massachusetts, and members of Chhandika’s Youth Ensemble will perform a cultural event put on by the World Hindu Council of America.

 

 

 

At the same time, dancers Ashyka Dave and Dien Magno, students of Pandit Chitresh Das, as well as Shefali Jain, a student of Gretchen Hayden, will be dancing at the New York Dance Parade and Festival at Tompkins Square Park. This is a massive, dazzling and uplifting event, free to the public. Anyone in NYC is urged to go catch some beats that day!

No kathak in this short clip, but what a celebration of dance!


Click here to share and invite people to the kathak segment.

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Chhandika

About Chhandika

Chhandika is a Massachusetts-based, non-profit organization dedicated to Kathak dance. We are affiliated with the Chhandam Chitresh Das Dance Company in San Francisco, California, and the Nritya Bharati Institute in Kolkata, India. Our aim is to provide a stimulating, supportive and multi-cultural environment in which to explore the physical, intellectual and spiritual benefits of Kathak dance as a student, professional practitioner or curious observer.

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Links

  • About Kathak Dance (Wikipedia)
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Recent Posts

  • Snow Day Dec. 17th announcement
  • Concert in Mumbai—In Memory of Chitresh Das
  • Snow Day Sunday February 8
  • A week in residency, an injection of wisdom and training for a lifetime!
  • November Arts Events–Support Chhandika’s Community Partners

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