SMITALAY - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Smitalay is a leading dance school of Mumbai established by renowned danseuse Guru Smt. Jhelum Paranjape in 1989 in the fond memory of the late actor Ms. Smita Patil. The aim of Smitalay is to teach Odissi and broaden the concept of dance in general as a visual communicator & educator. Odissi is the classical dance style of Orissa - the land of temples, the land of sculptures. Whether the chiseled beauty of the temple sculptures inspire the dance, or the sculptures depict the dance is a conundrum. The training imparted serves to produce aesthetically & technically good dancers who become professionals and at the same time bring an awareness of our cultural heritage amongst the youth.

Jhelum Paranjape is a senior disciple of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra who played a major role in taking Odissi to the world stage. Apart from this, many of her senior students have also taken short-term classes with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.

Our institute has by now trained many budding dancers some of whom are good solo performers, having performed in India and abroad too. Smitalay has a repertory group of artistes, which performs regularly in its traditional shows as well as the new productions of the institute. The institution’s group Odissi shows are much in demand.

Space is a major problem in a crowded city like Mumbai and tends to pose a problem for spatial arts like dance. Smitalay is affiliated to Sane Guruji Arogya Mandir as its dance wing and is fortunate to have access to large halls that belong to the parent organization. This facilitates the rigorous and meticulous training imparted by us. Sane Guruji Arogya Mandir is a social organization striving for the betterment of the underprivileged. It is a registered non-profit charitable trust. (Reg. No .EP 982)

Smitalay revels in the celebration of womanhood through music and dance. Since 1995, we have regularly organized symbolic cultural events to mark this epochal day. We take pride in presenting our annual International Women’s Day celebration, a Nangiar Koothu performance by the accomplished artiste Usha Nangiar. Nangiar Koothu is an exclusive women's theatre tradition from Kerala. Usha Nangiar has trained under Padmashree Ammanur Madhava Chakyar, one of the last outstanding Koodiyattam Gurus. She is hailed as one of the most authentic and authoritative repositories of this dying art form. She will portray the character of Draupadi which has taken form through her intensive research. There will also be a presentation by Smitalay in the Odissi style.

Join us in this joyous celebration at 7.00 pm on 8th March, 2006, at Karnataka Sangha Hall, Matunga (W)! The evening will be graced by personalities like Shri Subhas Chandran and Smt. Kanak Rele. Be a part of a landmark event that holds the key to the destiny of the WOMAN. Be there and behold the brilliance!

For further details, contact:
Smitalay: 022-22616398/5463 Website: www.smitalay.com
Director: Jhelum Paranjape – 98202 16315 Email: jhelum@smitalay.com