Behind The Rhythm

Dr. Smt. Sucheta Bhide- Chapekar is one of the most accomplished Bharata Natyam exponents in India today. An artiste of rare individuality, Smt. Sucheta is the disciple of Acharya Parvati Kumar of Mumbai and Guru K.P. Kittappa of Tanjavur . 2013 is the 50 th year of her illustrious performing career. During this long performing career, Smt.Sucheta has given innumerable performances all over India and in all the continents of the world . Known for the purity of technique, graceful Nritta and eloquent Abhinaya , she has made valuable contribution to the Bharata Natyam repertoire through research and presentation of the Marathi composions of king Shahaji of Tanjavur and by her unique work Nritya Ganga which is a perfect blend of Bharata Natyam and Hindustani classical music.

 

Inaugurated way back in 1982 , today Nritya Ganga , as originally conceived by Smt. Sucheta, has earned its rightful place as a sister style or a new Bani of Bharata Natyam , having its own Margam . Nritya Ganga also forms Smt.Sucheta’s doctoral thesis. She has already choreographed over 75 compositions in Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit in this style and is for ever adding to it.

She has been honoured with the prestigious State Govt. award of “Maharashtra Gaurav” and “Nritya Vilas of Sur-Singar Sansad , Mumbai .A recent addition to this is the most prestigious National Award of Sangeet Natak Akademi for her contribution to Bharata-Natyam classical dance. She has the additional distinction of being the first Maharashtrian Bharata Natyam dancer to win this coveted award.

A founder director of Kalavardhini Charitable trust, Smt. Sucheta is a very popular teacher and has a large disciple following. She is on the faculty of Performing Arts Centre, Pune University as Guru, Professor and research guide.

Arundhati inherits the legacy of her mother the well-known Bharatanatyam danseuse and Guru Dr. SuchetaChapekar. She adds to the talent her own thinking mind, poetic vision, creative approach and zealous hardworking capacity and you have Arundhati the accomplished dancer. M.A. dance from Pune university Arundhati has several full-fledged choreographies to her credit. During the past decade the artistic graph of her performances has been scaling greater heights. Her dance is marked by graceful Nritta eloquent Abhinay and lilting musicality which reaches the heart of the audience instantly.

 

Arundhati is one of the most renowned and talented young dancers from Maharashtra, to whom connoisseurs and knowledgeable look up with expectation. Arundhati is a creative artist who shows all the promise of fulfilling these expectations. Apart from performing & choreography she has special flair for teaching and has been a visiting lecturer at the Center for Performing Arts, University of Pune. She is an active secretary of Kalavardhini Charitable Trust Pune, which works for promotion of classical dance.

She is learning Bharata Natyam since childhood from her mother, the renowned exponent.

Dr.Smt. Sucheta Chapekar of Tanjore School .She performed in the Kal Ke Kalakar Festival, Mumbai and won the title of singarmani.Arundhati has won the National Scholarship given by the Govt. of India for the advanced training in Bharatanatyam.

Arundhati has a fairly large repertoire of traditional Bharata Natyam pieces which includes some of rare Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit compositions of the Tanjore Maratha rulers. The research and presentation of which are her Guru Smt. Sucheta Chapekar’s special contributions to Bharatanatyam. Smt.Sucheta Chapekar has also developed a new style “Nritya Ganga” by achieving a unique synthesis of Bharatanatyam dance and Hindustani Classical Music. Arundhati ‘s repertoire also includes a number of these Hindustani Compositions.

She has a special flair for choreography. She conceived and choreographed a duet presentation “Urja” based on a contemporary theme projecting various aspects of energy, making imaginative use of Bharatanatyam and Kathak technique. “Layaleena”, a group presentation in classical contemporary style is another of Arundhati’s noteworthy creations for which she has won laurels not only for its innovation but for the excellence in production also.

Arundhati in last 15 years has performed extensively all over india in many prestigious festivals as solo dancer, duet with her mother and also part of kalavardhini’s dance troupe. Recently in Sept 2010 she completed a month long successful tour to France.

She has imbibed sound theoretical knowledge about dance and its allied art forms like music, painting, sculpture and literature from her able Guru Smt.Sucheta Chapekar and has given many lecture/demonstrations. She believes that art is an important aspect of life and wishes to work for popularization of Classical dance without compromising on its values. Along with her solo performances in classical style she also desires to be in tune with the demands of new generation and aspires to express new themes through a new body language without compromising on the classicism of dance.