Event Photography

Shweta Venkatesh is a talented Indian classical dancer based in Bangalore. I have attended her shows myself multiple times. I have always admired her fluency with the language of dance and her unique style of presenting. Here is my attempt to capture her process of transforming into the epitome of grace on stage, completely capturing her audience’s attention. So one fine evening, with Shweta Venkatesh’s permission, I was present at the Bangalore Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium. This was a priceless experience for me as a photographer. To see how within just a span of two hours, she had transformed into the finest dancer of Bharatanatyam – was just an out of the world experience. With her every single stroke of the makeup brush and every single ornament, she was getting into the skin of the roles which she later performed on the stage. Practise, innovation in the language of art, confidence, and her own interpretations of the dance form make a big impact on stage. I just tried my bit to capture the lovely process.  An evening with Indian classical dance form – Bharatanatyam, performed by Shweta left good memories both in my mind and on my lenses. We capture event photography with our creative joy.

Event Photography

Event Photography – Kathakali performance by Dr.Prabal Gupta

Kathakali is a major form of classical Indian dance and a great opportunity for event photography. It is a “story play” genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colorful make-up, costumes and face masks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear. Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of India (Kerala) 

Kathakalī’s roots are unclear. The fully developed style of Kathakalī originated around the 17th century, but its roots are in the temple and folk arts (such as Kutiyattam and religious drama of the southwestern Indian peninsula), which are traceable to at least the 1st millennium CE. A Kathakali performance, like all classical dance arts of India, synthesizes music, vocal performers, choreography and hand and facial gestures together to express ideas. However, Kathakali differs in that it also incorporates movements from ancient Indian martial arts and athletic traditions of South India. Kathakalī also differs in that the structure and details of its art form developed in the courts and theatres of Hindu principalities, unlike other classical Indian dances which primarily developed in Hindu temples and monastic schools. 

The traditional themes of the Kathakalī are folk mythologies, religious legends and spiritual ideas from the Hindu epics and the Puranas. The vocal performance has traditionally been performed in Sanskritised Malayalam. In modern compositions, Indian Kathakali troupes have included women artists, as well as adapted Western stories and plays such as those by Shakespeare. 

I followed Mr. Parbal Gupta, the ace dancer from Bangalore into his greenroom to capture the change as he performed in streevesham. An amazing performer and a great story teller through his dance.

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