WHAT

Tradition

In Indian terms Tradition is understood as lines of transmission Para-Para ’from one to the other’. This is a very delicate balance of practice, sentiment and taste that is struck between two lifetimes. Paramparai was founded in 1994 by Saskia Kersenboom, to support and foster the ’Karnatik tradition’ of music and dance of Tamilnadu, South India, now known as ’Bharata Natyam’. Twenty years earlier she started her apprenticeship in dance with Smt. Nandini Ramani in Chennai. Classes in vocal and instrumental music with Shri B.Krishnamoorthy and Smt.R.(Veena) Ramani followed in 1977.

Around 1950, Nandini and her elder sister Priyamvada were among the first students of choreographer Shri K.Ganesan and the legendary dancer Smt.T.Balasaraswati, outside the direct family of these hereditary artists.

Curriculum

Paramparai offers an integrated course of South Indian dance, poetry and vocal/ instrumental music, called DASI ATTAM ’devadasi performing arts’, certified by the International Dance Council – Unesco, Paris. Its graded Dasi Attam curriculum combines rigorous practice with theory to achieve artistic mastery coupled to conceptual strength and aesthetic finesse.

Dasi Attam Curriculum addresses advanced students and dancers of Bharata Natyam. Its Summer Residencies are held in the village of Legend, Hungary, not far from Budapest. Small-scale classes take place in a spacious Studio with its own Library and outside in the lush garden on Paramparai’s stage overlooked by a shrine for goddess Sarasvati.

Eventually this graded Curriculum takes the students to Tamil Nadu.

Watch the video on YouTube for more information and references