The highly established Laasya Arts Academy, founded by Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai, will be performing in several significant programmes in India. The arts academy that was birthed from the belief of preserving and nurturing Indian classical performance art will be displaying their musical talents at the Indo Music Festival and Eesha Sarvesha 2.0 in Puducherry. As for their shows in Chennai, the talented young students will be performing on two occasions, the first being Eesha Sarvesha 3.0 and the second being Aaradhana. These events are collaboratively organised by Laasya Arts Academy, Guruvayur Dorai Trust, Sangamam Global Academy, and as a community project with the Music Department of Shasun Jains Women’s College. These programmes are a significant approach to exposing the depth and authenticity of classical Indian performance art to Malaysian students in hopes of sharpening and elevating their artistic capabilities.
The founder of the organisation, Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai, is a woman who is deeply passionate about teaching classical Indian dances and artforms to those who wish to learn them. She has received many accolades for her work in the world of traditional performance art, both nationally and internationally. One of her most recent and notable accolades received this year was an honorary doctorate award from the renowned Hindustan Art & Music Society. Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai has expressed that her vision for teaching dance is to create a space where even difficult students can easily learn the art. She created Laasya Arts Academy as a platform where teachers could be a source of inspiration, motivation, and enlightenment for students. These principles can be seen through the academy’s dedication to organising these culturally important performances in India, where students can widen their artistic knowledge.
The inspiration behind organising these performances also came to Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai after the phenomenal success of last year’s Eesha Sarvesha event in Malaysia, which saw the presence of almost a thousand viewers who greatly appreciated and adored the exclusive creativity of the show. The visionary planning and organisation of the founder, as well as the outmost devotion of the students to their craft, had garnered the prestigious academy many accolades and acknowledgements. The acclaim that the show had been bestowed with was due, foundationally, to their Carnatic music concert having been embedded with interesting western and fusion inspirations.
The musical performance for their upcoming shows in India is beautifully designed, featuring 40 singers accompanied by eight musicians who are exceptional and disciplined talents that the institute has nurtured to growth. To reflect the submerging concept of the universality of music, their performance will express the Pancha Bhuta, which is a term used to encapsulate the five elements believed in Hindu philosophy to be the basis of cosmic genesis.
These music performances at Puducherry’s Gandhi Thidal will be performed before many important individuals, one of whom is Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and Governor of Telangana. The stage had also been historically graced by many famed and talented performances.
In Aaradhana, the performance will be centred on a tribute to the living and breathing legend, Miridhangam Dohyenne Shri Kalaimaamani Guruvayur Dorai, the Aadhi Guru of Laasya Arts Academy. The Guruvayur Dorai Trust in Mylapore has been a monumental aid to the development of performance artists internationally. Laasya Arts Academy expresses an immense amount of pride, honour, and sentiment towards receiving this opportunity to illustrate their recognition and gratitude toward this renowned stature whom they venerate in their hearts. The music for the performance is an original score composed by Vaadya Ratna Kara Shri Achyuthan Sashidaran Nair and Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai, accompanied by lyrics written by Dr. Bala Tharmalingam. It will be reprised and conducted by the highly acclaimed Dr. Guruvayur Usha Dorai herself.
A notable attribute of the performing students is that about 20 of them come from working-class families, while there are also scholarship students of the academy selected for this astounding artistic opportunity. These dedicated students are our Mannin Natchathirangal; they represent the ultimate reverence Malaysian students have towards mastering the arts that their ancient heritage has honoured them with.
Laasya Arts Academy takes pride in not only teaching the technical aspects of ancient Indian art forms but also expressing to its dedicated students the meaning behind each movement, the deep contexts that lay imbedded within each performance, and the necessity of keeping this tradition alive as a way of protecting one’s cultural identities. It is important to pay respect to the soil that birthed these traditional artforms as well as be given an international stage to showcase how devoted Malaysian performers are to the classical Indian arts.
The Academy strongly believes that in order for students to truly master the essence of Indian classical music, they have to learn it from its source, which can only be attained through exposing themselves to the environment of the Motherland. These performances and proximity with artists from India will help enhance and elevate students in the fields of stage presence, Tamil language proficiency, voice culturing, ethical values, and harmonic synergy. These experiences can be greatly instrumentalised by Malaysian students, who can aspire to transform themselves into world-class artists who will carry on the legacy of their heritage.
All Images Provided by Laasya Arts Academy
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