LIST OF BHARATANATYAM TAPES AVAILABLE
See Statement given below. You will not find such a collection anywhere. One cannot imagine the effort, the long
hours, and expenses that have gone into making this available to you. Quite recently,
one of Yamini’s tape got misplaced so I tracked down the distributor to get
it. Guess what the rental rate for this
30 minute video was -- $95! Only then
did I realize how lucky you are to get these from me. How good are
these…..scroll down and read comments…
Readily Available
items are indicated below with a tick ü. This is not a commercial site. Items are not stocked; they are prepared as
and when you order. Order by Email but you must give your full address and
phone number and what you want all in one email.
üNatyadarshan Vol. 1: Natyasastra by
Vol.1A
Series of television shows on the
Natyasastra Volume One by Dr.
Vol. 1B Series
of television shows on the Natyasastra Volume Two by Dr.
Vol. 1C Series of television shows on
the Natyasastra Volume Three by Dr.
ALL THREE VOLUMES AVAILABLE IN DVD FORMAT FOR $65.
Natyadarshan
Vol. 2: Padhams
Right now this is available in VHS format for
$15. The 13 padhams are: Ariya
paruvam, Nee poi azhaithu, Adhuvum solluval, Netrinth nerathilae, Megam vidum
thoothu, Esanae enth yezhaikkirangu, Eppo varuvaaro, Thyagarajyam, Kaksara,
Enemel, Yaen palli kondiraiyya, Avivaenaiyya, Enna thavam. Very soon there will be 40+ padhams in a DVD for $40.
üNatyadarshan Vol. 3: Tillana
40 Plus Tillanas in 40 different ragams. A very useful product for any dancer. I first had 10-14 Tillanas in VHS
format. As I went through my collection,
I was amazed to find many more. To
raise the number to 40 I included some of my own compositions at various
Arangetrams. Performer are not identified –only the ragams. DVD
$40
Natyadarshan Vol. 4-9
only in VHS usually
·
Vol 4
Swarnamukhi A live performance in
·
Vol 5 Natya
Mayuri A live performance of Sudha Chandiran, the dancer who lost her leg and
still contributed to the dance world with her superb performances. Only VHS Available now.$15
·
Vol 6 Nupoor A series of telecast shows by Hemamalini. Only VHS Available now.. $15
·
Vol 7 Top
Dancers A compilation of dances of a
few top dancers: Alamervalli (33 mins) Swarnamukhi (32 mins) Chitra Visweswaran
(22 mins)
·
Vol 8 Shanti
Krishna. Complete rectial. Only VHS Available now.$15
- Vol 9 Instructions from Experts Bharatanatyam basics from three experts:
üNatyadarshan Vol. 10: ‘Shivae’ (Male Dancers)
This is in honor of Late
Venkatachalapathy (my guru in 1991). He did most of the Nattuvangam for
Hemamalini’s dances. A noted dancer both in Bharatanatyam and Kuchupudi. A few
years ago he had a very small accident at a traffic light. He drove his two
wheeler for help but was denied medical assistance for one reason or the other,
so he drove back many miles to his home in Thirvanmayur, bleeding all the way.
He was then rushed to the GH where he died on his way. A very unfortunate
incident and a great loss to the dance field. Included are dances by
Dhananjayans and other artists from around the world. Footage you will never see anywhere else in
the world. Instead of making this into
two part of 2 hours which will cost you $50, due to time constraint, this comes
with 4 hours. DVD $30.
With the revival of Bharatanatyam and the
establishment of Kalekshetra in 1930, Tamil Cinema had a major role in paving
the way for the so-called forbidden art form to penetrate into society. Being used to modern technology, as much as
we may have a distaste to these Black and White movies, a dance lover cannot
deny the influence these movies had on Bharatanatyam. With over 6K Tamil tapes in my collection, I
have spent several hours and reviewed, scrutinized, selected about 200+ such
movies and compiled some of these –
definitely a dancer’s delight!
üNatyadarshan Vol. 11: Dances by Natya Peroli Padmini &
Vijayantimala
45 Dances of Natya Peroli
Padmini & Vijayntimala from Tamil and Hindi films. Not only am I an ardent fan, in March 199I
Smt. Padmini Ramachandiran graced KNS’ first graduation by being the Chief
Guest. I don’t believe there is a
website for her; I probably will do one
soon. The second half of Vijayantimala’s dances begins with an Allarippu from
the film ‘
üNatyadarshan Vol. 12: YESTERYEARS Classics from the Silver Screen
Kamala, E.V. Saroja,
Vijayalaxmi and others
If you have ever seen
eyebrows dance – it must be E. V. Saroja’s!
Do you recall the abhinaya of Kamala?
How about the swastika paadhabedham in L. Vijayalaxmi’s dance? These great dancers added a new dimension to
Bharatanatyam itself at a time when cinema was used to create public awareness
and elevated the art form to heights. It
is simply nostalgic to watch these dances in films. While the cine field in the 50s raved about
Padmini and Vijayanti, I was a great fan of E. V. Saroja. Her moves in filmy
dances were simply remarkable. This collection begins with an instructional
demo by Kamala and includes many dances by others, some of them whose names we
do not know. Almost every movie had the hero and heroine attend a show where
the curtains opened to display Bharatanatyam.Their names we do not know, but
they performed Bharatanatyam in films without any adulteration and watching
these dances will show you how the trend has changed, watching them will give a
clear vision how Bharatanatyam was used in the silver screen then and why some
of us cannot bear to see dances in films today.
It has taken me several months to compile this together. More than 45 dances. 5+ hours. DVD $35.
ü
Natyadarshan Vol. 13: CONTEMPORARY SILVER SCREEN CLASSICS by
Revathi, Shobana,
Suganya, Banupriya, Swarnamalya, Amla, Hemamalini, Jailalitha, Jaichitra, Manju
Bargavi, Sudha Chandiran and many others
A priced collection of dances
by these contemporary artists from telecasts and from films. Included is Revathi’s performance with blind
dancers – a rare and noble performance which (although may lack clarity) is a
must for any dance lovers. From Venira
Aadai Nirmala to Jailalitha and Jaichitra, many are included in this
collection. If you are a serious dancer,
then surely you will want to get this because after the 70s there has not been
any good classical numbers in the movies.
In fact, they are simply intolerable!
It has taken several months to put this compilation together. And don’t think the contents are only from
films, there are a number of stage performances as well. Also, items are not
repeated. For example, Revathi dancing
with blind dancers is given in Natyadarshan Vol.18 Top Dancers; similarly, Shobana’s
dances given in this volume is not the same as in Natyadarshan Vol. 20. In this package I have included a Tillana
where Shobana taught my students just over night and performed with them the
next day. This compilation of Contemporary dancers comes in three volumes: Vol. One:
Revathi, Shobana, Amla, Suhasini, Lakshmi, and many others (4 hours 44
dances $25) Vol. Two: Suganya, Banupriya, Swarnamalya, etc. –
mostly stage performances. (4 hours 50+
dances $35) Vol. Three: Hemamalini, Jaichitra, Jailalitha,
Jayapradha, Sridevi, Monisha, Aishwarya, etc. (4 hours 40+ dances $25). All three volumes comes to you as a set
package for $75.
Natyadarshan Vol. 14 –
only for KNS – not for sale
Vol 14A: RENGAPARIMALANAM (Understanding the Stage) KNS Sishyas (post Arangetram students of Kalairani
Natya Saalai): Tina Mathew,
Vol 14B: BEGINNERS PRACTICE DVD In
Bharatanatyam there are four styles:
Thanjavur, Pandanallur, Vazhavoor, Kalekshetra. Certain basic steps are different. Here in KNS the students are trained with
steps from all styles. For this purpose,
the practice DVD for Beginners contains other styles. It also includes practice sessions where the
student can play the DVD and practice along with the aid. This has not only benefited the student but
educated the parents as well.
Exclusively for KNS students only.
Vol 14C: ANJALI KNS’ exclusive
Anjali items. Although they are all
Pushpanjali, they are given different names for easy identification. This DVD begins with an television interview
where
Vol 14D: PADHAVARNAM
KNS has so far staged
more than 12 padhavarnams at different shows and arangetrams. It begins with ‘Annaiyai maravenadi’ in
Abhogi ragam staged in 1990 to ‘Entha mayakaariyo’ in Useni ragam staged in
2003. Also included are the varnams
taught by Guru Shobana at the workshops she conducted for KNS. These are compiled together in a DVD
exclusively for KNS seniors.
Natyadarshan Vol. 15: ‘Jai Hind’ Patriotic dances performed by KNS
This DVD is a compilation of
the various patriotic dances that were exclusively choreographed and staged by
Guru
Natyadarshan Vol. 16: SHABDAMS
This DVD will contain more
than 40 gouvthvms, shabdams and padhams.
Under Construction.
üNatyadarshan Vol. 17:
These are live performances
that cannot be found anywhere. I don’t
even know how I got these. I was
delighted to see them mixed with a whole lot of other movie tapes. Definitely a dancer’s delight. 3 hours .
DVD $30.
üNatyadarshan
Vol. 18: Top Dancers
A compilation of top dancers
– just like volume 7 (VHS which is now not available) but in DVD. Four Hours $45. Contents:
Dhananyans, Anita Ratnam, Sudharani Ragupathy, Shobana, Leela Samson,
Shoba Natarajan, padmini Durairajan, Ambajam Krishnan, Ratnakumari, Natyanjali
blind dancers from Bangalore. DVD 4 hrs. $45
üNatyadarshan Vol. 19: NAVARASA
Contents: Chitra’s Navarasa on Krishna; Sudharani’s
Varnam; Bharathiyarin Navarasam (where works of the famous poet Bharathiyar was
adapted to fit the nine rasas) by KNS; Padmini’s film dance; full length
concert on Navarasa. DVD format. $35
üNatyadarshan Vol. 20: Shobana
This DVD contains
performances and Interviews from various occasions. The greatest dancer of our times! You have to see to believe. You have to
experience her teaching. And her excellent sense of talam! Watch her perform with her troupe in USA
during October and November of 2003. Take a minute and visit her site at www.shobana.org. 2 hours of rare footage of stage performances
that you cannot get anywhere in the world. Instead of making this into two part
of 2 hours that will cost you $50, due to
time constraint, this comes with 4 hours.
DVD $35.
Statement Bharatanatyam, after its revival in 1933, is now 70 years
old. While Smt. Rukmini Arundale and Shri Krishna Iyer were responsible in
bringing this art to society, cinema in the 50s and 60s played a major role in
arousing an awareness and interest by the public and giving this art form its
dignity. As a child, I lived near a theatre (owned by my houseowner) in
Bangalore and my favorite pastime was to run and watch these dances on big screen
(for free). As I became a serious student of Bharatanatyam I also realized how
precious it is to keep one's choreography within its fold. It is only now in
the 90s that gurus started opening doors to widen the horizon of this dance
form. In 1991 when Kalapeetham was started I was one of the first students to
sit with all the noted artists to learn Nattuvangam under Guru Seetharama
Sharma. I am a slave to Bharatanatyam. It is a devotion to me -- My
main purpose in life. What I graciously received I would humbly like to give to
others. Even though many noted dancers have stayed with me I have not in anyway
exploited my privilege. Even my own students are not allowed to keep my
choreography. I profoundly respect other artists. However, these dance tapes are
from television programs already released to the public. It is listed here only
as a service to promote this ancient art form I have spent (unimaginable)
several hours in compiling these volumes.
I pay people in Chennai and other places to record and send them to
me. I don’t even know what has
copyright and what does not. This is my
humble contribution to the dance field, to dance lovers and I humbly request
you to view it with the same intentions.
If you are an artist, contact us. 301-439-7264
or kns@ranidevi.com. If you are a store or commercial in any way, please
don't even try.
Nanri,
untiringly serving the community, Guru
So now, what is the
procedure to get these?
Send an email to kns@ranidevi.com
giving (a) your full name, address and telephone number; (b) brief description about yourself and the
purpose of getting these valuables – remember these are only for dance gurus,
dance performers and serious dance lovers; (c) exactly which ones you wish to
have – please use the volume number and its title. Emails without the above information will be
ignored.
Since this is not a commercial entity,
and is provided as a service, please wait patiently for
Read what others have to say – only a few have been displayed here:
- (Regarding Vol. 13 Contemporary Silver Screen) The three volume set is a good idea. I am sure individuals who are fans of Bharatanatyam will not shy away from paying enough to cover your costs and then some. I certainly know that you are not doing this for profit. Subbiah, TX (6 Sep 05)
- I always appreciate the passion you have for classical dance. I am 100% sure you are not doing this for monetary reasons. In fact I feel this is more of a service to the dance community and to the artists themselves. Santhi, CA (6 Sep 05)
- I have been a dance fan since childhood and also had the privilege of watching Rukmini Arundale perform as a young woman. I appreciate your dedication and hard work. Uma, MO (6 Sep 05)
- (Regarding Vol. 13 Contemporary Silver Screen) you are doing a fine job of offering these DVDs to dance enthusiasts. Vijay, NY (6 Sep 05)
· Thousands of parnam. It is absolutely right that we will not be able to have such a large collection of your real hard work of many many years. Thankyou so much for being so generous. Devinder, CA (3 Sep 05)
· Thank you so much for your efforts.. it really helps all of us who love , teach and perform this art form. Yours is a great dedication to follow. -- Sapna, TX (1 Sep 05)
· Thanks a lot for your efforts and your dedication in putting this all together for barathanatyam fans like us Kala, (1 Sep 05)
- Namaste! I bought tapes from you before & they are of great use. I regularly visit your site and find lot of exciting information. I really appreciate your work and generosity. – Raja, Massachusetts (12 Aug 05)
- Thank you for the DVDs….it showed me everything I wanted to know about Bharatanatyam and more!!!! Brian, New Jersey (1 July 05)
- I happened to see your website through a link from Narthaki.com. I am fascinated by the information on the site and appreciate your great effort to raise this great art form to its heights. Unnikrishnan, UK (2 June 05)
- The DVD collection is wonderful and indeed a rare collection. My sincere ‘thank you’ for making effort to collect them and share them with others. I enjoy watching them frequently with my daughter. Thank you again and may God’s blessings be with you to continue your artistic work. Usha, Rochester (25 April 05)
- Your website is not only informative, but also a great contribution to the field of dance. Ketaki, Pune (21 Feb 05)
- I
ordered the Shobana DVD from you almost a year ago. I wanted to send
you a short note thanking you again for the service you have provided by
putting together such a DVD! Shobana is an amazing performer, and
for someone born and brought up here in the US, it is rare to get to see
this practitioner in a performance. There are so many times I pop in
the DVD and think to myself-- I must send Guru
- I am so fascinated by the kind of work you have taken up apart from teaching Bharathanatyam. – Jeyanthi, CA (18 Jan 05)
· I watched Yesteryears…you have a wonderful collection and your compilation is great. – Geetha, Michigan (1 Dec. 04)
- I will keep an eye on your website. Thank you again for your outstanding services. – Asha (27 Oct 04)
·
Thanks for your unique service again –
·
I'm enjoying all the goodies you sent…I love the
tape and you did a WONDERFUL job
· Thank you so much for all your hard work. – Athiswari (16 June 04)
- I have watched the DVD yesterday and its great. I was so happy to find so many thillanas. It indeed needs lot of patience and time to compile that DVD. I greatly appreciatte that. Thank you very much for providing us with such nice things. – Aparna (14 June 04)
· These tapes are to be used as a means of remedying this and gain a deeper understanding of this art form. I do appreciate that these tapes are not meant for commercial use - the intention is purely to open up a wider vista for these youngsters. I hope this clears up any reservations you have regarding possible commercial use of these tapes. …Finally, I must tell your venture is indeed a fine contribution for Bharatnayam transcending national and political barriers. With best wishes, --Thomas, UK (12 Jan 04)
- I recently received Vol. 10,12,17,20 of dance CDs. I greatly enjoyed these compilations dating back 70s to date. Job well done. It was clear that you put extraordinary effort to give a lot coverage in each volume, such as interviews and film clips. It was a treat to see Padmini and Vijayantimala in older black and white films. Shobana's interviews and movie clips were great as well. From the enormous contents of these CDs, it is clear to me that you are not doing this for making money. To that end, please accept my commendations for your service, dedication and efforts. -- Sivam, Indiana (Jan 4, 2004)
- I saw your website and am very grateful for the unique service you are providing the community.
—Meera, Florida (Jan 3, 2004)
- Thank you so much for your generosity in time and effort to send me these DIVINE tapes. Your vision to spread this knowledge is inspiring!
-- Kanchana, Toronto (Dec, 2003)
- Thank you for your email. I have only just received a VCR NTSC format for Christmas and so as you can imagine I have been glued to the TV watching all the dance videos. What inspiration. Thank you. It has been great!
-- Shalini, UK (28 Dec 2003)
- My daughter picked up the tapes last night and I got to watch some amazing talent of Chitra briefly. I think these tapes will be exceptional for dance fans like me. Thanks for all the efforts and hard work. …. Once again thank you for the compilation that you can't even find in India! Also if you have any shows in NY let me know, I will come to watch. –Leela, NY (14 Nov 2003)
- What a wonderful service you are providing to the dance community! I would love to meet you, and please do contact me if you are in Toronto! -- Kanchana, Canada (27 October 2003)
- I want to also tell you that this work of yours - getting all these wonderful items in DVDs is great. I have been looking for old Padmini songs and Vijayanthimala collection for so many years. Nowadays even in India its not that easy to get it even if we're willing to pay the money. So I truly appreciate and admire all the work you're putting in for this, and I'm sure its not an easy job. --Sundari, TX (9 Oct 2003)
- A thousand pranams for your email...I am touched by the generosity of your spirit and the abundance of energy that you display. -- Sachin, Australia(30 Sep 2003)
- Thank you for your service to students of Bharatanatyam. -- Dharini, UK (30 Sep 2003)
DANCE MOVIES
- Abhinanadana (Telugu)
- Annamayya (Telugu)
- Chandralekha (Tamil) '50s Starring T. R. Rajakumari. Super group dance.
- Devasuram (Malayalam) best of Mohanlal and Revathy
- Esaikku Oru Kovil (Tamil) '80s Music based movie.
- Kamaladalam (Malayalam)
- Kinara (Hindi) '70s. Starring Hemamalini and Jeetendar,
where a dancer becomes blind.
- Konjum Salangai (Tamil) '60s Starring Kamala Lakshman, Savitiri,
Gemini Ganesh.
- Mayuri (Tamil) Another legendary movie of the '80s where
Sudha Chandiran plays her own role as the dancer who loses her leg in an
accident.
- Megha Sandesham (Telugu)
- Moghamul (Tamil) music based; good songs,
but no dance value.
- Mughal-E-Azaam (Hindi)
- Naam Eruvar (Tamil) '50s Starring Kamala Lakshman. Many Barathiyar songs.
- Natya Bhairavi (Telugu-Tamil) '80s. Dance based.
- Pakeezah (Hindi)
- Rajashilpi (Malayalam) '90s. Dance based.
- Salangai Oli (Tamil) '90s Starring Kamalhassan Jayapradha
Manjubargavi. One of its kind in Cinema industry.
- Salangaiyil Oru
Sangeetham (Telugu-Tamil) '90s Starring
Banupriya and Mohan. Portrays a dancer caught in emotions.
- Sangamam (Tamil) 2000. Although dance based, the movie has
no dance value.
- Sangeetha Saamraat (Telugu) '80s. Music based.
- Sankarabaranam (Telugu-Tamil) '80s. Music based.
- Sapthapadi (Telugu)
- Swarnakamalam (Telugu) Late '80s. Starring Banupriya and Venkatesh.
- Tillana Mohanambal (Tamil) '60s. Starring Sivaji as the Nadaswara vidwan
and Natya Peroli Padmini as the dancer. A legendary movie.
- Umra Jaon (Hindi)
- Vethala Ulagam (Tamil) ‘50s with dances by Kamala,
Padmini, Lalitha.
FOR KALAIRANI NATYA SAALAI,
THE DANCE SCHOOL CLICK HERE. 
FOR A LIST OF BHAKTI
(DEVOTIONAL) MOVIES CLICK HERE. 
