Publicity material The concert poster [Also, the concert brochure (1.3MB zipped Postscript)]

The Bharatnatyam segment

The Kuchipudi segment

Post-concert poses

Group photos

Sponsors: A Room of One's Own, Asian Pacific Dance Group, Borders, Buraka, Chautara, Community Pharmacy, Himalchuli, Home Environment, India Garden, Maharaja, Muddy Waters, QUIQ.com, State Farm Insurance, Wooden Voices

Special Thanks: TDS Computing Services for their generous support.

About the artist: (See also: Shoba Natarajan's home page and Samskriti's Home Page) Acclaimed as a dancer, whose performances are both beautiful and significant, Shoba Natarajan has the unique distinction of eminence in both Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Born in Madras, Shoba had her initial Bharatanatyam training under the legendary dancer, Padmabhushan Kamala and advanced guidance from the reputed guru, Kalaimamani S. K. Rajaratnam. Fascinated by Kuchipudi, Shoba learnt this style from the renowned, Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam.

Shoba's dance is distinguished by her unsurpassed ability at abhinaya (expressive dance), combined with a flawless sense of rhythm and impeccable grace - the perfect fusion of music, movement and mime. In March 1984, she had the privilege of being the first Kuchipudi dancer to tour the former USSR. Of her performances, Tass (03-26-1984) wrote: "Indian dance has enchanted Georgia. More than ten thousand spectators applauded the concerts of the young and talented, Shoba Natarajan."

In the summer of 1984, Shoba toured the USA and won wide acclaim for her portrayal of Srinivasa (Lord Vishnu) in Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam's widely acclaimed ballet Srinivasa Kalyanam. In January 1987, Shoba was invited to perform in Manila, Philippines and in the summer of 1987, she toured the USSR performing in Leningrad, Ukraine and Moldavia for the prestigious Festival of India. In November 1987, she performed for the Sixth World Tamil Conference in Malaysia. In 1992, she toured the US again, performing in the International Dance Alliance production Krishnam Vande Jagatgurum. In the fall of 1995, Shoba was invited to perform for Mahatma Gandhi's 125th birthday celebrations in Finland and Estonia. In the summer of 1998, she toured the US as a lead dancer in the fifty-city Kuchipudi tour lead by her teacher, Dr. Satyam.

Some of Shoba's noteworthy performances in India have been at the Madras Music Academy, the Chidambaram Natyanjali festival, Navarathri festival in Trivandrum, Dussera celebrations at Mysore, Shri Sai Baba's birthday celebrations in Putaparthi, Sangeet Natak Academy's Yuva Utsav in Kanpur, Ustad Allaudin Khan Ghungroo Festival in Bhopal, Kalidas Samaroh in Ujjain, and in the television serials Sapta Swara and Swara Bushani. Shoba is also a proficient vocalist having trained under eminent musicians, Sangeeta Kalanidhi B. Rajam Iyer and Prof. S. R. Janakiraman. She received the title of Sangita Ratna in 1989 on completing advanced training at the Music Academy College of Music. Since 1978, Shoba has been on the committee of Nritya Ranga, a Madras-based organization devoted to the promotion of young dancers.

Shoba is a `top ranking artist' on Indian National Television. She has received the titles of Yuva Kala Bharati from Bharat Kalachar (1992) and Nadanamaamani from Karthik Fine Arts (1994). In the United States, The State of North Carolina has recognized Shoba with an Artist grant and a Choreographer's Fellowship (1995). She is the recipient of the Master Artist award (1998) and the prestigious Artist Fellowship (2000), from the Illinois Arts Council. Shoba is the founder and artistic director of the Samskriti Foundation in Chicago (USA) where she currently teaches dance, music, and allied arts.

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