Shovana Narayan

A Unique Journey in Kathak

Excerpts from Select Reviews:

“Her feet dance, her eyes and hands do the talking….. fascinating experience as she executed aamad, that, tode, tukde and paranas with an electrifying display of footwork, body gestures employing the eyes, neck, chest, lips, hands in perfect coordination….through a mesmerizing dancing spell….”

(S.D.Sharma, Indian Express, Chandigarh)

“Words fail to describe the mind-blowing performance by Kathak guru, Padmashree Shovana Narayan. Lensman Umesh Verma of Moonlight caught the phenomenal 27-chakkar series done by the maestro. She repeated the series immediately once more after the audience requested her to do so….”

(The Hitavada, Nagpur)

“A Swirl and Twirl… Kathak dancer, Shovana Narayan performs the dance ‘Antar Yatra’, based on verses of Sufi poets…”
(Saab Press, The Asian Age, Delhi)

“Dance all the Way….It was a spiritual journey on thhe symbolic route of life, courtesy danseuse Shovana Narayan….combined with the taal of the ghunghuroos which matched perfectly with expressions of turbulence of the soul on Shovana’s face till her final journey to tranquility that had a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers”
(The Times of India, Delhi)

“When her feet made music…. As always, she imbues a magical, mesmerizing quality to a dance form in which she defies the barrier of gharanas with fluid ease……and finally as she made her ghunghuroos dance to the rhythm of thunderous applause, she and Spicmacay had made a connection”
(Nonika Singh, HT,Chandigarh)

“….. danseuse Shovana Narayan gave a spellbinding performance to the tunes of Jaago Swayambhu…..””
(Gautam Siddharth, The Pioneer, Leh)

“Mention the dance form of Kathak to Indian audience and they will think of Shovana Narayan, the premier Kathak performer”
(Pawit Mahasarinand, Bangkok)

“Asavari Dance Group of Shovana brings Indian culture north”
(Rose Cox, Anchorage Daily News, USA)

“A warm Kathak in the Alaskan cold”
(Suleman Din, Anchorage, USA)

“Conversation in the idiom of dance… It was clear from the audience response at Hotel Ashok’s banquet hall on Thursday evening that the mesmerizing fusion between Kathak and Flamenco was yet another winner from Shovana’s repertoire of innovative dance performances….’
(Poonam Goel, Hindustan Times, New Delhi)

“Kathak – Flamenco jugalbandi by Shovana, Omayra….. ‘such a remarkable show has seldom been witnessed in Delhi’ commented many in the audience….”
(Janak Singh, The Indus Times)

“….reached celestial heights in portraying the various moods and specially her elocution in a most dramatic manner about Ram and Sita….”
(D.N.Malhotra)

“Preserving Art in Young Hearts….. Shovana’s Arpan Festival…..”
(The Hindustan Times, New Delhi)

“Shovana enthralls audience…At one moment she was an ascetic, and at another she was the Naayika. She was Gajagaamini for a while and at the very next moment she looked like a peacock personified. Her moods and movements changed fast with the shift in presentation of different images, making each of them live on the stage….”
(The Hindustan Times, Patna)

“…. Explosive bursts of speed with highly controlled sensitivity … much meaning could be read into a mere smile …”
(South Wales Argus)

“ … Shovana Narayan’s dance .. evoke a message of power and emotive depth …”
(Leela Venkataramn, The Hindu)

“…The star was undoubtedly Shovana Narayan … scintillating … can control the most difficult rhythms and variations with grace .. flowing, sparkling,languorous by turns, with beautiful long sustained spins. Brilliant footwork .. this was sheer delight …”
(Dance and Dancers, London)

“ .. a poetic expression .. had stepped out of a fine painting ..”
(Bangkok Post)

“ .. the loose-limbed, swirling pirouettes, the patterns of stamped footwork, the general mood of emotional vehemence …shimmering … showed each anklet rustling … body swaying gently in the wind …”
(Sunday Telegraph, London)

“ .. Shovana Narayn is the first to draw upon themes from the lives and teachings of great men of modern India, namely, Gandhi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Sri Vivekananda, Sri Ramana Maharshi …”
(Dr.S.K.Saxena, The Pioneer)

“Captivating performance by Shovana…….. Padmashri Shovana Narayan had the audience eating out of her hands by her scintillating performance ……….’
( The Tribune, Ludhiana)

“Shovana’s eloquence is as mesmerizing as her dance……”
(Alka S. Pande, Lucknow)

“Shovana Narayan is one of the few artistes who has gone beyond the level of technical expertise in search of truth, beauty and spiritualism in her dance”
(H.E. Shiv Shankar Mukherjee quoted in The Himalayan Times, Kathmandu, Jan 2006)

“As the audience sat enthralled, Narayan was able to sway them to her tempo with her narratives and movements”
(The Himalayan Times, Kathmandu, Jan 2006)

“Shovana Narayan’s Kathak spellbinds audience”
(Dhaka, February 2, 2006)

“Mesmerizing evening of Kathak” by Shovana
(New Age Ti, Bangladesh, February 2, 2006)

“Kathak’s Taal to Chopin Track”
(The Pioneer, Feb 21, 2006)

“Dancing her way into the Heart” ….. celebrated artiste, Shovana Narayan displayed exceptional skills showcasing music, love and dance in a unique experiment with western music and Indian classical dance form.”
(Delhi Mid Day, Feb 24, 2006)

“Poignantly and sensitively handled…By addressing the topical issue of untouchability, Shovana has successfully exposed the malignant disease still eroding our social fabric…”
(Sunday Times, Ahmedabad)

“Quest of a dancer….her social consciousness was reflected in this sensitive dancer’s dance…….”
(Rakhee Bakhshee,The Hindustan Times)

“…Her abilities as an actress are on par with her virtuoso Kathak performance…Shovana proves her mettle as an actress with a strong portrayal of emotions reminding one of similar intense scenes from films which starred Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi in the past….”
(The Statesman)

“A sensitive portrayal… We are accustomed to seeing her prancing like a young gazelle to the rhythmic intricacies of Kathak, portraying bewitching nayikas in love. How did film maker Ashi Manohar rope her in to play an old woman living in abject poverty who ultimately awakened Akbar to the needs of the subject. But Shovana Narayan has virtually lived this unusual role….”
(Evening News)

“ …. superb last evening – inspired and joyous – these moments are seldom in one’s life – when one is totally at ease and happy with one’s ‘sadhna’…..”
(Malti Gilani, Bade Ghulam Ali Khhan Yaadgar Sabha)

“Shovana displays rhythmic wizadry… Shovna Narayan brought alive the feelings of Lord Buddha’s wife, Yashodhara….”
(Hindustan Times, Patna)

“Poet and his Muse… Shovana Narayan pays a poetic tribute to Lord Krishna on Janmashtami….’
(Neharika Mathur, The Pioneer)

“Shovana weaves magic….playing the protagonist queen, Shovana’s presence spelt magic on the stage…..”
(N.K.Mudgil, The Hindustan Times)

“Intricate footwork leaves audience spellbound …. Shovana Narayan’s Kathak recital in the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s fest for the awardees who have beeb honoured with the award this year, showcased the essence of her devotion as a Kathak danseuse…Her performance had both the aspects of the style manifested with an impact. … the expressional mode of which Shovana is one of the most sensitive exponents in classical dance arena. … In the pure dance segment, Shovana once again proved that she is the cavalier of fast and vigorous footwork and manages to overwhelm the audience with the sheer precision and neatness of her dance…..”
(N.K.Mudgil, Hindustan Times, Delhi)

‘…..a beautiful essay on courage……through haunting and immortal verses, it is an inspiring piece which left an indelible imprint in the minds of the audience……’
( Lucknow)

“ .. the supreme bella of Kathak …”
(Ill Piccolo, Italy)

“ … fiery and a dynamic dance ….”
(Western Mail, UK)

“Khajuraho needs to be re-interpreted and that’s just what Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan does. …”
(Anand Jha, Expressions)

“….In Kathak, Shovana Narayan is a name to conjure with. Her body is the container for rhythm and her soul is the container for mime. Her ‘nritta’ was unforgettable…execution with her rhythmical feet, withseemingly effortless ease. One almost becomes unaware of the incredible intricacies because of the fluidity of dance….”
(Financial Express)

“ …. Set the stage afire…..”
(The Dancing Times, UK)