Unraveling Rhythms
Fall 2005

Unraveling Rhythms is a work aimed at both transcending and including the
musical and dance forms of flamenco and classical Indian dance. The work is in
triptych format with line-ink paintings documented by a video artist bridging
the three sections, as a handing off of the baton of energy is created
between 2, 3, and 4 dimensions of space and time.

All aspects of the work - music, painting, and dance move from the purity of
traditions into a hybrid treatment of forms, and culminates with a total
departure of traditions. The application of the 3 sections morphs from rigor
and foundation into a larger sense of space & energy, into the interior
world of the human form in time. Contextually, the work travels from the
mythology of our traditions into our mythology's living embodiment through
people (the human form on earth) to the expression of these living people in
our current times. The third section is treated as a meditation acknowledging

the recent tsunami 2004.

All contributing disciplines - dance, painting, and music - gradually move
from a general sense of "fullness" to "emptiness." The work culminates in
the meditative assemblance of 295,000 - the human loss incurred in tsunami
2004 - ink dots slowly amassing. That dense blackness then shatters off the
projected screen onto the living dancers, leaving whiteness behind. Our loss
is carried by our living wrapped in the emptiness; the silence of our loss
we embrace, we sit, we acknowledge.

TOUR DATES

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3&4, 2005 8PM EST

ACORN THEATER, 3 OAKS, MICHIGAN For advance tickets: 269.756.3879 or www.acorntheater.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2005 8PM

OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, 4544 N. LINCOLN, CHICAGO, 773.728.6000 For advance tickets: www.ticketweb.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 6:30PM

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL AT CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER (Claudia Cassidy Theater) www.cityofchicago.org/WorldMusic and www.877chicago.com

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 24 & 25, 2005 8PM/8PM/3PM

MUSIC INSTITUTE -Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 CHICAGO AVENUE, EVANSTON, 847.905.1500***Click on link below to order tickets or call 1-866-468-3401

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th, 2005, 7PM

JAMES LUMBER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS at the COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY

19351 W. WASHINGTON ST., GRAYSLAKE, IL For tickets: 847-543-2300

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 9PM

HOTHOUSE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS, 31 E. BALBO, CHICAGO, 312.362.9707 For advance tickets: www.hothouse.net

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 8 & 9, ALL 8PM

LINKS HALL, 3435 N. SHEFFIELD, CHICAGO, 773.281.0824***Click on link below to order tickets or call 1-866-468-3401

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2005 8PM

PRAIRIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 201 SCHAUMBURG CT, SCHAUMBURG, IL 1-847-895-3600, www.priariecenter.org***Click on link below to order tickets or call 1-866-468-3401

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2005 7PM

Presented by www.worldfolkmusiccompany.com

MORGAN PARK ACADEMY, 2153 W. 111th STREET, CHICAGO, , 773.779.7059***Click on link below to order tickets or call 1-866-468-3401

Saturday November 19th, 2005

Gorton Community Center

400 East Illinois Street

Lake Forest, IL 60045

www.gortoncenter.org

8PM

1-847-234-6060

To order advance tickets at ticketweb.com please follow this link: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/event/EventListings;jsessionid=mtmaNImc04ye1w5+kACw+g**.node1?orgId=10340

SIRI SONTY

Siri is a student and performer of the Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi styles of South Indian classical dance.  She began her training in 1981 under Sudha Srinivasan, student of the eminent Bharatanatyam guru Padmasri Adayar K. Lakshman, director of the Nrityalaya School of Dance, Downers Grove, Illinois, and was introduced to the Kuchipudi style in 1988 by Prof. Dr. K. Uma Rama Rao, director of the Lasya Priya School of dance, Hyderabad, India. 

Siri, along with her sister Sita, has given over 300 performances, including four nationwide performance tours in the U.S. and in India.  She has performed for academic, cultural, and religious organizations, the 1994 Parliament of World Religions among them, and has had the honor of performing for the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Sri Chinmoy of India. Siri and Sita were awarded the titles “Nrityakala Manjari” by Vamsee Arts International, Hyderabad, India, and “Natya Sudha Lahari” by the eminent musician of South India, Sri Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana in 1998, among other awards for dance. She has also been involved in theatrical productions with “the Neo-Futurists”, a Chicago-based experimental theater company, and was featured in the critically-acclaimed “A 60-Minute History of Humankind” and “Inside My Mouth”.

More recently, Siri has been involved in cross-cultural collaboration with Flamenco performer Wendy Clinard, director of Clinard Dance Theatre, Chicago, IL, and world-fusion music group Las Guitarras de Espana (The Guitars of Spain). Their maiden hybrid choreographic venture, Unraveling Rhythms¸ met with critical acclaim and is currently being developed into a full evening of hybrid performance to be taken on tour. Siri is currently an MD-PhD student at Northwestern University Medical School and is honored to have been the recipient of the VEDANTHAM LAKSHMI NARAYANA SASTRY award this year.

About the Art:  South Indian classical dance has its origins in the varied regional dance traditions dating back to the third century B.C.E.  Bharatanatyam, as a distinct dance style, evolvedhttp://www.clinardance.org/upcoming/JAM.jpg from the Nattuvanar tradition of Tanjore, India, which was predominantly a solo performance style taking as its basis the Bharata Natya Shastra, a detailed treatise on the technique of theatre and dance performance codified by the Brahmin sage Bharata of the third century B.C.E.  Kuchipudi, on the other hand, has its roots in the Mela Nataka, or street drama tradition of the village of Kuchipudi. 

As the two forms of dance evolved, they influenced each other, and elements of one style can be seen in the other.  Both forms had as its primary content Hindu mythology, religion, and spirituality, as religion was a large part of Indian life, and dance was perceived as a symbolic form of devotional offering, as well as a means of attaining unity with one’s inner energy. 

Also, dance was used as a means for the propagation of religion.  This content is largely maintained to this day, although many new secular and social themes are also currently being explored through dance.

South Indian dance has three important elements: nritya, nritta, and natya.  Nritya, or the interpretive expression aspect of dance, is the primary mode of communication between the dancer and the Sabha, or, audience.  Nritya is much like sign language wherein the dancer translates the text of the song into facial and gestural expression.  Nritta is the purely technical component of dance composed of dance steps involving complex rhythmic footwork, precise body position, and intricate hand patterns.  These first two elements are strongly emphasized in Bharatanatyam, due to its origins in the Nattuvanar tradition.  The final aspect of dance, Natya, refers to drama – the theatrical interactions between multiple characters, or the “acting” of a single or multiple different character roles by a given dancer in a manner akin to pantomime, using gesture, body language, and facial expression to depict the actions and sentiments of a given character.  Natya is the cornerstone of the Kuchipudi style, although all three aspects of dance are found in varying proportions in both styles of dance.

ORAZIO GIURDANELLA

Orazio Giurdanella was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He began studying theatre in 1992 Escuela de Teatro Ines Laredo and at Escuela de Ballet regional del Zulia. He made his debut in 1996 as an actor for a company called Bajo de Sol, later the same year had his debut as a dancer for Danza Contenporanea de Maracaibo. The artist has shared the stage with important artists and companies, such as danza Contenporanea de Maracaibo, Bajo el SOL colettivo teatral (theater company), Rosario Suarez, Karen Peterson and Dancers, Florida Grant Opera, Miami Hispanic Ballet, In addition to received a full training scholarship for The Florida Dance Festival (2001) and has received a Fellowship award Artist Access Grant 2004. He has performs as independent artist in his native city and Miami FL. Routing back to his training in Venezuela and USA with modern dance, classical and folk dance, Alexander technique, Pilates and his acting training has made Orazio Giurdanella an exceptional artist. He is the artistic director of "The 4 door Dance Theater" and he is currently working as a guest artist for the project "Unraveling Rhythms" in Chicago.

WENDY CLINARD

"Clinard is in complete control of every part of her body. Her fingertips
are positioned just so, her hair and even her eyelashes seem to move in sync
with her swoops and stomps. She is intense, her brow furrowed; a sensual
seriousness envelopes her." (Chicago Reader)

 Wendy Clinard graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as a painter. As a visual artist she was exposed to Flamenco Dance. This led to over a decade of study and performance as a Flamenco dancer. She has studied and performed with many well respected masters of Spanish dance: in Spain, at the Amor de Dios Academy and in Sevilla with Torombo, Juana Amaya, Hiniesta Cortez, and in Chicago with master teacher Edo, and many visiting artists. She currently performs traditional Flamenco repertoire with Las Guitarras de España locally and throughout the United States. She has been invited to choreographers workshops and forums at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts and the Birmingham Royal Ballet in England.

Ms. Clinard teaches and has taught for Salt Creek Ballet, Chicago Multicultural Dance Center, Columbia College, and Gallery 37. She also has
been a guest artist for various studios nationally and internationally.

"Wendy Clinard with her powerful yet graceful movements remained the most
memorable part of the show." (Chicago Tribune)

Carlo Basile guitarist/composer

CARLO BASILE

Carlo Basile, guitarist, has a Master's Degree in Classical Guitar performance and pedagogy from Northeastern Illinois University. His Master's Degree performance was titled "Flamenco Music and Spain's Nationalist Composers." Carlo studied Classical guitar with Anne Waller at Northwestern University for 7 years. He continues to study flamenco guitar in Cordoba and Sevilla Spain with various teachers including Luis Ruiz ("Calderito"). Internationally, Carlo has travelled to and either performed, lectured, or collaborated with musicians from Rajasthan, India; Mirissa, Sri Lanka; Chang Mai, Thailand; Cebu, Philippines; Merzouga, Morocco; Camaguey and Havana, Cuba; Limassol, Cyprus; Zabalo, Ecuador and Paracho, Mexico. Local performance credits include: Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, The Harold Washington Library, The Hothouse, Elmhurst Art Museum, plus many middle school, high school and university programs with Las Guitarras. Carlo also plays guitar for the Music for Medicine Program at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Il. As solo guitarist, Carlo has performed for hundreds of corporate and private events over the past 8 years. Carlo is the founder of Las Guitarras de Espana. He performs, composes, and produces music for the ensemble.

About Jeff  Abbey Maldonado (Painter) :

JEFF ABBEY MALDONADO

Jeff Abbey Maldonado is a Chicago based Artist whose wide range of work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, cultural centers and universities. In Chicago he has exhibited solo at the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum and Jan Cicero Gallery. In group form, the Artist has exhibited in New York, Paris, Istanbul, Mexico, Canada, Nicaragua, Texas, Ohio, California, Arizona, Michigan and Indiana.

Mr. Maldonado is the recipient of the Community Artist Assistance Program Grant, the Governor's International Artist Exchange Program Grant and the Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant. Some of the numerous commissions have come from the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Historical Society, Northwestern University Settlement Association, Delray Farms, Inc., Cuervo Tequila and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has been featured on television, radio and print.

He was on the first episode of ARTBEAT CHICAGO, also, CBS-TV Channel 2, WLS-TV Channel 7 , Fox Morning News and Turkish CNN. He was featured in the first issue of Museums Chicago, as well as National Geographic Travel Magazine, Turkish Art Magazine Akadamist , UR Chicago, Vuelo: Mexicana Airlines Magazine, The Daily Herald, Contemporary Chicano/a Art , by Arizona State University and in Francisco Hinojosa's book, Mexican Chicago.

He has taught in Chicago for ten years for institutions such as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Urban Gateways, Chicago Public Art Group, Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, Chicago Park District, Yollocalli Youth Museum, Gallery 37, as well as the Cook County Juvenile Correction Center.

Mr. Maldonado was on the Advisory Committee for Chicago Artist Month 2004 and in February 2005, Mr. Maldonado was Keynote Speaker for the Visual Arts Festival hosted by South Suburban College. Jeff Abbey Maldonado is in the collections of Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum Chicago; Cuervo International New York; University of Michigan; Viren Patel, DDS.; Dr. Carol Craddock, Chicago; Mr. & Mrs. R. Michael Leppert, Indianapolis; Mr. & Mrs. Ted O'Keefe, Chicago; Mr. & Mrs. Lovelace, Minneapolis; Louise Weinberg Collection, New York; the Erasmo Salgado Collection, Chicago; Diana & Milton Rodriguez Collection and Ambrosio Medrano, Chicago.

Currently, he is collaborating with Flamenco Dancer Wendy Clinard and Traditional Indian Dancer Siri Sonty, for traveling performances set for Autumn of 2005.

Additional artists appearing in the "Unraveling Rhythms" series

Vinod Kumar Rameshwarapu

Vinod Kumar hails from a family of percussionists and began his own study of mridangam at the age of 5. He belongs to the Kolanka school of mridangam, and was instructed by Siripalli Venkata Ramana. He is currently an exponent of mridangam, ghatam (clay pot), pakhawaj, kanjeera, and tabla, with over 20 years of experience and over 1000 performances as a percussion accompanist for dancers, dance ballets, eminent musicians, musical ensembles, and film playback orchestras. His performances have taken him all over India, as well as to Sri Lanka, Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Persian Gulf, and Germany. He was ranked a ‘B-high’ artist by All India Radio, and has been a percussion instructor at the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad, India for the past 8 years.

Satya Gummuluri

Satya is a vocalist trained in the South Indian Classical music tradition. She started 12 years of rigorous training at age 7 and studied with gurus who are disciples of the legendary Maharajapuram Santhanam & Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu. Originally from Bombay, India, she has performed at various festivals of South Indian Classical music, along with being an award-winning performer of rock and fusion music at prestigious festivals such as the IIT’s Mood Indigo, in that culturally diverse city.

Currently in Chicago, Satya works with the Matt Geraghty Project as vocalist and lyricist for their world/jazz/groove-oriented sounds. She performs regularly with Flamenco dancer Wendy Clinard of the Clinard Dance Theater, Indian classical dancer Siri Sonty and Las Guitarras de España as vocalist on their Flamenco-Indian Classical Dance hybrid piece “Unraveling Rhythms”. She also provides classical music and rhythm vocalization for traditional Indian classical dance pieces. She has collaborated with Carlo Basile and Las Guitarras on their latest CD, “Un Respiro por El Mundo”, to compose a piece that is an exploration of the fundamental connection between Spanish and Indian music, and has performed with them at venues around Chicago. Satya is a versatile singer with a unique rhythmic and melodic improvisational style, and has a deep interest in music from around the world, writing lyrics, in music theory and history.

Saraswathi Ranganathan

Saraswathi has a rich musical lineage. She had her initial Veena training at the age of 6 from her mother Shantha Ranganathan and grandmother Sulochana Mahadevan. She continued advanced guidance under E P Alamelu, a renowned Veena artiste from India. She has performed widely both in India and in the US at several prestigious musical institutions, and won first prizes and awards in State and National level music events. She secured first rank in her home state in the proficiency level music exam. In addition to excellent press reviews, she has to her credit the title “Veena Pani Saraswathi” conferred by the Pontiff of Sringeri, India. She has also released audio cassettes with her teacher entitled ‘Samarpanam’. She is currently teaching music in Chicago.

Manjula Rao

Manjula is a computer scientist by profession. Manjula started learning violin at the young age of 8 from Sri. Venkatadasappa and continued with Sri. H.V. Krishna Murthy. She had her advanced training from the well known violinist, Sri. R.R. Keshavamurthy (Bidaram Krishnappa's student) in Bangalore. She has given many solo performances and accompanied many visiting artists, including Jesudas, and has provided violin support in many orchestras for dance. She directed and conducted many orchestral ensembles of Carnatic music with western instruments and has directed a number of group songs. She has set to music Kalidasa's Shakuntala and was the music director for the same drama when it was staged in Chicago in 1981. She has composed interludes for Utsava Sampradaya kritis of Thyagaraja. She has published and directed a musical drama, "Purandara Daasa". She was the recipient of Illinois Arts Council grant for '99 She teaches music, both Vocal and Violin, at her home.