Home | Latest Issue (2010) | Dance Books | Contact Us

attendance is India's only year-book on dance. It covers a year (1st Jan-31st Dec) in perspective and gives perspectives on issues, events, exhibitions, shows, seminars, books, biographies and obits. Edited, compiled and published by Ashish Mohan Khokar, top writers and critics of dance contribute in-depth articles. Metros are covered, as also major dance centers abroad.

DANCE HISTORY SOCIETY OF INDIA

Join as member by sending email to khokar1960@gmail.com and become member of DHAI and you will get attendance free plus pass to annual convention and nomination for 2 awards being instituted.

Hardbound edition/ Dustjacket/ Art-paper, A4 size, colour, with over 100 archival photos, it is printed by ace art-printers PRINTWAYS and costs less than a price of family-sized pizza* (inclusive of first-rate postage charges). This annual stays on the shelf the whole year round. Buy one to know it firsthand!

attendance 2010

attendance 2010 platforms three important M's!
Mohan Khokar, Male Dancers and Madras Season.

Prof.Mohan Khokar, the father-figure of Indian dance history, its academics and archiving, has left a solid body of work through his numerous writings, books and archives. Last year being his tenth death anniversary, many organisations and serious dance journals platformed his vision and mission for Indian dance. Sruti featured him in its October issue and in December, the Natya Kala Conference had a special focus on Mohan Khokar's legacy, which inspired us to pay an indepth homage to this pioneering dance scholar (and former Secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi and founding head of Baroda University's Dance Dept). We asked many key associates and knowledgeable people in the field to write about him..

Thus, Mrinalini Sarabhai pens her thoughts on Mohan Khokar - the friend, interviewed by Suresh Desai, senior dance writer of Gujarat; G.Venu, notes his remembrances on Mohan ji the scholar; while veteran authority on music and dance, Dr. BM Sundaram pens a homage to the historian. Dr. Saraswati Swaminathan, who worked on Mohan Khokar Dance Collection at the IGNCA, celebrates the collector in him while editor-publisher Ashish Khokar shares insights into Mohan Khokar's life and times. A first-ever compilation on the man and the legend, Mohan Khokar.

Male Dancers are not getting enough platforms and patronage. To help them, attendance will, each year, feature either a region, a form, or a state. This year, it's Karanataka and ten dancers are platformed, of whom few are truly national talents. A scholarly introduction is given on the history of the male dancers in Karnataka by Dr. Karuna, while Satyanarayana Raju, Muralimohan Kalva, Seshadri Iyengar, BP Sweekruth, Mysore Sridhar Jain, Tushar Bhatt, Praveen Kumar are platformed and pen, in their own voices, their journey in dance. The editor gives the reason for selecting them.

Madras Season is an acronym for all that happens in Chennai starting December, now continuing far beyond margazhi month. Sabhas vie with each other to present top names, though many upcoming dancers get no platform or audiences. The whole gamut and game is showcased by a sincere and seasoned observor, S Janaki of Sruti. A young researcher Aparna Kesvaiah gives another twist and take to the relevance of Bharatanatyam in today's context and the Madras Season is the peg for it, as a prism to view the form from.

Columns on dance from all parts of India, East by Shyamhari Chakra; West by Suresh Desai and south by Ashish Khokar, take you on a journey of most important dance happenings. The recap of 2009 by Lalitha Venkat, editor, narthaki, showcases vast dance activities in the whole year.

Under Debut of the year, Manasa Joshi, a student of reputed dance duo, Nirupama-Rajendra is featured and a new Kathak School in Madras, Devaniya. Obits feature all major losses in 2009, while the cover presents pioneering American dancer, Ted Shawn, who dances as Nataraja! The ultimate symbol of male dancing.

Buy early to get special price and before stocks finish. attendance is fast becoming the absolute, standard dance news and history journal and now universities and libraries are ordering back issues, no more in stock. Hence, please order early. Each issue is a collector's item, many say.

Rs. 500/- only for students and institutions. For all others Rs. 700/- ($25; Euro 20) postage included. Send drafts/cheques favouring attendance to: Printways, 20/28, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008.

For each city/country/outlet:
www.attendance-india.com

attendance 2009

In its 11th year of publication, attendance now features a few pioneering gurus who set the tone long ago.

Guru Gopinath revolutionised Kathakali and five articles by those close to him -- his daughters Vasanthi and Vinodini; students G.Venu and Tapati Chowdhurie, and historians-critics pen an indepth portrait on the man and his contribution. Rare pics and reviews from 1930s decorate the issue thanks to the depths of Mohan Khokar Dance Archives, now a big resource for serious dance discourse and journals like attendance.

The art of the Chakyars, represented by fountainhead Mani Madhav and later star, Ammanur, head the issue with two exceptional contributions by a professor of Sanskrit, Indologist and former Ambassador of Poland to India, Mr. Maria Bryski, who was his student in 1962 and one by the masters grandson who found us on the net and wished to write on his great family tradition. Ammanur was served devotedly by dancer-researcher G.Venu who pens a tribute to his guru and master of the form, Ammanur. A vidushaka,(jester in Koodiyatam) Rajan who settled in Mumbai, did much to propogate this rare art in that region and thus earned the title "chakyar" though he was not. He is celebrated by his daughter and disciple Padmaja Suresh.

Living dance legends M.K.Saroja and Kumudini Lakhia are featured to show what true gurus are like (both actually won that Living Legend title/award in 2008/9) Both are too shy to be called gurus though they have trained and inspired many. In Mangalore guru Jayalakshmi Alva and in Delhi, Yog Sunder have worked in dance for decades, without any reward or returns. But they have enthused many to learn. They are all platformed in this issue.

Important events of 2008 like Ramli Ibrahim's massive 25 days juggernaut, Stirring Orissi , held in Malaysia, set a new benchmark in Festival focus. A dance fair -Dance Jathre - a novel concept by Vyjayanti Kashi in Bangalore involved many and the Natya Kala Conference organised and convened by Ananda Shankar Jayant, were the highlights of 2008.

Add, news, views, reviews and even stews! Spats, brick-bats, bouquets! Awards, honours, travels -- all are platformed in 2008. Books, obits, special features like North, East, West. South (NEWS!) diaries from each region by Ambika Paniker, Shyamhari Chakra, Ashish Khokar and Suresh Desai help bring us news from all over India.

Full of pictures, both rare and current, form the bedrock of all issues. Buy a copy today before stock runs out!

Home | Latest Issue (2010) | Dance Books | Contact Us

© Copyright 2010 attendance-india. All rights reserved.
Site hosted by PACE Technosoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd.