The spirit of Navarathri is live and well!

Vijayadasami at Sutra culminates the 9-day celebration of Navarathri.

Guru Puja: Ramli pays respect to the Adi Guru – Siva, as Mahayogi and Nataraja, Lord of Dance as the personification of the Creative Energy of the Universe.

It has been an ‘eight days a week’ intense dancing during Navarathri as Sutra dancers participated in temple performances all over the Klang Valley and beyond.

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Alarippu (bharatanatyam) en masse to start Vijyadasami performance at Amphi-Sutra.


From Sri Raja Rajeswary Temple (Jalan Ampang), Sri Pasupathinath Alayam (Kota Kinabalu), Sri Mariamman Temple (Rawang), Lakshmi Narayanan Temple (Jalan Ipoh), Sri Subramaniar Temple (Jalan Reko, Kajang), Uchi Pilliar (Kajang) to several performances at private functions and at Amphi-Sutra, itself – Sutra dancers took in their stride the joyous spirit of Navarathri. Like previous times, Navarathri is also the stomping ground for new talents to familiarise themselves with performing and thus gaining confidence as a dancer. New works were performed and dancers found their ‘selves’ through the ‘sadhana’ (devotion) they expressed in their art form.
Moksha (odissi) - the Dance of Joy and Release to end a beautiful night

Moksha (odissi) – the Dance of Joy and Release to end a beautiful night


Sutra’s Outreach Program dancers from Kajang and Sg Choh as well as Sutra Academy new dancers experienced their ‘trial by fire’ and came out in flying colours. They have conquered their daemons of fear and pain and found empowerment, as well as confidence through the discovery of their creative potential. The culmination was last night – the Vijayadasami – the tenth and final day of Navarathri where the arts and its representative, the guru, is paid homage. Vijyadasami in Sutra has always been dedicated to the larger vehicle of tradition and the communal spirit – with dancers, friends and parents gather as one big family, partaking and basking in the regenerative vibrations of communing en masse with of the spirit of Art, Beauty, with the positive mood of goodwill and togetherness. Many of Sutra senior dancers joined in the dance, giving this Vijayadasami the special feel of camaraderie and solidarity.

May all of us be blessed with continuing creativity, peace and harmony in the year to come!

photographs by S Magendran
photo credits: Sutra Foundation

     
For your information, Sutra’s next and last major project for this year would be From Alarippu to Moksha to be held at the Sri Subramaniyar Swamy Temple (Kuala Selangor) from  16 – 21 Nov, 2016. Certainly, not to be missed!