Kailasa Krishna
Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance)
Directed, choreographed and performed by K SARVESHAN
Kailasa Krishna is a Bharatanatyam performance by K Sarveshan which portrays an unusual episode from Devi Puranam, a collection of ancient stories extolling the glory of The Goddess of the Universe. Amongst these stories emerges the idea of Kailasa Krishna.
“In a beautiful temple on the slopes of the Himalayas, Parvati and Shambhu rest in each other's loving embrace. As Shambhu admires Parvati’s enchanting beauty he imagines how magnificent it must be to experience life with all the wonders of Womanhood. With the tips of His fingers, He caresses Parvati’s lotus face and expresses this desire. Parvati grants him his wish. Together they descend upon Earth as the Eternal Lovers: Radha & Krishna.”
Text by Devi PURANAM | Resource Persons - Kalarigram Lakshman GURUKKAL & Kathyayini GURURAJ | Music Composition and Arrangement by Rithvik RAJA | Musicians - Rithvik RAJA (Voice), SUSHA (Voice), KP RAKESH (Nattuvangam), PK SIVAPRASAD (Mridangam), HN BHASKAR (Violin), JB Sruti SAGAR (Flute), V Anirudh ATHREYA (Kanjira), MT ADITYA (Mixing)
Kailāsa Krishna by K Sarveshan is a Bharatanatyam work commissioned by Malavika Sarukkai’s Kalavaahini Fellowship Program 2021-2022, as a live concert. Now the show boasts an impressive soundtrack by Rithvik Raja, which has further reinforced the artistic integrity of the work.
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
2022
• Kalavaahini Dance for Dance Festival at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai
• Sangeethotsavam by Bharata Kalanjali at TEACH Auditorium, Chennai
2023
• Kurumba Bhagavathy Pranapratishta at Kalarigram Auditorium, Pondicherry
• Kalavaahini Dance for Dance Festival at Bangalore International Centre, Bengaluru
• Sharadotsav at Kalarigram Auditorium, Pondicherry
• The BK Artiste Showcase at TEACH Auditorium, Chennai
2024
• Theatre Arts, Cape Town
• Tantrotsav at Kalarigram Auditorium, Pondicherry
• Rangasiri Dance Festival, Bangalore
K SARVESHAN
K Sarveshan is a South African Bharatanatyam artiste of Indian Origin. His performance practice rigorously explores the complexities of his diasporic cultural heritage and his embodied experience. The interplay between Bharatanatyam, Kalaripayattu, Yoga, Traditional Indian Folk, Kathak, and Carnatic Music has revealed to him a creative path that ferries between the "classical" and the "contemporary". Bharatanatyam, however, remains the fertile ground from which his creative endeavours take root.
Sarveshan's distinct understanding of Bharatanatyam is derived from his initial training with Savitri Naidoo - student of the formidable Pandanallur Srinivasa Pillai and Indira Rajan - and his expert training received from living legends, Natyaacharya Shanta & V.P Dhananjayan. In addition to being a seasoned Bharatanatyam performer, Sarveshan concerns himself in areas of dance research and scholarship, with a first-class BA Honours in Performance Studies from The University of Cape Town (2021).
Diverse dance-work experiences at Bharata Kalanjali, Leela Samson's Spanda Dance Company, Anikaya Dance Theatre, Figure of 8, Vadhini Indian Arts Academy, Jazzart, La Rosa, Tribhangi Dance Company & The University of Cape Town further enhance Sarveshan's credibility as an award-winning Bharatanatyam performer, dance-maker and teacher.
In 2018, The Madras Music Academy awarded Sarveshan the “Gutty Vasu Endowment Prize'' for being the “Best Performer” at the Spirit of Youth Festival 2017. Other titles that have been conferred on him are “Natya Purna'' from Bharata Kalanjali, “Natya Bhaarathi'' from Visakha Art & Dance Association & “Yuva Kalaa Bhaarathi'' from Bhaarat Kalaachaar. He is the 2021-2022 recipient of The Kalaavahini Junior Fellowship, an initiative by Malavika Sarukkai, for which he created and premiered his recent solo work titled, KailāsaKrishna.
In 2024, Sarveshan launched his performance ensemble, the KS Natya Kollective, which aims to help artists realise their creative potentials by pushing boundaries through innovative performance while reinforcing their relationship with traditional practice.