Month: July 2019

Chris Thomas & His Smoke Dancers – all photos by J. Stoller, except where noted

If you want to see what can happen when you let the Great Spirit move you, check out the The Smoke Dance of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nation. This dance is characterized by lightning fast footwork and it’s considered one of the most popular and dynamic competition dances at Northeastern pow-wows. Chris Thomas, one of the current masters of the smoke dance and one of its most celebrated ambassadors, uses his performance to teach people about Haudenosaunee history and culture.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as “People of the Longhouse”) comprises Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk and Tuscarora nations of central and upstate New York. “Iroquois” was actually the name they were given by French Jesuits. Thomas is a member of the Onondaga Nation Beaver Clan.

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Haudenosaunee ceremonial dances have spiritual significance, and as such, they are reserved for members of the tribal community. However, social dances like the Rabbit and Old Moccasin dances can be performed in public, and they’re seen in competitions. The smoke dance is a newer form that was developed in the last century. It may have roots in the War Dance, though some day it mimics clearing out smoke from the longhouse.

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The way one learns Haudenosaunee dancing is by watching and then participating, building one’s own style within the framework of the traditional dance, its costume and singing. Thomas learned in this way, attending shows and pow-wows, where he eventually became a competitive dancer.

His stepfather Bill Crouse, of the Seneca tribe, introduced him to dance and taught him to sing. Many of the songs Thomas presents are in the Seneca language, which is closely related to Onondaga. He regularly performs with his performing troupe, made up of members of the Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca Nations, as he teaches the public about the rich culture and history of the Haudenosaunee.

Chris Thomas – photographer unknown

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Yamini Kalluri & the Carnatic Ensemble Bring Kuchipudi Dance to Western Audiences

By julie

On July 21, 2019

In Dance, Indie Music, Indigenous Music

Yamini Kalluri – all photos by J. Stoller

For a cultural tradition in a diaspora community to not only survive but thrive, there must be dedicated artists who can not only entertain, but inspire. Acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer Yamini Kalluri is an amazing ambassador for this highly complex and nuanced art form.

Based in New York City, Kalluri began a collaboration with the Carnatic Ensemble. This trio of gifted musicians are of Tamil heritage, while Kalluri is of Telugu ancestry. This inter-generational ensemble combines two regional areas of South Indian tradition to create a mesmerizing performance that delights audiences, captivates the imagination and celebrates their Indian heritage.

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Yamini Kalluri and the Carnatic Ensemble of vocalist Shaaranya Pillai, mridangam player Bala Skandan (leader of Indian percussion ensemble Akshara) and violin master Parthiv Mohan.

Kuchipudi dance comes from a village of that name in the state of Andhra Pradesh, on India’s Southeastern coast. As one of nine classical dance forms in India, Kuchipudi is based on ancient Hindu dance-dramas known as yakshagana. For 300 years, Kuchipudi was an ensemble dance form with male dancers. However, nearly 100 years ago, modern Kuchipudi was introduced as a solo dance tradition that featured female dancers.

Elements unique to Kuchipudi are an emphasis on dexterity and vigor, with the final act danced upon the rim of a brass plate. It is a dance form that is devoted to graceful, theatrical storytelling, in a vibrant traditional costume, with close interplay between the dancer and the singer. In the telling of these traditional epic dramas, through emotional clarity and delicate nuances, the tradition is made instantly accessible to a modern audience.

Yamini Kalluri performing with Chandra Rao (vocal), Sai Kolanka (violin) and Sreedharachary (mridangam)

At the tender age of 21, Kalluri is already established as a highly accomplished Kuchipudi performer, choreographer and teacher. Though born in the U.S., she grew up in Hyderabad, India, and began studying Kuchipadi dance at age seven. She proved to be especially skilled at the dance’s heightened use of abhinaya (expression), and when she was 12, she became a teacher herself. Kalluri has since performed in India, England and North America.

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Himalayan Heritage Band and Nepal’s Proud Gandharva Tradition

By julie

On July 14, 2019

In Indie Music

photo by J. Stoller

Bostonians more familiar with the indie rock scene may not be aware of this, but our city is home to a large Nepalese community. The Himalayan Heritage Cultural Academy is at the center of this growing community, founded by master Nepalese musicians who wanted to give the traditional music and arts of Nepal a formal presence in the Boston area. The academy is also home to the Himalayan Heritage Band, an ensemble of virtuoso musicians and educators whose collective mission is to keep this noble tradition alive.

Shyam Nepali, one of the founders of this wonderful band, came from an impressive musical pedigree — one of the most prominent musical families of Nepal’s centuries-old Gandharva musical caste. Throughout history, the family earned their living as traveling musicians, composing and performing songs that conveyed the day’s news to villagers who lived in the mountainous areas. Their music was also inspired by nature and by the rural landscape. Shyam’s father and grandfather are accomplished sarangi musicians in the Gandharva tradition. The sarangi is a bowed string instrument that is carved from a single log of wood. Notes are played by touching the sides of the strings with the fingernails.

Music of the Gardharva tradition, while popular in the ’60s and ’70s, is now endangered, though through the work of the Himalayan Heritage Band and Cultural Academy, the tradition is being revived.

The Himalayan Heritage Band features Shyam Nepali on sarangi, Sushil Gautam on murchunga (jaw harp) and madal (hand drum), Ranjan Budhathoki on bansuri (bamboo flute) and Raj Kapoor on madal. Kapoor also performs the Lakhe Mask Dance, a traditional part of the Indra Jatra, a religious street festival that takes place every September in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley.

photo by J. Stoller

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Pharos Ensemble featuring Vasilis Kostas – Bringing to Life the Anatolia Greek Tradition

By julie

On July 7, 2019

In Indie Music

photo by J. Stoller

The language of music is such that, with a gifted group of musicians, you don’t even need to understand the language to be swept up in the emotion and carried far away. Such is the case with the Pharos Ensemble featuring Vasilis Kostas. Their name taken from the Greek word for “lighthouse,” Pharos Ensemble illuminates the richness and beauty of their heritage, performing highly authentic Greek traditional music. The ensemble comprises five acclaimed musicians and educators who take extensive research and training and bring this proud tradition to the public in stunning musical form.

In addition to sharing their love of Greek music, Pharos Ensemble wishes to educate and inspire young people about the values of this musical tradition, in the hope that it continues into future generations. Drawing from a wealth of history, the ensemble is inspired by the music of the Greek refugees of Anatolia. It is a heartfelt and deeply emotional music that speaks strongly of traditional Greek culture.

Vasilis Kostas, on laouto (lute), was raised in northwest Greece. From an early age, he listened to his grandfather sing every night. The gentleman became his mentor, and Kostas learned to play guitar so he could accompany him. It was through this that he developed his love of the music, which focuses on a strong melody, slow rhythm and melancholy lyrics. He performed at local celebrations and came to the U.S. to study on scholarship at Berklee College of Music.

It was during a fateful trip to Spain, where Kostas was sent to present Greek traditional music, that he discovered his true calling. While there, he met flamenco master JosÃ© MercÃ©, who encouraged him to give up the guitar and return to the laouto. In Athens, Kostas studied with Laouto master Christos Zotos, who transformed the laouto from an instrument that accompanied violin and clarinet into a lead instrument that adapted the clarinet’s melody lines and made them its own.

Now based in Boston, Kostas is well respected in Greece and among Greeks in this country for his laouto playing. He is joined by Panos Aivazidis on qanun, George Lernis on percussion and Eirini Tornesaki on vocals, performing beautifully as Pharos Ensemble.

Pharos Ensemble: facebook | youtube

Vasilis Kostas: web | facebook | instforgram | soundcloud | youtube

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Month: July 2019

The Haudenosaunee Tradition: Chris Thomas and His Smoke Dancers

Yamini Kalluri & the Carnatic Ensemble Bring Kuchipudi Dance to Western Audiences

Himalayan Heritage Band and Nepal’s Proud Gandharva Tradition

Pharos Ensemble featuring Vasilis Kostas – Bringing to Life the Anatolia Greek Tradition