March 10, 2010
Contact:
Elizabeth Klipp, 404-413-1356
University Relations
ATLANTA - Georgia State University's Center for International and Collaborative Arts (CENCIA) is hosting two upcoming events highlighting the artistic cultures of India and Greece.
The first event is a free performance of Indian Kuchipudi dance, a South Indian dance that can be traced back to ancient temple ritual practice but has gradually transformed into artistic performances. The event, which is co-sponsored by Georgia State's Department of Religious Studies, will be held at 7 p.m. on March 16 at the Rialto Center for the Arts.
The performance has been choreographed by Sasikala Penumarthi, founder and director of the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, which is based in Atlanta. Penumarthi has been recognized internationally as one of the foremost performers of Kuchipudi Dance. The dance-drama will tell the love story between the god Krishna and Rukmini, one of the best-known religious legends in Hindu tradition.
"The dance is seen as very important to those of us who study Hinduism and religion in general," said Kathryn McClymond, associate professor and Chair of Georgia State's Department of Religious Studies, which organized the event. "The performance, in my mind, shows off the best of Atlanta's religious and cultural diversity in an event that everyone, Indian and non-Indian, can enjoy."
The second event is a Greek Arts and Culture Symposium, with guest artists and scholars traveling to Georgia State for lectures and concerts lasting March 15-19.
The first event in the symposium is a lecture on Modern Greek poetry and the works of Nobel Laureate Giorgos Seferis (1900-1971), including his poem, "Helen," at 6:30 p.m. on March 15 in Aderhold Learning Center, room 5.
Guest scholar, Gregory Jusdanis, distinguished humanities professor and director of Modern Greek Studies at Ohio State University, will give a lecture titled, "The Ghosts of War in Seferis' 'Helen.'" It is free and open to the public.
Other events in the Greek symposium include free and public concerts, such as the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble performing, "The Empty Blouse," at 7:30 p.m. on March 16 in the Kopleff Recital Hall. The piece, composed by Nickitas Demos, artistic director of the event and associate professor in the Georgia State's School of Music, is based on Jusdanis' translation of the poem, "Helen," by Seferis.
"This concert will bring world class composers and performers from Greece to the campus of GSU," Demos said. "It features important modern Greek poetry to music in scholarly translation for an American audience."
The symposium will culminate with a concert at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 in the Rialto Center for the Arts. It will feature a performance of "Lamento for Solo Violin" by Christos Samaras and the premiere of the "Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra" by Demos, performed by the GSU Symphony Orchestra. The concert will also include projected images by Ralph Gilbert, associate dean for the fine arts in GSU's College of Arts and Sciences.
For more information and other events, visit http://arts.gsu.edu/7329.html.