Ep04: On Joy

Kiran Rajagopalan in Vaiśravana. Photo by Karley Berrios (Berrie Center for Performing & Visual Arts, Ramapo College)

Kiran Rajagopalan in Vaiśravana. Photo by Karley Berrios (Berrie Center for Performing & Visual Arts, Ramapo College)

Ameya and Kiran reflect on their relationship with joy on and off stage, especially after nearly two tumultuous years of pandemic. They revisit Pārśvadeva’s Sangīta Samaya Sāra for his unique perspective on the dancer’s joy and uncover what Tamil literature from the ancient Sangam period also has to say about it.  

Call to action: Think about what gives you joy and how to bring it into your dance.  

Dive deeper:   

  • Mandakranta Bose – Movement and Mimesis: Idea of Dance in the Sanskritic Tradition 

  • S. Raghuraman - History of Tamil’s Dance (Translated into English by Lakshmi Ramaswamy) 

  • Yashoda Thakore - “Parsvadeva- The Dancer’s Friend” Swarbharti 2020 (digest/Souvenir) 

  • Brené with Gabby Rivera on Superheroes, Storytelling and Joy as Resistance” on the podcast Unlocking Us  

  • Ananda Coomaraswamy - Yakṣas  

  • Mahāvamsa (Translated into English by Ananda W.P. Guruge) 

  • Wash Edward Hale - Asura in Early Vedic Religion  

  • S. Yogiar - Koothanool (In Tamil & English) 

Today’s episode would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of our amazing listeners and the following people: 

  • We Edit Podcasts for audio engineering  

  • Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of our logo 

  • Catwalk Institute for Kiran’s studio space 

  • Sarada Jammi for Ameya’s studio space 

  • Dr. Lakshmi Ramaswamy for her insight on Koothanool 

  • Dr. Yashoda Thakore for sharing her research on Pārśvadeva   

  • A special thanks to Wesley Beeks & Bertel King, Jr. 

Liked what you heard? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the podcast, and tell your friends about us so that more people can find this show! You can also support us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/offthebeatdance. You can join our conversation by following us at @offthebeatdance on IG, FB, and Twitter or visiting us at www.offthebeat.dance. We’d love to hear from you.  

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Ep05: On the Sacred & Secular

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Ep03: On Rasa Revolutions