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Bharatanatyam, A Bulgarian Odyssey: The Hindustan Times
New Delhi, Mar 26: Liliya Toneva from Bulgaria recently performed at the Lily Pool Lawns of Hotel Ashok as part of the World Francophonie Day. At the moment, the lissome beauty is a student of Padmashri Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan with a scholarship from ICCR.
New Delhi, Mar 26: Liliya Toneva from Bulgaria recently performed at the Lily Pool Lawns of Hotel Ashok as part of the World Francophonie Day. At the moment, the lissome beauty is a student of Padmashri Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan with a scholarship from ICCR.
Toneva is completing a degree course in Bharatanatyam at the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya. “I’ve performed widely in Europe as also other parts of the world. But India is the best place to perform.”
Toneva has high praise for the Gurukul system of dance education. “It creates a bond between the teacher and the student. My teacher Saroja Vaidyanathan, the founder of Ganesha Natyalaya, is a third-generation disciple of the famous Guru Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai. Apart from being a prominent Bharatanatyam exponent, she is an intelligent and innovative choreographer too. She is widely acclaimed. And I feel proud of my teacher.”
Toneva began learning classical ballet and Latino-American dance at a tender age of five. Subsequently, she joined the National Choregraphy School of Bulgaria to learn Bulgarian Folk dance.
For Toneva, dance is a means of giving expression to her quest of self-realisation. “I aspire to use dance as a medium to come closer to the supreme truth,” she says.
Following the Natya Shastra, classical dance in India differentiates itself from traditional Indian folk dances, avers Toneva. “Since both dance and music were originally part of temple art and ritual, so the lyrics tend to be spiritual. Classical dance is also connected with the legend of Nataraja, the poetic description of which provides dancers with inspiration and visualisation of this art form’s ideal. That is why Indian dance, particularly Bharatanatyam is my favourite.”
Toneva has high praise for the Gurukul system of dance education. “It creates a bond between the teacher and the student. My teacher Saroja Vaidyanathan, the founder of Ganesha Natyalaya, is a third-generation disciple of the famous Guru Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai. Apart from being a prominent Bharatanatyam exponent, she is an intelligent and innovative choreographer too. She is widely acclaimed. And I feel proud of my teacher.”
Toneva began learning classical ballet and Latino-American dance at a tender age of five. Subsequently, she joined the National Choregraphy School of Bulgaria to learn Bulgarian Folk dance.
For Toneva, dance is a means of giving expression to her quest of self-realisation. “I aspire to use dance as a medium to come closer to the supreme truth,” she says.
Following the Natya Shastra, classical dance in India differentiates itself from traditional Indian folk dances, avers Toneva. “Since both dance and music were originally part of temple art and ritual, so the lyrics tend to be spiritual. Classical dance is also connected with the legend of Nataraja, the poetic description of which provides dancers with inspiration and visualisation of this art form’s ideal. That is why Indian dance, particularly Bharatanatyam is my favourite.”