Kathakali dancer Ananda Shivaraman in Montreal, Canada (1950s and 70s).
‘An Indian dancer uses his body to tell the tale of the lotus blossom, the bee and the elephant. Photostory by Jacqueline Moore and Bert Beaver,’ The Montreal Star, ed. Weekend Picture Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 46, Nov. 14, 1953.
Extracted from the copious documentation held in Ernakulam (Kerala) until 2011, by P. K. Devan and first published with rights and permission In TREMBLAY, Richard (2016), Choreography and Discourse in Kathakali, Ph D thesis (Library of the Kerala Kalamandalam University, Kerala, India), pp. 367 – 68.
One of the first Indian Kathakali professionally trained dancers from the Kerala Kalamandalam, Ananda Shivaraman (1916 – 2001) has had extensive presence in Canada in the 1950s and ’70s (besides Australia, the USA and the United Kingdom), as attested by the Canadian press of the times and documented in scholarly research.
Excerpts from the press
From India, a Temple Dance
A leading dancer from the Malabar coast district of South India is guest star for the special program being presented by the Volkoff Canadian Ballet at Eaton Auditorium on Wednesday. Shivaraman is described as a leading exponent of Indian classical dancing. His debut in London, in 1949, is reported to have been something of a sensation. He has appeared with the Melbourne National Ballet in Australia and his present visit to this continent, his first, is under the patronage of His Excellency, the High Commissioner for India in Canada.
(The Globe and Mail, March 28, 1953.)
Fine Kathakali Demonstration by Notable Hindu dancer
Shivaram presented a group of traditional Kathakali dances and proved beyond any doubt that none of the laudatory press notices of London and Paris erred on the side of extravagance. This beautifully-made dancer has a fabulous technique, the result of twelve years of concentrated study and practice which began at the age of eight, and he is obviously so steeped in the poetry and lore of Kathakali that the movements flow out of him effortlessly. His body is an instrument of expression, whether in motion or repose. His facial expressions run the gamut from seething hatred to the serene placidity of a sculptured god, while his gestures convey meaning even to those who know nothing of the complex language they speak. It is to be hoped that many opportunities can be arranged for the general public in Montreal to see the exquisite art of this remarkable Hindu dancer before he leaves to teach and give performances at Ted Shawn’s in the United States.
(Sydney Johnson)
(The Montreal Star, May 28, 1953.)