DR. MENAKA THAKKAR
2013 Laureate for Dance of the Governor General’s
Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement
|
On
April 10, 2013, Dr. Menaka Thakkar was named a 2013 laureate of the
prestigious Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for
Lifetime Artistic Achievement. Laureate individuals are honoured for
their outstanding body of work and enduring contribution to the
performing arts in Canada.
Created in 1992 under the distinguished patronage of the late Right
Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, these prestigious awards are
presented annually to Canadians whose accomplishments have inspired
and enriched the cultural life of our country. The Awards are
regarded as the ultimate recognition in Canada’s performing
arts.“The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards is a wonderful
opportunity to celebrate not only the careers of notable artists,
but also those who give of their time, talent and resources to the
arts,” said His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston,
Governor General of Canada. “I look forward to welcoming all the
laureates to Rideau Hall and to acknowledging their contributions as
cultural ambassadors.”
Menaka
Thakkar is one of six artists who are being honoured for their work
in dance, theatre, music, or film. The Governor General’s Performing
Arts Award follows a previous major award for life achievement in
dance, the Canada Council Walter Carsen Prize which was presented in
fall 2012. These two awards along the an Honourary Doctorate (D.Litt)
from York University in 1993 mark the first time an artist from
outside western dance has received these honours. The 2013 laureates
will be honoured at various events in Ottawa from May 30 to June 1.
On May 30, the recipients will be introduced in the House of
Commons, and will then attend a parliamentary reception. On May 31,
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General
of Canada, will present the Awards at a special ceremony and
reception at Rideau Hall. On June 1, the National Arts Centre will
host a sparkling Gala to celebrate the 2013 recipients, a
star-studded celebration featuring superb performances, evocative
film portraits, and personal tributes by guest stars.
All Canadians can take part in the excitement by watching the red
carpet portion of the evening, which will be live streamed on the
National Arts Centre’s website at
www.nac-cna.ca.
Tickets for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala on
Saturday, June 1, 2012 are on sale to the general public as of
Wednesday April 10, 2013 at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time at the NAC
Box Office and through Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787 or
www.ticketmaster.ca.
For more information visit the Governor General’s Performing Arts
Awards Foundation website:
www.ggpaa.ca. |
 |
Message from our Artistic Director
Menaka Thakkar
 As the first school of Indian dance in Canada, Nrtyakala has been operating
uninterruptedly for close to 40 years. Over these many decades Nrtyakala
has become a major Canadian institution, which has now trained several
generations of professional dancers.
The primary mandate of the
school is to nurture the authentic traditions of classical Bharatanatyam
and Odissi, and produce performers, choreographers and teachers who will
preserve, propagate and create traditional and contemporary works in
Indian dance. Nrtyakala strives to create Indian dance artists who
possess a broad range of knowledge across a variety of other dance
cultures such as Western Ballet and Modern. This helps our students to
function and flourish in the wider Canadian dance scene with mutuality
and sharing, not in isolation of their own culture-specific dance
activities.
Implicit in this mandate is
a wide-ranging program of teaching, presenting student debuts (arangetrams),
and further possibilities in performance and touring for advanced
students.
The overall teaching
includes theory and studio classes where, besides the training in
movements, rhythms, expressional and communicative language of dance
gestures, several traditional dance works and full repertoires are
learned. The student also learns dance aesthetics, history, culture,
music and choreography.
If you are considering
sending your child to dance lessons, I hope you come to see us at
Nrtyakala.
Sincerely,
xx
For information about our studios
and registration,
please visit the "Contact Us" page.
We thank our funders for their generous support:
Sponsored by:
|
