Dr. Kalamandalam John
Dr. Kalamandalam John founder and Director of Kalatharangini Kathakali School. Born in Kerala in 1955, K.M. John got rigorous training in Kathakali for nine years, eight hours a day at Kerala Kalamandalam under Guru (professor) C. Padmanabhan Nair and Vijayakumar. He studied sanskrit and Kathakali literature under Prof. Unnikrishnan Elayadu.
In 1977 he was awarded the A.D. Bolland Gold medal for the best Kathakali student. In 1978 he was awarded the government of India scholarship. Since completing his course, he worked as a teacher for both foreign and Indian students in Kerala Kalamandalam. As a member of the Kalamandalam troupe he toured all over India and abroad.
Sadaanam Krishnankutty: cultural artist and a popular performer of Kathakali. Since childhood, he has been deeply interested in Kathakali, and hence immediately after leaving school, he decided to totally commit himself to Kathakali and develop a career as an artist. He has about 60 years of experience as a performer and teacher. Since 1974, he has performed several times in the USA, Europe, UAE, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia. He is one of the senior Gurus of Kathakali. He was honoured with many National Academy awards, State Government awards and other recognitions from various cultural organisations.
Kalatharangini Kathakali School (Thrissur, Kerala, India) Kalatharangini Kathakali School is a premiere educational and cultural institution which ardently focus in the uplifting of traditional performing arts of Kerala. Kalatharangini has performed in many stages across the world and also provide training in Indian Classical Dances like Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchippudi Kalatharangini with a history of 35 years in the field of training in traditional art is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious institutions with ample affiliations and experience.
TTB Teatro tascabile di Bergamo – Accademia delle Forme Sceniche
Bergamo, Italy - TTB Teatro Tascabile di Bergamo – Accademia delle Forme Sceniche was founded in 1973 by Renzo Vescovi following the path of Jerzy Grotowsky’s Teatr-Laboratorium and Eugenio Barba’s Odin Teatret. Defined by scholars as a "living cultural asset" and "festival group", TTB is able to fill a whole week of theatre with performances of various forms and genres. In 1977, TTB started the exploration of eastern scenic culture, and since then it has been promoting the artistic and cultural knowledge in the Western world, through the foundation of IXO – Istituto di Cultura Scenica Orientale.
Besides, within TTB, a couple of teams of Italian actors–dancers were formed, each mastering various forms of Indian classical dance.
For TTB the relationship with India is the logical development of its need for scientific knowledge, the acquisition of technique and practice, and a logical solution to the problem of the theoretical and formal basis of their work.
