YAKSHAGANA KENDRA

Yakshagana Kendra situated in Udupi the main belt of Yakshagana Badaguthittu tradition has made manifold contributions to the preservation development. propagation and study of Badaguthittu Yakshagana as a traditional theatre form. Its first and foremost contribution is in respect of offering regular systematic and thorough training in Yakshagana dance music choregoraphy and costuming. A year or two of training and specialization equips the students to perform in the professional theatre on par with the regular artistes. The training tradition was established by the veterans of Yakshagana theatre. Gurus Veerabhadra Nayak dancer Ramakrishnayya bhagawath Gopala Rao maddale and Veerabhadra Nayak was an all rounder. Universally respected as a perfect exponent of Yakshagana. At present Guru Sanjeeva Suvarna have been awarded State Awards by the Govt. of Karnataka. The school is thus able to provide training in authentic Badaguthittu Yakshagana tradition. Over the past 40 years yashagana kendra has contributed nearly 2000 trained and qualified yakshagana artistes to the professional and the amateur theatre. The intensive training required for this expertise has has been possible because of the full time training offered in a Gurukula system in addition school children in the surrounding area are taught yakshagana during week ends thus exposing our younger generation to the tradition. At the same time the Kendra has achieved a creative extension of the tradition by making it evolve a variety of yakshsgana ballet suitable for non kannada and foreign audiences which achieves an accentuation of artistic effect with a separate profeesional ensemble yakshagana it has performed before national and international audiences and made them familiar with the yakshagana theatre. The National school of Drama has recognized yakshagana as one of the major theatre forms in India and has also recognized Yakshagana Kendra as the official exponent of the theatre form and has deputed it on a performance tour to China to represent Indian theatre tradition. Many scholars inclouding foreigners have studied Yakshagana learnt the art themselves and became the exponents of Yakshagana in their own country by inviting our artistes to perform there and by presenting short performances on their own Important names of foreigners are Martha Ashton and Kathrin Binder both of whom wrote research works on the art More than 5phD dissertations have been written by Indian scholars associated with yakshagana Kendra Udupi. The Gurus of Yakshshagana Kendra have actively participated in a programme sponsored by the Karnataka Government of teaching Yakshagana to school children in the High schools of Udupi District Guru Sanjeeva Suvarna a master of teaching Yakshagana dance has offered training even to physically disadvantaged children and enabled them to preset yakshagana on the stage thus instilling in them a sense of self confidence and dignity Guru Sanjeeva Suvarna has held a number of training sessions and work shops in several prts of the state and even in Maharastra and Delhi. The Yakshagana Kendra has its own building with excellent infrastructual faciliteis for training and performances and for board and loding of the trainees.