A rare kathak solo by esteemed disciple of Pandit Chitresh Das, Charlotte Moraga on March 13 at Starbright Theater, Campbell, CA
Living Legacy
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ARTists
Charlotte Moraga
Charlotte Moraga began her kathak journey with Pandit Chitresh Das in 1992. In 1996, she was invited by her guru to join the Chitresh Das Dance Company and performed to critical acclaim as the principal dancer in Pandit Das’ acclaimed works, such as Subali Sugriva, Pancha Jati, Sampurnam, Darbar, Shiva, and many more. In 2002, Moraga became a “Ganda Bandhan” disciple on the banks of the Ganga with Pandit Das. Since then, Moraga has performed numerous solo performances, earning her many accolades in the Kathak Community.
Since becoming the inaugural director of the Chitresh Das Youth Company in 2002, Moraga has created choreography for the CDYC for more than two decades and trained numerous students who have become professional kathak dancers. In 2018, in her Guru’s birthplace of Kolkata, India, Charlotte received the “Anugami award” for her dedication to her Guru and his legacy.
Moraga has had many collaborations, such as with musician Alam Khan in Mantram, which premiered at the ODC Theater in 2021, Alka Raghuram, multi-media artist in which the short film 'Agni’ , won Best Mini Arts and Fashion Film at the Hollywood Film festival.
Nilan Chaudhuri
Nilan Chaudhuri has spent his life immersed in the tradition of Indian classical percussion. Initiated into Tabla at the age of five by his father, Swapan Chaudhuri, Nilan has performed as a Tabla soloist and accompanist for nearly twenty years. He has shared the stage with some of Hindustani Classical Music’s greatest treasures, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Fillmore, Fox Theater, and San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, and The Kennedy Center. In addition to maintaining a busy performing schedule, Nilan teaches Tabla at the Ali Akbar College of Music, in San Rafael.
Saneyee Purandare Bhattacharjee
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Saneyee Purandare Bhattacharjee began her musical education at the age of six under the tutelage of Smt. Prabha Bakshi in Pune. After moving to America at the age of 16, she continued learning with Smt. Usha Sathe, and then with Pt. Arun Dravid, in Orange County. In 2011 she became a disciple of Vidushi Padma Talwalkar In Pune, and has been under her frequent guidance, and also the guidance of her senior disciple Smt. Yashaswi Sirpotdar virtually since 2016. She also seeks guidance at times from Shri Srijan Deshpande and Smt. Shambhavi Dandekar.
Saneyee performs regularly as a solo artist, composes and records music, accompanies classical dancers, and runs an organization called Swaraswati School of Music in the East Bay Area to teach and promote Indian classical music.
As an artist, Saneyee has been featured in several public and private events in India and USA, like at the BMM 2024 convention in San Jose, the San Jose-Pune Sister Cities Foundation, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, concerts by the India Community center, Rangmanch Theater with a Cause, MMBA, East Bay Marathi Mandal, a fundraiser for the Ashavari Festival, and the Bayraagis to name a few.