Pandit Ravi Bellare
The artistry of Pandit Ravi Bellare provides a vital link to the ancient traditions in classical music, dance and visual arts of India. From the earliest days of his childhood in Mangalore, South India, Ravi Bellare exhibited a precocious genius for absorbing information. His childhood was singularly graced by intimate contact with the legendary gharanedhar ustads and pundits of music of that time, many of whom were still performing as court musicians and dancers.
By the tender age of four years, Panditji had already entered into a guru-shishya discipleship. His formative years developed in close connection with this vast system of knowledge, garnering an invaluable
repertoire of compositions from these ustads' respective gharanas. He was adept at mastering ancient granthas of sangeet (vocal and instrumental music) and natya (dance and choreography). His accomplishments serve as a living monument to the noble task of reviving and preserving the rich heritage of classical music, dance, painting and sculpture for present generations.
Ravi Bellare's professional life encompasses a broad spectrum of associations with the great names of Indian art. He worked as the principal of Shri Valabh Sangit Vidyalaya and the Kinnara School of Music with Pandit Ravi Shankar. He toured extensively throughout Europe and the middle east as choreographer and served as the Music Director of Hindi Kala Kendra with the world renowned dancer, Ram Gopal.
Practical and theoretical studies taught by Pandit-ji included:
- Classical Vocal Styles (Drupad, Khayal, Tappa, Thumri, Devotional Bhajan, Vedic Chant)
- Classical Instrumental Music (Tabla, Pakhawaj, Sitar, Harmonium, Percussion and String Instruments)
- Classical Dance Styles, including Kathak (Jaipur and Lucknow Styles) and Bharatnatyam (Pandanallur and Mylapur Styles).