| Radhika Srivastava Classical Indian Dance and Tantalizing Gourmet Treats |
will embark on a new venture; Madame Macaron.
“I’m starting a pastry business,” she says. Madame Macaron will sell French Macarons, primarily wholesale but also for events and
weddings. She hopes to be up and running by mid-April.
Don’t confuse the French macaron with a macaroon or you will invoke the ire of many pastry chefs and aficionados. French Macarons
are intricate confectioneries that are notoriously difficult to master. Although gaining in popularity and becoming somewhat trendy, they
remain elusive to the everyday cook. Srivastava will endeavor to bring the popularity of the French macaron to Madison.
Whether it’s through the pleasure of watching a stunning dance performance or through tantalizing the taste buds, Srivastava’s passions
are ones we can all benefit from.
About Macarons from New York Street Food:
…Macarons. The French desserts that look like psychedelic oreos, are crisp meringues of sweetened egg whites and almond flour
sandwiched around a ganache, buttercream, or fruit puree. They come in dozens of flavors like raspberry, lemon, pistachio, chocolate and
caramel, and even some unusual ones, like foie gras, white truffle, rose and violet. Macaron bakers pride themselves on fashioning
distinctive colors and sometimes dustings of powders to distinguish their flavors, and their visual appeal is pretty wild. But it’s the texture of
the macaron that makes it truly unique. The crunch is subtle — unlike, say, a potato chip — and the fillings’ moisture helps soften the interior
of the meringue to a chewiness. When you bite into it, the shell cracks and dissolves on your tongue, you chew, the filling melts, and the
flavors announce themselves.
The origins of the macaron aren’t entirely clear. For decades the only flavors of macaron were chocolate, vanilla, coffee and raspberry,
until Pierre Herme, a French pastry chef pioneered bold new flavors — like rose, olive oil and ketchup, in the late 1980’s.
Since then, France has witnessed a macaron explosion that has, in the last several years, gone international. More and more coffee shops
and grocery stores are selling versions on both sides of the Atlantic.
About Bharatanatyam from artindia.net:
Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times.
Later it was codified and documented as a performing art in the 19th century by four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet whose musical
compositions for dance form the bulk of the Bharata Natyam repertoire even today. The art was handed down as a living tradition from
generation to generation under the Devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and
musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals. These highly talented artists and the male gurus (nattuvanars) were the sole repository of the
art until the early 20th century when a renewal of interest in India's cultural heritage prompted the educated elite to discover its beauty.
By this time the Devadasis had fallen upon evil days due to lack of state patronage and changed social mores. The revival of Bharata
Natyam by pioneers such as E Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale brought the dance out of the temple precincts and onto the
proscenium stage though it retained its essentially devotional character.
Today Bharata Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all
over India. Due to its wide range of movements and postures and the balanced melange of the rhythmic and mimetic aspects lends itself well
to experimental and fusion choreography. Degree and Post Graduate courses covering the practice and theory of Bharata Natyam as well as
the languages associated with its development are available at major universities of India.
“I’m starting a pastry business,” she says. Madame Macaron will sell French Macarons, primarily wholesale but also for events and
weddings. She hopes to be up and running by mid-April.
Don’t confuse the French macaron with a macaroon or you will invoke the ire of many pastry chefs and aficionados. French Macarons
are intricate confectioneries that are notoriously difficult to master. Although gaining in popularity and becoming somewhat trendy, they
remain elusive to the everyday cook. Srivastava will endeavor to bring the popularity of the French macaron to Madison.
Whether it’s through the pleasure of watching a stunning dance performance or through tantalizing the taste buds, Srivastava’s passions
are ones we can all benefit from.
About Macarons from New York Street Food:
…Macarons. The French desserts that look like psychedelic oreos, are crisp meringues of sweetened egg whites and almond flour
sandwiched around a ganache, buttercream, or fruit puree. They come in dozens of flavors like raspberry, lemon, pistachio, chocolate and
caramel, and even some unusual ones, like foie gras, white truffle, rose and violet. Macaron bakers pride themselves on fashioning
distinctive colors and sometimes dustings of powders to distinguish their flavors, and their visual appeal is pretty wild. But it’s the texture of
the macaron that makes it truly unique. The crunch is subtle — unlike, say, a potato chip — and the fillings’ moisture helps soften the interior
of the meringue to a chewiness. When you bite into it, the shell cracks and dissolves on your tongue, you chew, the filling melts, and the
flavors announce themselves.
The origins of the macaron aren’t entirely clear. For decades the only flavors of macaron were chocolate, vanilla, coffee and raspberry,
until Pierre Herme, a French pastry chef pioneered bold new flavors — like rose, olive oil and ketchup, in the late 1980’s.
Since then, France has witnessed a macaron explosion that has, in the last several years, gone international. More and more coffee shops
and grocery stores are selling versions on both sides of the Atlantic.
About Bharatanatyam from artindia.net:
Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times.
Later it was codified and documented as a performing art in the 19th century by four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet whose musical
compositions for dance form the bulk of the Bharata Natyam repertoire even today. The art was handed down as a living tradition from
generation to generation under the Devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and
musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals. These highly talented artists and the male gurus (nattuvanars) were the sole repository of the
art until the early 20th century when a renewal of interest in India's cultural heritage prompted the educated elite to discover its beauty.
By this time the Devadasis had fallen upon evil days due to lack of state patronage and changed social mores. The revival of Bharata
Natyam by pioneers such as E Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale brought the dance out of the temple precincts and onto the
proscenium stage though it retained its essentially devotional character.
Today Bharata Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all
over India. Due to its wide range of movements and postures and the balanced melange of the rhythmic and mimetic aspects lends itself well
to experimental and fusion choreography. Degree and Post Graduate courses covering the practice and theory of Bharata Natyam as well as
the languages associated with its development are available at major universities of India.
by Laura Salinger
Steeped in tradition and nearly 3,000 years old, Bharatanatyam is a visually
stunning dance form originating from southern India. One of the oldest classical
dance forms of India, Bharatanatyam is a highly stylized form of dance that has
been described as “poetry in motion.” Incorporating unique hand gestures and
body positioning, extravagant costumes, storytelling, spirituality and intricate
rhythmic patterns- Bharatanatyam has long stunned audiences in India and abroad.
In Madison, Radhika Srivastava is definitely one to watch on the Bharatanatyam
scene.
A former student of Kripa Baskaran (who runs Natyarpana Dance Company in
the Milwaukee area) and now a Bharatanatyam teacher herself, Srivastava has
been dancing since the age of four. Born and raised in India, she originally studied
Kathak (a classical dance from northern India) but eventually switched to
Bharatanatyam when her family moved. Since then, it has been one of her great
passions.
“It has been a passion for me for a long time,” Srivastava says. “It keeps me
sane.”
For Srivastava, Bharatanatyam is a form of expression that is spiritual by
nature.
| For Radhika Srivastava, Bharatanatyam is a form of expression that is spiritual by nature. |
“It is very freeing for the dancer,” she says.
Although the dance itself “is very structured,” the dancer has the freedom as the
storyteller. Coupled with elaborate costumes tailored in India, Bharatanatyam is
visually striking and intensely rich. Srivastava breaks it down into three elements;
Nritta, the rhythmic patterns; Abhinaya, the expressions and hand gestures; and
Natyam, the use of expression and rhythmic patterns in order to tell a story.
Srivastava and her students recently performed at the International Festival at the
Overture Center and their next performance will be in May at the Annual Day
Celebration in Milwaukee.
Although dance is one of her passions, Srivastava also has another: pastries. A
notable pastry chef, Srivastava explains how her fascination with pastries began.
“I grew up in a vegetarian family, so we didn’t even have eggs at home,” she says.
“I think the first time I saw a cake rising, it was somewhat magical. It was exotic.”
Srivastava obtained her undergraduate degree in hotel management in India but
eventually made her way to the United States to attend the French Pastry School in
Chicago. She then spent over two years as the pastry chef at L ‘Etoile. Now, she
Although the dance itself “is very structured,” the dancer has the freedom as the
storyteller. Coupled with elaborate costumes tailored in India, Bharatanatyam is
visually striking and intensely rich. Srivastava breaks it down into three elements;
Nritta, the rhythmic patterns; Abhinaya, the expressions and hand gestures; and
Natyam, the use of expression and rhythmic patterns in order to tell a story.
Srivastava and her students recently performed at the International Festival at the
Overture Center and their next performance will be in May at the Annual Day
Celebration in Milwaukee.
Although dance is one of her passions, Srivastava also has another: pastries. A
notable pastry chef, Srivastava explains how her fascination with pastries began.
“I grew up in a vegetarian family, so we didn’t even have eggs at home,” she says.
“I think the first time I saw a cake rising, it was somewhat magical. It was exotic.”
Srivastava obtained her undergraduate degree in hotel management in India but
eventually made her way to the United States to attend the French Pastry School in
Chicago. She then spent over two years as the pastry chef at L ‘Etoile. Now, she