Bharata Natyam
Chosen by the legendary and arguably most important dancer of the last century - Bharata Natyam dancer Pandit Bisano Ram Gopal, as main recipient of his knowledge and art, Monica Rizzardi was given by Ram Gopal the spiritual name Ishvari Devi. She remains faithful to the letter and spirit of her dance master's teachings of this millenial tradition. Dancing often at the presence of today's great spiritual leaders, her dance is focused on the sacred and its timeless manifestation.
Bharata Natyam is the great dance temple art originated in Tamil Nadu of South India. It has an unbroken tradition of more than 3000 years and it is used as a vehicle of worship and as an expression that consacrates the body.
Like the yogi, that by controlling his breath and by modifying his body, acquires sanctity, the dancer dissolving her identity and her whole being in rhythm and music, becomes an instrument for the experience and expression of spirit.
"Ishvari Devi on the stage embodies a living sculpture and seems to contain inside centuries of history that go back to ancient civilizations and to the mysteries of our origin..." -G. Tavan.
"Monica who had learnt earlier from the legendary (late) Ram Gopal and thereafter continued to learn from Smt. Leela Ramanathan revelled in her delineation of the intricate patterns of Jathis and Adavus of her Bharata Natyam repertoire and the select audience of dance critics and admirers assembled at the auditorium were truly stunned by her grace, angashuddham and sense of rhythm." - Prof. U.S. Krishna Rao
SHORT BIO
Ishvari Devi (Monica Rizzardi), began studing Bharata Natyam in 1990 under Pandit Bisano Ram Gopal. She became the main depositary of the teaching of arguably the finest and most famous indian dancer of all times.
She was born in Venice (Italy) where she first met Pandit Ram Gopal and followed Him in London, France and India where He taught her the style of the Tanjore Quartet, making her one of the few westerner versed in this ancient indian dance form.
She also studied with Smt. Leela Ramanathan, dance partner of Pandit Ram Gopal, giving her Arangetram in 2004 at the A.D.A Ranga Mandira Theatre in Bangalore.
Since the age of 10 she practised track and field becaming one of the top ten professional athlete in Italy and then studied contemporary dance at the Alma Bernt school in Venice. She also studied physical education at Bologna University obtaining the title of professor with the highest possible marks.
She has performed dance shows in Italy, for Italian National Television, in France, England, Swiss, India, the U.S.A. with the collaboration of musicians and Indians dancers of international fame, among them Neela Ramanuja, N.G. Ravi, Ravichandra Kulur, Arun Kumar, J.K. Sreedhar, Asha Gopal, Udai Mazumdar, Madhukar Anand, Mujtaba Hussain, Mustafa Raza and others.
Monica has often danced in the presence of great spiritual masters.
In 2005 she translated and published "Rhythm in the Heavens" the autobiography of her master Pandit Ram Gopal.
Italian and international press reviews have defined Ishvari Devi a dancer "…full of charms, energy and precision in the movement. With delicate movements, enigmatic looks, geometric perception of the lines, of the footstep, of the rhythm, Ishvari Devi on the stage embodies a living sculpture, and seems to contain inside centuries of history that go back to ancient civilizations and to the mysteries of our origin..."
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