Classical dance teaches me every single day. It has taught me patience, commitment, discipline.
June 11, 2019The tribal dance forms of Assam were showcased in all their colourful glory in Kolkata.
May 26, 2018“You live as long as you dance,” Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev had famously said.
April 29, 2018The Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, ministry of culture, Government of India presented Parv Bharatiyam- a nine day festival of music and dance at its Bharatiyam Cultural Multiplex in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, recently. They have showcased well known dancers, musicians and troupes brought out classical acts that included several classical dance forms and tribal songs. …
Continue reading "An episode of classical affair"
January 12, 2018With Shinjan Nrityalaya each and every occasion becomes a grand one. So it was with their annual show at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata. The highlight of this year’s annual was Shinjan Nrityalaya’s new production Surya or the sun — a much venerated God — performed by their repertory members. The journey of its students from scratch …
Continue reading "Beacon of excellence"
November 18, 2017SAM, the Society for Music through Action and the Sangeet Nayak Pt Dargahi Mishra Sangeet Academy, Gurgaon, jointly organised a National Seminar and Dance Festival on 23 and 24 October respectively at the India Habitat Centre.The seminar was focused on the role of musicians, listeners, critics and sponsors in the development of music: positive or …
Continue reading "Elements of dance"
November 2, 2017The OMC Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival started with great fanfare at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar, recently as connoisseurs and discerning audiences gathered in large numbers to witness it. The objective of organising this festival was to expose the audience of Odisha to the best classical music and dance, and also inspire the youth to internalise …
Continue reading "Laced with mesmeric renditions"
September 16, 2017On the 13th anniversary of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s mahaprayan (death), Odissi dancers across the world offered their sraddhanjali (tributes) through new productions as well as the great guru’s choreographic works. I had the good fortune of attending the two-day long festival in the memory of the legend by his prime disciple and son, who is …
Continue reading "In remembrance of a legend"
July 28, 2017The Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) organised Yoga Parva on the occasion of the International Yoga Day,featuring the diverse cultural expressions in the context of Yoga. The festival also presented some of India's performing and martial arts inspired by Yoga. Opening with auspicious Vedic chants, the three-day festival showcased martial arts like Kalaripayattu from Kerala; Malla-Khamb …
Continue reading "Enriched dance forms"
June 28, 2017Our classical dance forms are intrinsically a powerful language of expression and communication. The week gone by saw Sanchita Abrol, a young Kathak dancer and Gopika Varma, the renowned Mohiniyattam exponent, interpreting stories through their specific dance forms with absolute power and extreme sensitivity. Sanchita Abrol, the gifted disciple of Guru Shovna Narayan, presented Ghar …
Continue reading "Nature of love"
June 21, 2017Bhav Shringar, the institute of Odissi Dance at Salt lake and Newtown, presented the seventh edition of its annual dance recital in Nazul Tirtha, Newtown recently. Odissi dancer Kavita Mishra, the founder of Bhav Shringar, and her students presented a beautiful evening of Odissi to dance lovers. Sangita Gosain, chief executive officer, Odissi Research Centre, …
Continue reading "Supremely graceful and aesthetically appealing"
June 9, 2017Katha Angika was a festival of dance and theatre, which celebrated five genres of Indian classical dance. The festival was rounded off with Kalaripayattu — an Indian martial art from the hoary past. In fact it finds mention in Sangam literature much of which has been lost. But let’s take a look at the four …
Continue reading "Diverse blend of delineations"
March 10, 2017Katha Angika was a festival of dance and theatre, which celebrated five genres of Indian classical dance. The festival was rounded off with Kalaripayattu — an Indian martial art from the hoary past. In fact it finds mention in Sangam literature much of which has been lost. But let’s take a look at the four …
Continue reading "Diverse blend of delineations"
March 10, 2017It was a fabulous week of dance, from Classical Kathak to traditional and contemporary performances. Kathak Kendra, the national institute of Kathak dance, celebrated its annual Kathak Mahotsava from 27 February to 1 March at Kamani Auditorium along with the morning sessions on “Baithaki Bhava” at the Kendra’s auditorium in Chanakyapuri. The Raza Foundation, in …
Continue reading "Divinity personified"
March 8, 2017The Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav in Odisha — held at the foothills of Dhauli with the Peace Pagoda built atop it by the Japanese in 1972 — has been a great cultural event ever since its inception in 2003. The site of the festival had seen the remarkable life-changing Kalinga War fought by Ashoka the Great, …
Continue reading "Studded with exemplary choreography"
February 24, 2017In celebration of a Mahashivratri concert and 50 years of service to the field of classical dance, Padma Bhushan Raja-Radha Reddy perform at Natya Tarangini building premises in Saket. Raja-Radha Reddy are a legendary Kuchipudi dancing couple, gurus and choreographers. Their performances for over five decades globally have gained them a reputation of rare excellence …
Continue reading "Creator of dance"
February 22, 2017Radha Madhava Rang Rangi was a unique festival of classical dance, which celebrated the theme of the eternal love between Krishna and Radha. It was presented by Shatabdi Nrityayan at Prayas auditotium of Jalpaiguri with the support of the ministry of culture. Trained in the Guru Deba Prasad genre of Odissi, talented dancer Shatabdi Mallick, …
Continue reading "Reverence through graceful renditions"
February 17, 2017