With an aim to bring Indian art into the spotlight, Sahitya Kala Parishad, department of art, culture and languages, government of Delhi, is organising a Purana Qila dance festival in Delhi. The five-day event will take place from September 26 to 30, showcasing glimpses of Indian traditional dance and choreographies by veteran artists. Deputy chief minister of New Delhi, Manish Sisodia, will be the chief guest at the event.
Highlighting the core idea of the festival, Sindhu Mishra, deputy secretary, Sahitya Kala Parishad, says, “Indian art is taking a backseat in view of the onslaught of the western culture. So the Delhi government considered showcasing the art in a manner that included not just performances, but in a way that the whole festival became a kind of a brand.”
The show will feature performances by Santosh Nair, Saroja Vaidyanathan, Kiran Segal, Kumudini Lakhia, and Vanashree Rao. The idea to have such a vibrant list of acclaimed performers was done on purpose, said Mishra.
"Since the venue is huge, we cannot have solo dancers performing. So, we decided to have choreographies from such stalwarts to impart some ambience," she said.
Contemporary dancer Santosh Nair, who will open the five-day festival, will present the national epic, Mahabharata, with Sadhya dance group. Nair's performance will include two styles of dancing—Mayurbhanj Chhau and Kathakali.
While describing his performance, an excited Nair says, “Our production, Game of Dice, is based on the the epic Mahabharata. It is the episode where the Pandavas and Kauravas play chausar and the former lose. The performance is based on that episode. The production ends with Bheem killing Dushasana.”
Calling it an experimental production, Nair says that he incorporared innovative ideas for the performance. “We have used innovative ideas to showcase costumes and masks. In costumes, hand-made embroidery was used to add an element of innovation. The masks, on the other hand, are inspired by traditional dance forms like Purulia Chhau. We have also used world music for composition. This production was premiered in 2004.”
Padma Shri Saroja Vaidyanathan, along with Ganesa Natyalaya, will perform Namami Gange, a bharatnatyam recital telling the story of Ganga with contemporary relevance. Kiran Segal and Nritya Sangeet Vidyalaya will perform an Odissi dance. Renowned Padma Bhushan Kathak dancer Kumudini Lakhia's production is based on the poem ‘Ni-ra-tata-dhang’. On the last day, Vanashree Rao will showcase the dance production entitled Tripurasura Samhara.
Lakhia, while highlighting her dance production whose music has been composed by Pt. Madhup Mudgal, says, “This is a group of about 16 dancers. It will be performed by my students. The theme of the play has been written by the Adiguru of Kathak dance, Maharaj Bindadin. Though it was written hundreds of years ago, I have tried to recreate it in today's times and sensitivities because it is something which every kathak dancer should know.”
The festival will take place from 7pm onwards. The entry is open to all.