The sound of ghungroos, tinkling of bangles and cheers from an appreciative crowd will bring the city alive as we gear up to witness the 13th edition of Ananya – a classical dance festival. Featuring specially designed group choreographies, this dance carnival will light up the majestic Purana Qila over five days starting on October 8th – 12th.
Founder Director of Seher, Sanjeev Bhargava tells us that by hosting festivals like Ananya one can bring alive the country’s rich heritage with aesthetics of dance and music. Seher is the co-organiser for Ananya along with the Department of Art, Culture and Languages in association with the Sahitya Kala Parishad.
You can witness a power-packed Bharatnatyam performance by Chennai based Spanda Dance Company led by noted danseuse, Padma Shri Leela Samson on the first day. The group will be presenting traditional compositions of great masters like Purandaradasar and Dikshitar in thematic and abstract choreography. Leela Samson told us why this festival is unique in her own words, “Ananya gives a platform to the best talents in classical dance arts. It has gained an audience for its spectacular setting and thoughtful presentation. I think the freshness of good young dancers, old and valuable compositions and newness of presentation makes the work modern and relevant”.
On the second day, witness the vibrant Kolkata-based Anjika Centre for Manipuri Dance led by Priti Patel presenting Anantasakti. Representing the cosmic play of the cycle of life and death, they will be performing the ritualistic dances of Lai Haraoba and Thang Ta to depict the beautiful creations by the Lord and the annihilation of evil. The act will be concluded with a Rasleela.
The very graceful and talented academician and performing artist, Neena Prasad and her group from Thiruvananthapuram will present Krishnaarjuneeyam through Mohiniattam on the third day. Their dance act will illustrate the life and times of Lord Krishna and his favourite disciple, Arjuna. While on the fourth day, you can watch Gauri Diwakar swaying to the rhythms of musical beats with her Kathak performance.
The festival ends with an Odissi dance performance by Sujata Mohapatra and her group who will begin with Mangalacharan and end with Pallavi (dance of pure joy). Sujata’s dance is particularly noteworthy for her strict adherence to her guru, late Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra’s style and her lyrical movements that flawlessly epitomise the grace and technical perfection of his gharana.
For more details about the festival, click here.
veena_srinath says: Totally hilarious!...
