Quick steps

Students of Nritya Kunj Hyderabad presented an evening of Kathak dance at their annual festival Parampara.

October 30, 2014 08:42 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 07:40 pm IST

In rhythm.

In rhythm.

The Telugu University auditorium was buzzing with activity as little girls dressed in colourful Kathak attire and tinkling anklets kept scurrying between the green room and the auditorium before the commencement of Nritya Kunj’s annual programme ‘Parampara’ on Friday last. Over 32 students drawn from the Ameerpet and Gachibowli centres of Nritya Kunj performed that day.

Renowned dancers Mangala Bhatt (Kathak) and Vasundhara (Kuchipudi) lit the lamp along with Nritya Kunj director Aarti Shankar. Son after, anchor Swati Kulkarni elaborated: “ Katha kahe so Kathak is a classical dance form that is rooted in the tradition of storytelling and traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers.”

The performance began with Mangalam Ganapathi and was followed by the debut performance of five girls titled Prathama . Then Arpan , the chanting of mantras from the Holy Scriptures, was followed by Nritya Utsaah , which is a blend of devotion and dance. A group of eight dancers from the Gachibowli centre breathed life into this performance.

In the composition Shravan Shyam , the three dancers brought out the magic of Lord Krishna’s flute and how the Universe is immersed in its Maaya. Eight dancers beautifully portrayed the Abhinaya and Nritya in Abhyankar , which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is a symbol of Tandava Nritya, while Goddess Parvati complements it with her subtle elegance and grace. Tanmay, Niti and Chinmay showed the splendour of Kathak in Tarrannum , while Apurva, Akshita, Manishi excelled in ‘ Thaat tukre paran kavitt composed in Teen taal. It is well-known fact that the gaits, spins, movements and nuances in Nrityankan define a Kathak performance. Each student was given a chance to perform twice on stage and the students ended their show with Ninaad . The students’ dance was choreographed by their Guru Aarti Shankar.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by Delhi-based Kathak artist Monisha Nayak who began her performance with Manglacharan , in praise of Lord Vishnu.

This was followed by Tarana , highlighting the music and rhythm. Next was Thumri and Pandit Narayan Prasadji’s composition “ Ek samay ghar se …” The icing on the cake was a jugalbandi by Manisha and Aarti Shankar thus reliving their association forged 16 years ago.

Addressing the gathering Mangala Bhatt paid compliments to the parents who were keen on passing Indian traditions to their children.

She also asked them to encourage their children in practicing the art form at home.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.