A subtle play of advanced aesthetics combines with sheer dramatic and sensory richness at the Mudra dance festival.
For dance lovers in Mumbai, April at the NCPA is a month to look forward to. This year the Mudra dance festival 2012 enhances the annual offering of performances with a thoughtfully curated selection of a dance photography exhibition, workshops, lecture demonstrations, film screening and discussions at various halls within the NCPA complex. These diverse events take place throughout the month with a grand finale in the last week.
For a city where dance is not the foremost art form, efforts like these go a long way in building an audience. The selection of artistes is designed to appeal to purists, intrigue new converts and appeal to first-timers. A subtle play of advanced aesthetics combines with sheer dramatic and sensory richness.
Beginning with a dance photography workshop on April 9, the next two days comprise a screening of the National Award winning “Lasya Kavya: The World of Alarmel Valli”, followed by an interaction with the dancer and its director Sankalp Meshram. Speaking of the 77-minute film Alarmel says, “It is a complete film; in that it brings together not just segments of dance but also my thoughts and ideas on dance. It touches on aspects of my life that were significant in shaping me”. The film also includes footage from an 8mm film on her arangetram.
From April 18 to 29, is an exhibition that includes photos of dance performances at NCPA over the years including those of great gurus at Piramal Gallery.
The centrepiece is a lec-dem by Sadanam Balakrishnan introducing the next day's performance, “Keechakavadham” from the Mahabharata, a rare full length Kathakali performance that will include Leela Samson. The performances begin on April 26 with a Kathak performance by Pandit Birju Maharaj. Odissi by Aruna Mohanty and troupe and a Seraikela Chhau performance by Shashadhar Acharya and troupe follow. The festival ends with a Bharatanatyam performance comprising an evening of abhinaya with padams and javalis by Bragha Bessell.
Bottomline: A thoughtfully curated selection of exhibitions, workshops, lec-demos, film screening, performances and discussions.
Mudra dance festival 2012; April 9, 10, 11, 19, 26, 27, 28, NCPA, Nariman Point Mumbai 400021022 Ph: 22824567
I am looking forward to see if the Mudra dance festival's efforts in building an audience have brought about the desired results: after all, the shows are ticketed (Rs.100-400). The most intriguing is why the ticket for Aruna Mohanty's troupe's ballet "also includes admission into the Keechakavadham Kathakali"? As a bonus? How many first-timers did the Kathakali performance by Sadanam Balakrishnan & Leela Samson appeal to? Maybe, the director of Kalakshetra wanted to highlight the point that Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam borrowed its abhinaya from Kathakali. The Bharatanatyam purists are horrified by it. Please let us know how many new Kathakali converts appeared after this performance. I am also looking forward to read how many dance lovers in Mumbai has the Kathak performance by Pandit Birju Maharaj attracted, and how many new converts and first-timers attended Bragha Bessell's padams and javalis. Had Alarmel Valli performed there, the hall would be fully packed for sure.
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