One hundred dancers of different ages and levels of expertise celebrated the International Day of Dance by performing a swift trio of traditional dances at the St. John’s Vestry School ground on Wednesday.
Organised by the local chapter of Association of Bharathanatyam Artistes of India (ABHAI), the event was held in the midst of the ongoing exhibition at the Vestry premises, and featured students, teachers, and professionals from the city dancing the kollattam and kummi, followed by the Thillana in Raga Mohanakalyani, traditionally used to conclude classical Bharathanatyam performances.
“This is the first time that such an event is taking place in Tiruchi, especially in such an unusual backdrop, on the occasion of the World Dance Day,” said Ms. Supriya, one of the organisers.
The children, dressed in traditional costumes and jewellery, put on a joyful performance, and seemed unmindful of the difficulties posed by the humid weather, the rough ground, and the noise generated by the other attractions of the fairground. Their teachers accompanied them.
Many members of the audience were seated on the ground to get a better view while several parents filmed the dances on their mobile phones.
Ms. Supriya thanked the exhibition organisers for permitting the ABHAI event. The organisers later made the evening more enjoyable for the young dancers by giving them free entry to the fair as a token of appreciation.
ABHAI was established in Chennai in 1987 under the guidance of the founder-president and exponent K.N. Pakkirisami Pillai.
The International Dance Day was instituted in 1982 by the non-governmental organisation Conseil International de la Danse, which is partnered by the UNESCO, with the aim of making a wider public aware of the art of dance.
Last year, 50 Bharathanatyam dancers in Chennai organised what was reported to be the first ‘flash mob’ of classical dancers, by staging an impromptu performance at a city mall.
