After a fortnight of music concerts and insightful lec-dems at the Music Academy, it’s time to soak in the beauty of classical dances. Starting from January 3 till January 9, young and senior dancers from across the country will perform at the Music Academy Dance Festival.
Mark Van de Vreken, Consul-General of Belgium to South India, will inaugurate the annual event at 5.30 p.m. and senior dancer-choreographer and guru Priyadarsini Govind will receive the ‘Nritya Kalanidhi’ title. It will be followed by the Bharatanatyam performance of Renjith and Vijna at 6 p.m. and Odissi performance by Arushi and Madhavi Mudgal at 7.45 p.m.
Besides the performances that will be held in five segments — 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7.45 p.m., there will also be panel discussions from January 4 to 6 (8 a.m. to 10 a.m.) featuring eminent artistes, who will take up various issues relating to the field of dance.
Varied topics
Among the topics that will be taken up by the panellists are ‘Spirituality and Classical Dance’, ‘Insights and adaptations from folk dance and theatre’ and ‘The evolving classical dance pedagogy.’ The aim behind introducing the pnael discussion was to go beyond the technique and repertoire to look into the finer elements that impact a dancer’s journey and thought process.
Apart from solo performances, ensemble works such as V.P. Dhananjayan’s ‘Thyagaraja Vaibhavam’, Singapore-based Apsaras Arts Dance Company’s ‘Alapadma - The Lotus unfolds’, ‘Vaali Moksha’, a Yakshagana presentation by Keremane Shivananda Hedge Group and Vaibhav Arekar and group.
The festival has been offering a platform to different Indian dance forms.
