There is no better joy than the joy of dancing – this has been a mantra ringing in the nooks and corners of dance studios, rehearsal spaces, and auditoriums for the past week at least. It is that time of the year again, the International Dance Day is upon us on April 29. A day dedicated to dance and dancers, irrespective of styles, forms and techniques. The city comes alive with performances, lectures, discussions, workshops and more than anything else, a lot of singing and dancing. But perhaps one of the best qualities of this day is that veteran artistes step aside to create space for youngsters and children. They curate and organise events paving paths for young talent, simply rejoicing the continuity of the art form.
Says eminent Odissi dancer Ranjana Gauhar, “Dance is life. It is integral to human existence and nature. I feel that nature is dancing all the time. There is no better way to celebrate life than to dance. It is one of the most beautiful modes of expression that connects with the divine. The body, mind and soul are connected in this thought process.” As part of IDD celebrations, Gauhar’s dance academy, Utsav, will be presenting “Su-Tarang”, with recitals by over 50 of her students.
“I am giving all my students a chance to perform. It is also a place of bonding, through dance, celebration and joy. This is a place where they exchange positive energies with the audience, including their parents and friends and others who come to watch them. It is showcasing how much heritage they imbibe,” she adds. At “Su-Tarang”, Gauhar’s students will present a mix of traditional and new choreographies.
“The dancer is looked upon as a yogi. The childhood is represented by Mangalacharan, Batu being the adolescence, youth blossomed into Pallavi, matured through abhinaya and ending with Moksha. We have put together this repertoire keeping these elements in mind so that dance can be treated as the whole cycle of life,” says Gauhar. The dancers will be presenting Ganesh Stuti, Saraswati Vandana, the famous Shankarabharanam Pallavi, Sthai, a piece on Navdurga, followed by Moksha, to name a few.
The contemporary dance styles have continued to gain momentum in the country in the past two decades. Noted contemporary dancer and choreographer Ravi Rastogi went to the Broadway Dance Centre, New York, and trained himself under the best faculties only to come back to India and work with youngsters here. His styles include Salsa, Bachata, Cha ChaCha, Merengue, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Zumba to name a few. He says, “I think this is one day when all dancers can come together and call themselves a unit. It gives me immense joy to just be a part of it.” Rastogi and his school, Moving Souls, have put together a three-day festival to celebrate IDD. “We decided to incorporate different dance styles, because each one is unique and the more the better. There will be Salsa, Jazz, Bachata, Bollywood, among other forms,” says Rastogi. There will be nine performances, spread over three days, by Rastogi’s students and instructors.
Distinguished dancers Raja, Radha and Kaushalya Reddy’s Natya Tarangini is all set to resonate with music and dance on IDD with “Natya Parampara”. The inauguration of their art-gallery by LK Advani will be followed by Kuchipudi performances at the amphitheatre at Natya Tarangini by their own disciples. The art-gallery will exhibit paintings by artists like Shridhar Iyer, Asit Kumar Patnaik, Niren Sengupta, Seema Kohli, Alka Raghuvanshi, Lakshman Aelay to name only a few.
“Because of dance, India is known to the rest of the world as “prachi sudha”. It is such a privilege to be able to dance,” says Raja Reddy. “We have to keep this tradition going. When we started dancing, there was not one day dedicated to dancing, we danced every day. But now that we do, we must come together and celebrate as one,” he adds. Apart from pieces from the traditional repertoire, the students will also perform a verse from the Bible, “My Heart is a Temple”, while singing it along. “This is a special choreography for me. The words are in English, but the dance is Kuchipudi. My children love performing it,” he gushes.
(Su-Tarang will be held at Azad Bhavan Auditorium at ICCR on April 29 at 6:30 pm, while Moving Souls’ three-day festival is from 27-29 April, at DLF Place, Saket from 5-7pm. Natya Parampara will be held at the Amphitheatre, Natya Tarangini, on April 29, 6:30pm.)
