Dance festival gets under way

‘Bharathotsav 2010,' the dance festival of Karthik Fine Arts, got under way here on Saturday. Senior dancers K.J. Sarasa, Chitra Visweswaran and Radha were each honoured with a gold medal, shawl and citation at the inauguration of the festival by Member of Parliament Kanimozhi.

Member of Parliament Kanimozhi with dancers Chitra Visweswaran, K.J. Sarasa and Radha, who were presented awards by Karthik Fine Arts, in Chennai on Saturday. Actor-dancer Shobana and Karthik Fine Arts chairman L. Sabaretnam are in the picture. Photo: R. Ragu

‘Bharathotsav 2010,' the dance festival of Karthik Fine Arts, got under way here on Saturday.

Senior dancers K.J. Sarasa, Chitra Visweswaran and Radha were each honoured with a gold medal, shawl and citation at the inauguration of the festival by Member of Parliament Kanimozhi.

Radha and Chitra recalled their association with Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, their teacher who taught them to appreciate the aesthetics of dance by drawing analogy between nature and dance.

L. Sabaretnam, chairman of Karthik Fine Arts, said the 10th Natya Dharshan has been titled ‘Bharathotsav 2010'. Actor-dancer Shobana is convening the festival, comprising lecture demonstrations and performances, for the second consecutive year.

Dancer Anita Ratnam would convene the festival in 2011 and 2012. “Natyadarshan is an exclusive show for different dance styles in India. At the three-day dance session being held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore, artists from different parts of India will showcase the various styles of dances performed in the country,” he said.

Shobana said the three-day festival would inspire students to perform better when they see other forms of dance. The festival will include dance forms such as Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Kathakali.

Ms. Kanimozhi recited a few of her poems. Dancers Rama Vaidyanathan and Neena Prasad rendered the poems as dance, giving them a novel interpretation through Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam.