Step by Step

For Malaysian dancer and choreographer Ramli Ibrahim,Indian classical dances like Bharatanatyam and Odissi are also a part of Malaysia. This evening,Ibrahim will kickstart the first international festival of dance,organised by ICCR,with a piece called “Sutra Dance”. The three-day festival,a cultural initiative to improve ties with other countries,will also have dancers from Indonesia,China,Mauritius,Malaysia,South Africa and Germany,all of them performing an Indian classical dance. The inaugural day will also have Indonesian dancer Aila El-Edross presenting a 30-minute-long Kathak performance. South African Vincent Zwane begins the second day of the festival with a Bharatnatayam recital,followed by German dancer Anne Dietrick and the Russian Irena Strakhovenko showcasing their skills in Mohiniattam and Kuchipudi respectively. The festival concludes with Chinese dancer Zhang Jinghui’s kathak performance and a Kuchipudi piece by Dayashree Pentiah from Mauritius and Kathakali by Isa Jacobi. Aila El-Edroos from Indonesia,a disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj and Saswati Sen,will invoking Lord Shiva through Kathak besides presenting a ghazal-based dance piece.