In Step

However,in recent years,NCPA authorities say they have witnessed a steady increase in the footfall for dance shows. It has also been hosting more dance festivals,Nakshtra and Compentary Dance Festival being two other prominent ones,apart from Mudra. “When I joined NCPA three years ago,the audience for dance was much less. Now,we have regular line-up of dance-based shows and we get a good crowd for this,” says Amrita Lahiri,head of programming–Indian dance,NCPA.

Keeping the rising interest in mind,NCPA has even slotted certain shows for the ongoing edition of Mudra festival that may prove to be challenging for the audience. Keechaka Vadham,a Kathakali performance by Sadanam Balakrishnan and Leela Samson,on Friday,and Chhau by Shashadhar Acharya on Saturday are two such shows. These apart,the festival features Gatha Odissi by Aruna Mohanty and dancers of the Orissa Dance Academy on Friday and Patra Dhwani,Padams and Javalis in Bharatanatyam by Bragha Bessell,on Saturday. The festival started on Thursday with a sold-out show featuring Pandit Birju Maharaj.

The number of classical dance shows in Mumbai has increased due to more dance events,such as Dakshinayan and Banyan Tree’s shows. Regular lecture-demonstrations on understanding dance has also helped in building an audience. Lahiri,however,believes that the city always had an appreciation for this performance art. Several pockets of the city,including Thane and Dombivli,have a large number of classical dance students. “It’s quality,not quantity,that matters in the end. And we are working on maintaining the quality now,” she adds.