Dance like a man

The four-day festival from April 26 to 29 depicts not just the male mythological characters but also male dancers,composers,gurus and choreographers,who have shaped this Indian dance tradition.

Commenting on the initiative,Amrita Lahiri,Head-Programming NCPA Dance and a Kuchipudi dancer said,Its a rare occasion when one can watch exemplary dance performances on the Naayaka. Most people associate classical dance with the Naayika and perceive the performing arts as a womans domain. In this festival,we have some great male and female dancers focussing on male characters in Indian dance tradition.

The festival started off with an Odissi solo performance by Lingaraj Pradhan,a leading exponent of the dance form who was also recently conferred with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He presented a Mangalacharan a performance where permission is sought from the Almighty to Lord Krishna and followed it up with Pallavi,Josabara Re that depicts the love between Radha and Krishna and ended his performance with an abhinaya piece on Karna the tragic character from Mahabharata. Pradhan,who started his career at the age of 15,says,My gurus and I have devised movements and steps that will suit a male artiste. But it has been quite tough for us. Initially when we wanted to perform at festivals,everyone was apprehensive to give us an opportunity. But things have changed after I won the award. Now people have become more receptive. The second half of the evening saw a Kathak group performance by Shambhavi Vaze who enacted episodes from Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita.

The second day saw a Kathakali solo performance,Poothana Moksham,by Margi Vijaykumar. The act is based on the story of Poothana,who was sent by Kansa to kill baby Krishna. It was followed by Sharmila Biswas and her Odissi group who performed a piece that chronicled the Shiva-Parvati love story and the Krishna Janma Katha.

Umang Divyasena and Shobha Korambli explored the different phases of Lord Krishnas life with their Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi performances. The intricacies of the two styles were interwoven to depict the dual facets of Lord Krishnas personality his childhood exploits and popularity with the gopikas and how he gradually became the saviour of mankind. The last day saw Sujata Mohapatra,an exponent of the Odissi style,perform snippets from the Ramayana. The finale performance was given by choreographer Sheejith Krishna,who presented Shiva Panchakam that comprised five pieces highlighting distinct facets of Shiva with his troupe of Bharatanatyam dancers.