Paintings can be framed and sold,music can be saved in CDs,but dance is best performed before an audience. For Ashish Mohan Khokar,historian and arts administrator,and founder of Attendance,an annual dance magazine,it is the only way to preserve tradition. The magazine highlights and records the milestones crossed by dancers,along with reviews,events as well as articles by experts. The only magazine dedicated to dance in the country,Attendance started 15 years ago as an attempt to document and preserve the dance culture of India in print. This year,its special issue is devoted to reminding people about various classical dances,their importance and their decline in current times. It will be guest-edited by Ahmedabad-based arts writer SD Desai. Khokar says the magazine has evolved from highlighting dance personalities to drawing attention to dance forms,such as in this years issue. He says his experiences until now have been insightful and fascinating,as he was introduced to innumerable small towns with immense talent,as well as new writers with the flair he needed to make the magazine work. Dance is basic to our being,as we move and emote all the time and sometimes we can move others,by our dance. It is in everything we do,and therefore,we must preserve it, says Khokar. As part of the 15-year celebrations,there will be performances on July 18 at India Habitat Centre by Aditi Mangaldas (kathak),Ambika Paniker (Odissi) and Navtej Singh Johar (Bharatanatyam). The dancers will trace the transformation of the
three classical dances over the last 30-40 years. The yearbook too will be released.
