29 September,2011 10:38 AM IST | | Himani Kothari
Gear up as the much awaited dance festival Ananya kickstarts in the Capital from Saturday continuing till five days
Dance is the music played with the body and the soul, for some it's life. The capital has always celebrated it the big way. And the city comes alive once again this Saturday as it celebrates the 10th year of Ananya, the five day classical dance festival at Purana Qila. The cultural extravaganza showcases the Indian classical dances in a way that it reaches out to a large number of audience. The youth of today is losing out on how entertaining classical dances can be, this festival is an attempt to save the culture of classical dances in the country.
The much awaited festival which is organized by the Department of Art, Culture, Languages of Government of Delhi and SEHER in association with Sahitya Kala Parishad, is a mix of performances by budding talents as well as the aces in the field of dance. The festival opens by an Odissi dance performance by Aruna Mohanty, a well-recognized dancer from Odissa. "In the festival I will be representing Gatha Odissi from the temple to the stage. I excel in the abhinaya aspect of the dance form, so mostly using brief narrations and symbolic images."
Another established choreographer Vaswati Mishra who is performing Kathak says, "It's the first time that our group will be performing for Ananya . We'll be performing six disparate pieces. What binds them together is the fact that each piece lends itself towards strongly depicting one element of the form. Briefly, our performance pieces are: Mahabhuta, Lavanya, Padhant, In Anticipation, Khanditaa and last but not the least Griha Naayak.
Priya Venkatraman, the Bharatnatyam exponent who worships dance and has been dancing since the age of seven says, "I am very excited for having to show my passion at such a nice platform. My group will begin with a traditional Mallari followed by a sloka. 'Nrityaharam' will bring out the architectonic beauty of the dance form while playing with rhythm and melody and finally bringing the evening to an end with a fast paced tillana."
The festival will be closed by the performance of Parwathi Dutta, who will be presenting an amalgamation of seven classical dances- Odissi, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam and Kathakali, says "I started dancing when I was four years old and this is my second time in Ananya, but I am as much excited as I love this place and I love the way the festival is conducted here." talking about the performance of this year she adds "I will be presenting two group productions- Nirgeet and Sannidhi. Nirgeet is a research based work that will showcase the coexistence of the seven classical dances and search its roots in Bharatmuni's Natyashastra. The second production Sannidhi meaning confluence is the production on the seven sacred rivers wherein each river is depicted through dance." So, watch this festival as it promises to unleash mixed emotions by different dance styles.
On: Purana Qila
At: 1 October-5October
Timings: 7pm Onward
Entry: Free
