Exploring the Naayaka of dance

Delve deeper into the Shiva Tandava, Krishna Leela and Ram Katha with seven dancers and an all-male dance group from Chennai who will perform at NCPA's Mudra Dance week

Exploring the Naayaka of dance

Delve deeper into the Shiva Tandava, Krishna Leela and Ram Katha with seven dancers and an all-male dance group from Chennai who will perform at NCPA's Mudra Dance week

Most Indian classical dance forms have traditionally been male-dominated, depicting the Gods through abhinaya (expressions). Dance piecesu00a0 based on male characters performed by male artistes were, at one time, de rigueur. For instance, Tandava, the dance of the master of all dances -- Lord Shiva -- remains the best demonstration of beauty, strength and vigour all embodied in one dance form.

The Mudra Dance Festival, organised by the NCPA, attempts to explore the contribution of the male performer and character to Indian classical dance. Participating artistes have chosen to showcase varied subjects ranging from Putana Moksha to the Ananda Tandavam through their performances. The four-day festival, which begins today, will featureu00a0 mesmerising story telling depicted through dance. The aim of the festival is to enlighten audience about the aspects of dance usually associated with men as well as encourage male artistes. The Guide picks out three must-watch performances at the festival.

The five aspects of Shiva
Bharat Natyam dancer Shreejith Krishna, along with his all-male group from Chennai will perform five pieces based on Lord Shiva. The different performances will portray the God as a dancer, a protector and as Kaalbhairava (a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva). "The dancers must have the humility to take on the role of a God on stage," says Krishna who has been teaching dance at the Kalakshetra University in Chennai for the last 15 years. "The first piece explains the meaning of the five syllables Na Ma Shi Va Ya," he shares.

The divine love story of Radha and Krishna
Odissi dancer Lingaraj Pradhan is one of the youngest artists to be performing at the festival. Pradhan's will be the inaugural dance of the festival on April 26. He is one of the leading classical performers today and has trained at the Orissa Dance Academy under Bichitrananda Swain and under the direction of Gangadhar Pradhan. At the festival, he will perform a Mangalacharn -- a special dance based on Lord Krishna. Dance lovers should look out for the performance piece titled Josabara Re, which is based on the divine love that Radha shared with Krishna. Pradhan will also perform an abhinaya based on Karna, the benevolent warrior from Mahabharata.

Depicting Jataayu Moksha through Kathak
Kathak evolved as a male-dominated dance form, but slowly it became associated more with women. "In Maharashtra, very few male dancers take to this dance form. In the north and in Chennai, it's quite the opposite," says Shambhavi Vaze, who is going to perform Shiva Vandana, Jatayu Moksha and a dance based on Rudra Taal -- a vigorous dance form related to Lord Shiva. "While performing the Rudra Taal, I have tried to bring out the masculine elements in the traditional form," says Vaze. Another interesting composition is a piece called Rasiya Ko Naar Banao Ri, "In this piece, all the gopis catch hold of Krishna and make him dress like a girl," she says. Kathak has its origins in the Raas Leela cult and the portrayal of Krishna and his leelas is very beautifully depicted in this dance form.