Seher’s annual Ananya Dance Festival is back with its exotic Purana Qila Backdrop and the Rasa of Indian Classical Dance

New Delhi: SEHER, one of the premier organizations in the area of performing and visual arts, presents Ananya Dance Festival 2009; its annual five-day classical dance extravaganza at Purana Qila which celebrates the beauty of Indian classical dance forms and focuses on group choreography in particular. The festival begins from October 03, 2009 till October 07, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. daily. The event is an annual feature by the Govt. of NCT of Delhi and SEHER and held in association with Sahitya Kala Parishad. The entry to the festival is free.

Sanjeev Bhargava, Founder of Seher & Festival Director of Ananya Dance Festival says: “In a world that is fast turning to western dance forms and an age where TRPs of reality television is growing, Seher’s motto has always been to preserve the Indian heritage and culture. We have succeeded in democratizing culture by first taking classical dance into public spaces like monuments and parks, and second, by imparting it a mass appeal. The festival will feature only choreographed group performances to match the colossal size of the venue.”

A brief synopsis of the festival is as follows:-

• October 3 - The festival opens aptly with an Odissi performance by the veteran danseuse Madhavi Mudgal and her troupe. Their performance during the festival will be from Kalidas Kumarsambhavam which will highlight the natya or dramatic element and conclude with an invocation to the sacred river Ganga.

• October 4 - Watch a theme-based Mohiniyattam act titled Sringara by Gopika Varma and her troupe. The performance begins with an invocatory item on Kamadeva and concludes with Jeeva, a dance number that symbolically shows the journey of the soul - the restless human form that transcends in the quest of knowledge and realization and eventually leads to the attainment of the paramatma or the greater soul.

• October 5 - The sister-duo Monisa Nayak (from the Jaipur gharana) and Moumala Nayak (from the Lucknow gharana) will perform Nartan, a musical journey that showcases the varieties of music used in Kathak during old, medieval and modern times.

• October 6 - Witness an avant-garde contemporary fusion by Astad Deboo and his troupe of eight Pung Cholom drummers of Manipur. Their performance ‘Rhythm Divine’ is a highly refined classical dance number characterized by the modulation of sound from a soft whisper to a thunderous climax; the dancers slowly pick up the tempo with perfect synchronization once they beat the drums. There is the interplay of intricate rhythms and cross rhythms with varying markings of time from the slow to the quick with graceful and vigorous body movements leading to ecstatic heights

• October 7 - The grand finale will show Bharatanatyam danseuse Rema Shrikant making her debut in Delhi with her troupe. Their performance commences with a recital of Ganpati Vandana and concludes with a brisk tillana.



PROGRAMME
(Featuring group choreographies)

Saturday, October 03, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Odissi: Madhavi Mudgal & group (Delhi)

Sunday, October 04, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Mohiniyattam: Gopika Varma & group (Chennai)

Monday, October 05, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Kathak: Monisa and Moumala Nayak & group (Delhi)

Tuesday, October 06, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Contemporary: Astad Deboo (Mumbai) & the Pong Cholam drummers of Manipur

Wednesday, October 07, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Bharatanatyam: Rema Shrikant & group (Baroda)


Special Highlight: October 06 & 07 October, 2009:

A special seminar titled PRATIBIMB (A reflection on Ananya Dance Festival); an insight into how the choreographers who presented their work at Ananya retain the essential spirit of the classical form, while also being innovative and creative will take place on October 6 and 7 at Alliance Francaise de Delhi, 72, Lodi Estate, New Delhi from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The eminent panel of speakers will include Madhavi Mudgal, Monisa and Moumala Nayak, Gopika Varma, Astad Deboo, Rema Shrikant and moderator, Sudha Gopalakrishnan. The seminar aims to create a dialogue between the choreographers and the audience (young dancers, scholars, students and dance-enthusiasts) where the discussion will revolve around ‘classical’ dance in today’s world.