Swimming through a creative downpour of new ideas, refreshed concepts and soulful stories are Kuchipudi dancers Raja, Radha and Kaushalya Reddy, who’re presenting Parampara Series, a national festival of dance and music. Calendered right after the last stretch of monsoons conclude, it brings new and old classical presentations with stories that touch the soul.
An effort by Natya Tarangini—Raja Radha Reddy Centre for Performing Arts, this three-day programme will see performers like Pt Sanjeev Abhayankar (Hindustani vocal), Preeti Patel and Troupe (Manipuri dance), Anuradha Pal (tabla) and others. “When we started the Parampara series, we spent the initial few years experimenting with various dates, but finally zeroed in on September because monsoon always seems to rekindle emotions and creativity in a special way. It also brings out the best in artistes,” says Raja.
The trio that’s performed on several occasions and on various platforms in the world feels blessed to be able to tell stories through dance expressions. Their best one is any tale revolving around Shiva and Parvati. Showing the audiences their passion for the Gods, they’re presenting a new production titled Mahanatam, that is an extension of Shiva Leela. “It’s an ode to Lord Shiva also known as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, whose dance animates the universe from within. Lord Shiva expresses the primeval fusion of male and female energies in the form of ardhanareeshwara. He is the creator of the majestic tandavam (masculine dance) and lyrical lasyam (feminine dance) which are an internal part of all creatures of the universe,” explains Radha.
Through a selection of new productions every year, they ensure that the audiences get a dose of freshness, but sometimes, it gets difficult to re-invent. “It’s a challenge actually, but the trick is to not try too hard,” says Kaushalya adding, “Being artists, we’ve learnt to feel the pulse of the audience, the artistes and art. Whether new or old, it always manages to leaves a mark on the memory that cannot be easily erased.”
September 25-27: 7 pm to 10 pm, at Kamani Auditorium, 1 Copernicus Marg.