BENGALURU: Bharatanatyam artiste Shubha Dhananjay, the founder and director of Karana, an institute of classical arts based in Bengaluru, has been holding annual festivals of her dance wing, Natyantaranga, since its inception in 1987. This year also happens to be the birth centenary of her guru, Natyacharya S V Srinivas. To mark the occasion, she plans to hold this year’s festival differently.
Nritya Sakara, conceptualised by Shubha, features dancers from different styles and banis of Bharatanatyam. “Srinivas master used to teach me at my residence, and in those three years that he continuously taught from morning till night, he had almost become like my father. For paying tribute to this association with my guru, I have invited other dancers who have carried their respective guru’s legacies forward,” says Shubha.
The festival aims to present different styles of Bharatantyam. A series of workshops and competitions are also being held at Karana, Basaveswar Nagar. Dasappa Keshava will hold a workshop in Mysore style of Bharatanatyam on January 7 and 8 from 2.30 to 5.30 pm, while Vasant Kiran will hold a Kuchipudi workshop from 10 am to 1 pm on January 7 and 8.Nritya Sakara is being held on January 9 and 10, at ADA Rangamandira, J.C. Road.(The author is a city-based dance critic)