BENGALURU: Though a late starter in the music and dance season, Bengaluru now has a series of festivals lined up for January-February. The 15th Drishti National Dance festival, organised by Bharatanatyam guru and dancer Anuradha Vikranth, will, unlike earlier years, be an experiment like the 20-20 cricket matches. In about four hours, 15 dancers are set to perform, with each getting 12-15 minutes on stage. According to Vikranth, it is a curtain raiser for longer performances that Drishti is planning to organise throughout the year.
She adds that the festival, called Bharata Nrityavaibhava, features 15 prominent Indian dance forms performed by some of the finest artistes. The festival starts with a Bharatanatyam recital by Vikranth herself, and is followed by Sharmila Mukherjee (Odissi), Gopika Varma (Mohiniattam), Anita Sharma (Sattriya from Assam), Shama Krishna (Kuchipudi), Sinam Basu Singh (Manipuri), artistes from Kerala Kalamandalam (Kathakali), Hari and Chetana (Kathak), Mahati Kannan (Baratanrityam), Gopal Prasad Dubey (Chhau), Surya N Rao (Yakshagana), Ranjan Mullarat and Kalari Gurukulam (Kalaripayattu), and Attakalari Centre for Movement Art (Indian Contemporary dance), Sharat Prabhath (Harikatha). Finally, a Janapada Vaibhava (folk presentation) will be held by Janmabhoomi Janapada Kalasangha, from Karasawadi in Mandya district.
Dhrishtri Art Foundation was set up by Anuradha and her husband T M Vikranth, and currently nearly 400 students are learning Bharatanatyam. “Organising a festival of this magnitude, year after year, is an arduous task and a huge responsibility. But at the end of the day, when you see the positive response for classical dance by the artistes and audience, it gives an inexplicable sense of achievement and satisfaction. It motivates us to do better. Audience is our biggest strength, “ she says.
The event will take place on January 11 at Chowdiah Memorial hall.
(The writer is a city-based dance critic)