VIJAYAWADA: The three-day Vijayawada Dance Festival began on a grand note at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Friday.
The first day witnessed two repertoires of the Indian classical dance form of Kuchipudi. A local dancer Sriti Samanvi, disciple of Kuchipudi exponent Sudheer Rao, began the event with her performance titled Vinayaka Panchratna, in which she praised Lord Ganesha.
This was followed by Shankar Srigiri in which she danced on a shloka taken from the Shiva Purana, which described the time when Lord Shiva danced in the cosmos.
The audience was enthralled with her emotion-filled expressions as she showed two of the strongest emotions - adbhuta (surprise) and bhakti (devotion).
She concluded her performance with Swagatam Krishna, a piece depicting the dancing abilities of the deity. She showed how Lord Krishna’s dance, vibrant but soft - just the opposite of Lord Shiva’s tandav - attracted so many in Gokuldham.The evening concluded with the traditional Thillana, a piece showing dancers’ strength and technical grace.