The Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, which is engaged heart and soul in the promotion of performing art and culture, hosted a mega dance show at the ML Koser Indoor auditorium in Sector 35, Chandigarh, on Saturday to mark the International Dance Day on April 30.
As many as 25 students learning the subtle nuances of Kathak dance, one of the finest genres of Indian classical dance, under the traditional guru-shishya tradition, set the dance floor on fire with their mesmerising performance, showcasing the magic of their footwork in perfect sync with their facial expressions.
Kathak, considered to be a tad tough among the eight forms of Indian classical dances for learners, has crossed all the barriers and physical boundaries and carved out a niche for itself across the international borders. Among those who performed this highly nuanced dance form included students from Kazakhstan. Their performances earned them a humongous appreciation from the audience.
The spirited soiree of dances opened to a throbbing start with a sublime performance doled out by the teeny-weeny clan of dancing divas under the tutelage of dance guru Rakhi. Their pitch-perfect performance based on teen taal and jhap taal, garnered much adulation from the emotion-charged audience.
After this mesmerising dance performance, a spectacular dance rendition by students under the guidance of their guru Yogesh Sharma, left the audience entranced for a while. They started with the Ganesh Vandana, followed by Vishnu Vandana, invoking the divine. They proved their dancing prowess dwelling on tode tukde, ladi paran, farmaisihi chakkar, among others, exhibiting their fine and flawless footwork well synchronising with their bhavas (expressions).
The show-stealing presentations by Kathak sensations, Lunara and Ramina, presented the dance sequence based on ek taal, evoking a thunderous applause from one and all. Sheetal and Nisha presented Kathak syllables in a typical jhap taal tradition, et al. They were accompanied by guru Brij Mohan Gangani on padant and Parmod Gangani on tabla.
(The writer , Ramesh K Dhiman, is a former staffer of The Tribune and freelance writer. He has written extensively for leading newspapers and magazines on art, culture, mythology, besides travelogues.)
(The writer , Ramesh K Dhiman, is a former staffer of The Tribune and freelancer. He has written extensively for leading newspapers and magazines on art, culture, mythology, besides travelogues.)
