Dance festival on the occassion of Sucheta Chapekar’s birthday
Times of India, Pune: As noted dance exponent Sucheta Chapekar turns 60 this year, the birthday celebration promises to be a treat to dance aficionados in the city, with Kalavardhini Charitable Trust, a dance school founded and mentored by Chapekar, all set to host a three-day dance festival titled Parikrama,’ from December 4 to 6.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chapekar’s daughter and disciple, and also the chief organiser of the event, Arundhati Patwardhan, said, “There are lot of other facets to my mother apart from being a dance genius. This festival is an effort to bring all these to the notice of the younger generation.” Elaborating, Patwardhan said while her mother is known to be a proficient performer, not many know that she has also learnt music and is a keen follower of the other forms of classical dance.
The festival will see well-known names in the field come together and perform and also talk about dance and its relevance in today’s times. These include exponents of different dance forms, Padmavibhushan Sonal Mansingh, an exponent of Odissi; Padmashree Darshana Jhaveri of Manipuri, Deeepti Omchery Bhalla of Mohiniyattam, C.V. Chandrashekhar of Bharatnatyam and Shama Bhate of Kathak.
“Parikrama will provide an opportunity to the city audience, especially the dance students, not only to witness the veterans perform, but also to hear their view on dance. It is a first-of-its-kind event in the city where different dance forms will be performed in one platform,” Patwardhan said.
The festival also includes two other attractions, a book release function and screening of a documentary on Chapekar. Nrityatmika, a book by Chapekar, will be released by Sonal Mansingh. On the other hand, the documentary Vyomagami’ (meaning, moving towards the stars) has been directed by Amrita Mahadik.
“The book is not an autobiography, but talks about Tai’s (Chapekar’s) life and various other things, including her love for music, performance, her interactions with students and the happenings in her life. The documentary focuses on her childhood, her journey as a dancer and her students, among other things,” said Juee Deogaokar, Chapekar’s disciple and co-organiser of the event.
A symposium, convened by noted dance critic and historian, Padmashree Sunil Kothari, has also been organised as part of the event where veteran dancers will talk about their art on December 5 at 9.30 am. “While Chandrashekharji will speak on the relevance of classical dance in present times, Mansingh will elaborate on communication in dance, Jhaveri will talk about the journey of the Manipuri dance from temple to theatre, Bhalla on the history, development and future of Mohiniyattam and Bhate will enlighten us on Kathak in contemporary times,” Deogaokar said.
Meanwhile, Chapekar’s students, including Parimal Phadke, Smita Mahajan, Rama Kuknur, Yashoda Patankar and Pauline Reibell, her student from France, will perform on the first day. The highlight of the event, however, will be a performance by Chapekar herself, on the day of her birthday on December 6, where she will present her unique Nrityaganga.’
The dance form was developed by Chapekar for Bharatnatyam enthusiasts who found it difficult to follow the dance owing to the presence of carnatic music. “It is the pure and undiluted form of Bharatnatyam, but performed with the accopaniment of Hindustani classical music, giving it a different identity,” Patwardhan explained.
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