‘Parikramaa’, the dance festival to be an annual event
Indian Express: After having enthralled dance enthusiasts in the city last year, Parikramaa, the dance festival is now set to be an yearly event. An amalgamation of various dance forms on the same platform, Parikramaa, a mega event on Indian Classical dance, will be held in the city on November 28 and 29. The programme was initiated last year by Kalavardhini Charitable Trust as part of the 60th birthday of founder and renowned Bharatnatyam exponent Sucheta Chapekar.
Addressing newspersons, Sucheta Chapekar, founder, Kalavardhini Trust said, “Parikramaa in Sanskrit means round and as per mythology, one Parikramaa is equivalent to enlightenment. After last year’s event, I went to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi who appreciated the initiative and encouraged us to continue with this worship of dance.”
The only festival in the city dedicated to dance, Parikramaa last year featured three-dance forms- Odissi, Manipuri and Mohiniattam. This year, the event will feature Kathakali and Kuchipudi. “The popularity of dance can be seen through the number of dance classes in the city. But, there has not been a single festival dedicated to classical dance. We now plan to make available a common platform for the portrayal of authentic Classical Indian dance forms. This festival would thus feature talented veteran as well as young performers presenting their art in front of dance enthusiasts,” said Arundhati Patwardhan, Chapekar’s daughter and chief organiser of Parikramaa.
On day one, the event, starting at 5.30 pm at Yashwantrao Chavan auditorium will showcase performances such as- Arghyam, a Bharatnatyam performance by disciples of Chapekar including Alka Lajmi and Neelima Kadhe followed by Dhanashri Apte’s performance on Nritya Ganga, Chapekar’s synthesis of Bharatnatyam and Hindustani Classical music. The event would be formally inaugurated by Rajlaxmi Bhosale, mayor of Pune and Leela Samson, Bharatnatyam dancer. Added attractions for day one will include Karnatak Tal Vadya Kacheri by Shridhar Parthasarthi and group and Dwandwa, a dance drama by Rajashree Shirke and Vaibhav Arekar.
The first session on day two would include a symposium on contemporary issues related to Indian classical dance at 9.30 am at Abasaheb Garware College hall. Padmashree Leela Samson, Anuradha Jonnalagadda, Kalamandalam Balasubramanian and Vaibhav Arekar will participate in the symposium. Second session will include performances such as- Bharatnatyam by Leela Samson, Kuchipudi by Jonnalagadda, Nritya Ganga by Chapekar and special performance by Kerala Kalamandalam.
Tickets for the show will be available at Kalavardhini branch, opposite Maharashtra Mandal, Tilak Road till November 25 and post that at Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium and Balgandharva Rang Mandir.
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