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 Nrityesvara Festival of Dance and Seminar Photos: Rahul Naag October 19, 2024 Nrityesvara - a festival of classical dance and seminar showcasing performances of male dancers of India, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, dwelt on the realms of an intriguing subject transcending the borders of taboo and acceptance of male dancers in modern society. To this effect, a seminar titled 'The challenges faced by the male artistes and how to dismantle the gender binaries,' followed by an all-male dance show was organised by the Centre for Cultural Studies and Development and held at Triveni Kala Sangam Auditorium on September 22. The audience was mostly comprised of the dance and music enthusiasts of the city and Delhi NCR. The seminar primarily dealt with the recognition and relevance of male dancers in society and how in a patriarchal male dominated society, ironically the males are the victims highlighting the issue of gender bias, encountering the stereotypes at home, neighbourhood, school, workplace and in society, and the everyday battle pronounced both enormous and emotional. The prominent speakers who grabbed the attention with their insightful thoughts were Kuchipudi dancer Gururaju N from Bengaluru, Krishnendu Saha (Odissi) from Udaipur and Vishavdeep (Kathak) from Delhi, who later dazzled the audience with their electrifying performances. While Gururaju focussed on the primacy of the existence of male dancers in society, Krishnendu highlighted the "apartheid" against them at every stage and walk of life and Vishavdeep brought to the fore the sheer challenges and the need to change the mindset of people. The discussion was followed by a question-answer session to engage the audience in a lively manner. The male dancers first beautifully narrated their story raising the quintessential issue of apathy and discrimination towards them and how society needs a total revolution in their mindset and thought process. Then they "walked (and danced) the talk" with each movement perhaps telling a story. A story of love, care, anxiety, apprehension, belonging, existence and recognition in the very world of bias against the male dancers. The dance performance segment of Nrityesvara Festival opened with 'Shiva Stuti', invoking the blessings of Lord Nataraja presented in Odissi style by Aaradhya Pattnaik and Dridikhsha Hazra, disciples of Paulami Guha, Odissi dancer and Founder Member Secretary, CCSD.  N Gururaju Thereafter Gururaju N, Bangalore based Kuchipudi male dancer and senior disciple of Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi took over the stage. He began his solo recital depicting tandava aspect of dance with captivating cosmic dancer Shiva's different postures as found in temples of South India. The dance piece was based on raga Hamsanandi, talam adi. The next presentation was on a song based on the story of Lord Rama composed by saint composer Bhakta Ramadasa of Bhadrachalam set to raga Ananda Bhairavi and adi talam. Gururaju gracefully portrayed the relation of a devotee and the lord in this dance piece. With ecstatic facial expression and subtle body movement the dance presentation of Gururaju took the audience into the world of divinity. His last presentation Jaya Jaya Durge, a Tarangam from Krishna Leela Tarangini by Narayanateertha was in praise of Goddess Durga in raga Durga, set to adi talam.  Krishnendu Saha Krishnendu Saha, one of the promising Odissi dancers of India and senior disciple of Guru Sharmila Biswas commenced his performance with 'Shiv Parvati Shabda'. He finely demonstrated how tandava, the male form of dance and lasya, the feminine form complement each other and harmonise into a complete whole. Inspired by the Shabda Nrutya of Western Odisha, the dance piece highlighted how balance of both brings complete harmony in the universe, in our nature and also harmony within us. Krishnendu's second and last presentation was 'Maya Manav' from Bichitra Ramayan where Ram runs after the illusive golden deer, Maya. The exquisite work Maya Manav was about man's eternal journey to unravel the mystery of Maya, the illusion, which encompasses the world. Maya leads on, never revealing itself. Man follows, confused and frustrated, but never leaving his hope to possess Maya. The dancer mesmerised the audience with his enthralling performance in this item. His elegantly supple body and a remarkable control over the idiom and the nuances of Odissi was really a treat. The chorography was by Guru Sharmila Biswas, one of Odissi's best choreographers today.  Vishavdeep Vishavdeep, a dynamic young dancer of Jaipur Gharana, disciple of Gurus Narain Prasad, Nandini Singh and Prerana Shrimali, presented a spellbinding performance in Kathak style, with a prominent story of Kaliya Mardan as the first piece. His abhinaya based dance on the story of Sant Nandanar, a devotee of Shiva was praiseworthy. He concluded the dance festival with Chaturang, the amalgamation of four parts - sahitya, Nritya ke bol, Tirvat Tarana and Sargam and its infectious rhythm held the audience in spell. All the performances by the male dancers reflected the indomitable spirit, their talents, with a never-say-die attitude and a sense of commitment written large on their faces. Portraying different dance forms of Kuchipudi, Odissi and Kathak, the three performers depicted all bhavas and rasas in a beautifully crafted show. |
