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REVIEW / REPORT'Nrityesvara' showcases male dancers' relevance- Suman Raye-mail: suman.ray75@gmail.com October 5, 2026 A two-day seminar cum dance festival 'Nrityesvara' (2nd edition) organised by the Centre for Cultural Studies & Development and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture was held at the national capital in the third weekend of September. On Friday (Sept 18) afternoon, an hour-long illuminating interactive session was held with 100-odd students on the 'Challenges faced by male dancers and how to dismantle the gender binaries' at Central Delhi's Kendriya Vidyalaya. The esteemed speakers were Dr Bhabananda Barbayan, an acclaimed Sattriya dancer and a scholar from Assam and Bharatanatyam dancer from Bengaluru, Rupesh K C. While Dr Bhabananda highlighted the relevance and importance of dance in stimulating the synchronous among mind, soul and body, Rupesh laid emphasis on mental strength in breaking the stereotype in the persuasion of one's goal. The idea behind organising the session in a school premises was to ensure that future generations grow up with a more open and inclusive mindset as the male dancers often face bullying and teasing in persuasion of their dance training and the life sometimes get challenging when they want to choose their passion as profession. Rupesh talked about the need to learn how to appreciate art rather than criticise it. Dr. Barbayan emphasized on meditative and ethical values dance teach that can help the youngsters to change their perception. On Saturday evening at the Triveni Kala Sangam Auditorium in Mandi House, a two-hour long dance performance was held where Dr Bhabananda Barbayan, Rupesh K C, Dipjoy Sarkar and two child Odissi disciples of Paulami Guha - Aaradhya Pattnaik and Dridikhsha Hazra - also showcased their talent by presenting Batu Nrutya that mesmerized the audience.  Aaradhya Pattnaik and Dridikhsha Hazra  Rupesh KC Rupesh opened his Bharatanatyam recital with the Pushpanjali in raag Jog offering salutation to the Gods, mother earth, gurus, and the rasikas. This continued into a short and vibrant piece evoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The second piece Devi Kruthi in raga Kirvani was an abhinaya-based recital in praise of the fish-eyed goddess Parvati of the sacred Meenakshi temple in Madurai. His concluding piece Shiva Stuti portrayed Lord Shiva's cosmic power, rhythm, and supreme energy. The narrative unfolded through the episode of the story of Ravana playing the rudra veena by cutting open his intestines. Impressed by his music, Shiva blessed him with the atma linga. Next episode was that of Goddess Ganga. To humble her arrogance and protect the world from her torrential descent, Lord Shiva received her into his matted locks, effortlessly containing her power before gently releasing her as her sacred river. Rupesh's performance captivated the audience and left them spellbound with his sheer energy, power and amalgamation of masculinity into the feminine mudras and nrityakaushal. The second presentation by Dipjoy Sarkar in Odissi began with 'Abahani' invoking the divine within the self for an auspicious beginning of the performance. The entire composition was inspired by the traditional rangapuja prescribed in Natyashastra. 'Gativilas' based on an Odiya shloka, commonly chanted by the mridanga players of Odisha was the beautiful choreography by Guru Sharmila Biswas as the second presentation in Odissi. The dance piece talked about a few qualities of a performer, each inspired by an animal or bird. It was set to raag Yog, taal Ektaali. Dipjoy's dance presentation was highly appreciated for its sheer energy, speed, stamina and perfection.  Dipjoy Sarkar  Dr Bhabananda Barbayan The last performer of the evening, Dr.Bhabananda Barbayan, Sattriya exponent, began his recital with 'Isha Vandana', an invocatory piece that describes the beautiful attributes of Lord Krishna. The music was set to raag Sareng, taal chutkala. The concluding piece was Dasavatara, based on the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, followed by a compilation of Mahapurush Madhavdeva, the chief disciple of Sankaradeva. Based on the raag Asovari and taal Eek, this abhinaya was taken from the composition Ojapali style and text from Srimanta Sankaradeva's Kirtan Ghosaa in Brajavali language. Dr Barbayan's nimble and artistic dance brought in peace and calm into the atmosphere ignited by the two previous dancers and was a perfect recipe for dance lovers who understand themes and the art behind it.  Travelled across India and around the globe, Suman Ray has a journalistic experience of more than 28 years in various media houses. He is an ardent art, music and dance lover. |
