NCPA to Present Nakshatra Dance Festival, Oct 19-28

Starting this year, the NakshatraDance Festival aims to exclusively feature group dance choreographies. The fifth year brings stellar performances by Chitra Visweswaran, Uma Dogra, Sruti Bandopadhay, Ratikant Mohapatra and Sadanam Balakrishnan. The festival also explores workshops on dance scholarships conducted by learned scholars and dance scholarship holders, and an Odissi group dance choreography workshop by Ratikant Mohapatra.

Nakshatra Performances

Kathakars of Jaipur
Kathak by Uma Dogra and the dancers of the School of Kathak
Tata Theatre
Saturday, 19th - 6.30 pm

One of the leading exponents of Kathak, Uma Dogra's work expresses the subtle distinction between the literal translation of lyrics and the mature, evolved transmutation of music into movements. Her dance is very traditional and classical, depicted in a language of strong self-expression.

Anubhuti
Bharatanatyam by Chitra Visweswaran & the dancers of Chidambaram Dance Academy
Tata Theatre
Saturday, 19th - 7.30 pm

Commencing with the celebration of the Hindu trinity, Anubhuti goes on to unravel the mystic philosophy of Ardhanareeshwara, the many moods of the multifaceted Shakti, engages with the search and realisation of the divine, and culminates in a mood of ananda - the bliss experienced through dance and music.

Tickets:
Rs.375, 300 & 150/- (Members)
Rs.500, 400 & 200/- (Public)

Jaya Jaya Bhanu Jaya Jayadeva
Manipuri by Dr. Sruti Bandopadhay & troupe
Experimental Theatre
Friday, 25th - 6.30 pm

Jaya Jaya Bhanu Jaya Jayadevais based on the Vaishnava verses of Bhanusingha (Bhanusingher Padabali by Rabindranath Tagore) and Jaideva (Gita Govinda). The theme of both the works is the undying love between Krishna and Radha with the lyrics expressing the dilemma of Radha's longing. 'Dancing in the City' is a post performance discussion with dancers from different cities on challenges and opportunities of being a dancer/teacher based in a city. It will be moderated by Dr. Sunil Kothari.

Tickets:
Rs.270 &180/- (Members)
Rs.300 & 200/- (Public)

Nirjharini
A confluence of neo-classical choreography in Odissi by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra & the artistes of Srjan
Experimental Theatre
Saturday, 26th - 7.00 pm

Nirjharini is a confluence of dances beginning with 'Bho Shambho', a Sanskrit prayer composed by SwAmi Dayananda Saraswati, in devotion to Lord Shiva. It is followed by 'Hamsadhwani Pallavi' (a form of pure dance) and an abhinaya piece 'Hanuman Vandana'. It culminates with the immortal nectar 'Geetamritam' recited by Lord Krishna, not just for Arjuna, but for every human being in this world.

Tickets:
Rs.360 & 270/- (Members)
Rs.400 & 300/- (Public)

Othello
Kathakali by Sadanam Balakrishnan & troupe
Experimental Theatre
Sunday, 27th - 6.30pm

Sadanam Balakrishnan recomposed Shakespeare's Othello in Malayalam to create a Kathakali production based on it. Having received some criticism initially, Othello is, today, one of the most sought-after Kathakali dance-dramas with a Western theme and has been presented on over 50 stages across the world.

Tickets:
Rs.450 & 270/- (Members)
Rs.500 & 300/- (Public)
Box Office now open

Workshops of Nakshatra
As part of the Nakshatra Dance Festival 2013, the NCPA offers unique dance research workshops to highlight the need of research ?for performers.

A guide to bringing your thoughts on paper by Dr. Kanak Rele
Sea View Room
Sunday, 20th - 10.00 am to 12.00 pm

A guide to Charles Wallace application with scholarship recipient Sanjukta Wagh, followed by a discussion
Sea View Room
Tuesday, 22nd - 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm

A talk on the making of the publication - Sattriya: Classical dance of Assam by Dr. Sunil Kothari
An AV presentation
AV Room

Wednesday, 23rd - 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm
A guide to Commonwealth Fellowship and PhD. entrance exams by Dr. Sruti Bandopadhay
Sea View Room

Thursday, 24th - 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm
A guide to Fulbright Scholarship application by Dr. Sunil Kothari & Application of dance research-choreography by Parvati Dutta

Sea View Room
Saturday, 26th - 3.00 pm to 5.30 pm
Fees: Rs.1,000/- for above five workshops
To register, please call the Dance Department at 66223745/8879114939 or mail sdasgupta@ncpamumbai.com.

Odissi group dance workshop by Ratikant Mohapatra
Sea View Room
Sunday, 27th - 10.00 am to 2.00 pm
Monday, 28th - 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm

Odissi guru Ratikant Mohapatra conducts a two-day workshop exploring Odissi choreography in its solo and group renditions. Participants will be taught both versions of the same piece. The aim is to not only learn new choreography, but also get an insight into the mind of the choreographer while creating a group dance.

Fees: Rs.1,000/-
To register, call the Dance Department at 66223745/8879114939 or mail sdasgupta@ncpamumbai.com.