Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
CLASSICAL BEGINNING
The state capital witnessed a spectacular classical dance performance during ‘Spandan 2018 – Chaitra: Ek Saras Chintan’ held at Sant Gadge Hall, Sangeet Natak Academy on Friday. The event was held to mark the Hindu new year.
The event was organised by Arjun Mishra Kathak Academy and Anuj Arjun Mishra Dance Company. Spandan saw some mesmerising performances by ace kathak dancers and students. A large number of music lovers were present to promote the rich cultural heritage of the city.
The introductory performance was given by Aavya Saxena and Muskan Gautam. The track was composed by Ustad Gulshan Bharti and supported by Vikas Mishra on tabla, Ilyas Khan on harmonium, Deepak Shivhare on sarangi and Hridaya Desai on sarod.
Durga Arya, a disciple of Pt Birju Maharaj, presented tandav, vilambhit, thumari and jugalbandhi. “I am a trained classical kathak dancer from Lucknow Gharana which generally emphasises on abhinaya (acting). As a full-fledged dancer, I make it a point to combine abhinaya with dance and footwork to give a captivating experience to my audience. Indian culture is appreciated a lot in Germany and I have many kathak students over there,” says Durga, a resident of Germany.
Parth Prathim Das, a disciple of Pt A Kanan, sung ‘raag baageshri’ and was accompanied by Pramod Mishra and Maheshwar Dayal Nagar. She concluded with a light classical ‘thumri’.
The evening came to an end by a spectacular performance by Anuj Mishra and his troupe. His dance was a mixture of graceful and soft movements. He was supported Vikas Mishra on tabla, Deepak on sarangi, Navin Mishra on sitar, Dependra on flute, Shivam on synthesizer, Ayush on mridang and Hridaya Desai on vocal.
“Our culture and art forms are gaining international relevance day-by-day. I am trying my best to promote kathak in all possible platforms that I can,” said Mishra.