NATYA VRIKSHA's World Dance Day festival features an impressive line-up of artistes
NATYA VRIKSHA is all set to present the 18th edition of its special event, organised each year to mark World Dance Day. It is conceived and curated by senior Bharatanatyam dancer Geeta Chandran.
'World Dance Day is a moment to pause and celebrate what dance brings into our lives, not just technique or tradition, but emotion, truth and transformation. This festival is our offering to the art, and to the young dancers who will carry it forward,' says Geeta Chandran.
What sets this festival apart is its inclusive embrace of classical, contemporary and experimental dance forms. This year's line-up includes performances by Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Odissi artistes.
Each day, the festival opens with a workshop 'Movement and Dance Aesthetics', to be conducted by dancer and choreographer, Tanusree Shankar. Over the course of two days, there will be a witty theatrical retelling of an ancient story, scripted and performed by Ramaa Bharadvaj as well as a lecture by Ashok Vajpeyi on how dance, while rooted in the present, opens portals to imagination, memory and transcendence. There will also be performances by Madhura Bhrushundi (Bharatanatyam), Dheerendra Tiwari (Kathak), Abhinaya Nagajothy (Kuchipudi) and Shashwati Garai Ghosh (Odissi).
Another key highlight is the conferment of the sixth NATYA VRIKSHA Lifetime Achievement Award to SPIC MACAY and its founder Kiran Seth, in recognition of their tireless efforts in preserving and promoting India's cultural heritage amongst youth. 'This honour is not mine alone — it belongs to every student who has sat in awe before an artiste, to every volunteer who has given their time to SPIC MACAY, and to every institution that believes in the power of the arts to shape minds and lives,' said Kiran Seth.
The World Dance Day Festival 2025 will take place on 26th and 27th April at India International Centre, New Delhi.
The festival line-up
April 26, 9.30 a.m.: 'Movement and Dance Aesthetics' workshop by Tanusree Shankar. 4.15 p.m.: Lecture: 'Dancing Away' by Ashok Vajpeyi; 6:30 p.m: Young Dancers Festival – Madhura Bhrushundi (Bharatanatyam) and 7.45 p.m.: Dheerendra Tiwari (Kathak).
April 27, 9.30 a.m.: 'Movement and Dance Aesthetics' workshop by Tanusree Shankar. 4.15 p.m.: 'Avatarana – The Story of Natya', scripted and performed by Ramaa Bharadvaj; 6:30 p.m.: Young Dancers Festival featuring Abhinaya Nagajothy (Kuchipudi) and 7.45 p.m.: Shashwati Garai Ghosh (Odissi).
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