The 13th edition of the Purana Qila dance festival that began on Tuesday here, is celebrating the different styles of Indian dance.
Organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad, the five-day event, showcasing various contemporary and classical dance forms, was inaugurated by Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi.
The opening evening witnessed performances by Santosh Nair and Sadhya Dance group, who presented Hindu epic Mahabharata with a contemporary twist involving music, costumes, and characters.
Speaking at the event, Sisodia said that there is a need to "create an atmosphere and audience for the traditional arts to thrive" at a time when there is a "constant threat of traditional arts being endangered".
"This problem will persist until we increase the patronage and make the arts accessible to more people. We need to create a mahaul and audience for traditional arts to thrive, that would in turn provide an alternative to mainstream entertainment for people," he said.
Sindhu Mishra, deputy secretary Sahitya Kala Parishad, also said that such initiatives keep the traditions alive.
"It is an honour to showcase such exponential artistes to the audience. We take initiatives such as these festivals to promote the root tradition across the country and keep the tradition of art and culture alive," Mishra said.
On the second evening, the audience witnessed Padma Shri awardee Saroja Vaidyanathan performing 'Namami Gange', a bharatnatyam recital telling the story of Ganga with a contemporary relevance.
Famous Odissi dancer Kiran Segal and Nritya Sangeet Vidyalaya presented 'Tradition to Contemporary', an Odissi dance composition, on Thursday evening.
Today Purana Qila Dance festival will see performances by dance group Kadamb, who will present 'Vivarta' choreographed by legendary Kathak dancer Kumudini Lakhia.
Famous Kuchipudi dancer Vanashree Rao will showcase dance production titled 'Tripurasura Samhara' on the closing evening tomorrow.
She will also perform other productions including 'Abhimanyu Badh Drona Parva' from Mahabharata, the story of 'Mahisasura Mardini' and lastly, a befitting finale on bijaya dasami day with visualisation of the creation of shakti and eventual destruction of the demon in three dance styles of Bharatanatyam, chhau and Kuchipudi.
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