Purana Qila is all set to host the 12th edition of Ananya Dance Festival. This year’s focus will be on traditional group choreography along with five dance forms. The creative director speaks to Iknoor Kaur
Purana Quila in the backdrop and an anthology of classical dances — the five-day-long Ananya Dance Festival is back! With Odissi being a new addition to the basket, the 12th edition of the festival will be an exciting compilation of performances based on five dance forms including Kathak, Mohiniattam, Chhau and Bharatanatyam.
Creative director, Manjot Chawla shares that this year the festival will focus on traditional group choreography. “We have new groups and choreographers from other parts of the country like Kerala and Bhopal are also participating. We have also used a combination of classical and folk in an ensemble put together by Maitreyee Pahari’s group. They will be doing a mix between Kathak and Chhau. Apart from that, the dances are all traditional in grammar, and there is no fusion,” she says.
Ananya has been a strong platform for new artists. Manjot explains, “We didn’t want to go for big names. We help young talent to create their identity.” One of the key highlights of the festival is its seminar Pratibimb. It is an interactive session between dance practitioners and the audience to be held on October 5 and 6. “I feel it relates to the festival as it gives an academic bench, which adds credibility. Nobody can come and perform anything they feel like in the festival because they will be questioned about it during the seminar,” she adds. There are number of interactive activities planned this year. A few schools would also participate. “I think there is a huge amount of awareness, but we have to keep multiplying these initiatives. Traditional arts still have their own beauty and essence and are being cherished by a lot of people, but a little push is required.”
Manjot believes that the young audience is quite interested in classical performances. She elaborates, “The workshops are conducted by young dancers from different fields and we always have one young dancer who coordinates the seminar. I have seen a consistent growth in how the youth is getting more interested. I think impressive presentation makes the youth interested in the fest. It is a one hour-long programme.”
The historic monument as a backdrop shapes the mood of festival. “Dancers are also trying to be exploratory. There is a good chemistry between monuments and dance. So it is like history of two kinds coming together. A lot of people have also drawn inspiration from that. They pick up small elements as themes.”
Though the festival takes place every year in the Capital, Manjot confirms her plans to take it to different cities. “It is still at an early stage so we are not rushing the process, but it is in the pipeline,” she signs off. The festival will be on till October 6. It is a part of the ‘Delhi Celebrates’ campaign by the state government.