Exploring love through dance

The second evening brings together stories of devotion, romance and spiritual transformation. The programme opens with ‘Subhadraharanam’, an excerpt from the Manipuri Sankirtana tradition by Anjika Society for Manipuri Dance and Movement Therapy. The evening continues with three performances — ‘Sringara-Manjari’, inspired by the timeless story of Nala and Damayanti expressed in Kathakali by Kalamandalam Balasubramanian and group; ‘Prema Darpana’, presented through Kuchipudi and Marga Natya drawn from Asvaghosa’s ‘Saundarananda-kavya’ by Amrita Lahiri and Sayak Mitra; and ‘Anuragam’, a Bharatanatyam presentation that celebrates love as the rasa from which all emotions emerge.

Day three explores love through friendship, romance, devotion and longing. The programme includes Nadal, an excerpt from ‘Subhadra-kalyanam’, which reflects upon sibling bonds, friendship and romantic love. The presentation, led by P Rajagopal and Hanne M de Bruin, will bring together masters of the Kattaikkuttu dance form. This will be followed by ‘Milan’, a choreographic interpretation of the life and poetry of the nineteenth-century Punjabi mystic Piro, performed by noted Bharatanatyam practitioner Meera Sreenarayanan. The evening will conclude with ‘Anurakti’, a contemporary work inspired by Akka Mahadevi’s vachana that contemplates a love beyond worldly attachment, headed by Mumbai-based choreographer, performer and movement director, Jahnavi Sheriff and her group.