Indian & Russian artistes unite for ‘Spasibo Shankara’: A Maha Shivratri dance and music Celebration

With an artistic night titled, Spasibo Shankara, this Maha Shivaratri, head here to evoke devotion and for some fun cultural exchanges

(L-R) Eleonora Petrova; Rajashree Holla; Elina Komarova

Published on:

21 Feb 2025, 8:05 am

Updated on:

23 Feb 2025, 2:00 pm

2 min read

This Maha Shivratri, Bengaluru is all set to witness a benevolent dedication of the performing arts to the almighty Shiva as Spasibo Shankara will reflect the cultural convergence of Indian and Russian artistes. This event will showcase a remarkable collaboration between maestros of Indian classical music and dances from both nations.

Renowned dancer and choreographer, Rashme Hegde collaborates for this special occasion, with members of the White Lotus Group, the first Indian classical dance group in Moscow, some of whom she mentored decades ago. She explains the show is, “a celebration of us coming together and it will be something nice because everybody will be talking of their reflections.” The show, divided into two parts will involve performances invoking the spirit of Shankara and will later go on to include the coming together of many musical artistes bringing their best expressions in Free Spirit Jam.

A highlight of this segment will be a performance by two kathak dancers from Russia, whom Rashme initiated into workshops and later went on to receive scholarships to further their kathak studies. Their performance, Rhythms of Shiva, will celebrate their dedication to the art form. Rashme proudly notes, “They’re now very good kathak dancers. So we’ll celebrate that.” There will also be a small performance directed by Rashme herself — Dance of the Elements: Panchamahabhootas. This will comprise both Indian and Russian artistes like Dr Elina Komarova (exponent dancer) vidushi Rajashree Holla (kuchipudi) and vidushi Sandhya Udupa (bharatnatyam) and . They will depict the five fundamental elements — earth, water, fire, wind and ether — through five distinct classical dance forms during this performance.

Sai group

The Free Spirit segment will be the one to look out for as many jugalbandis and impromptu surprises will keep the audience entertained. This segment will showcase a, “musical dialogue,” between Indian and Russian musicians, including acclaimed artistes like Dmitry Rasul Kareye (clarinet), Organ and keyboard player Ekaterina Melnikov, ashtana vidwan BS Arun Kumar, hindustani vocalist Siddharth Belmannu and others. As Rashme describes it, “The second half is not curated at all, it’s just left. That’s why it’s called a free spirit.” The Free Spirit Jam will also include folk music from Russia, storytelling, and even some poetry, allowing the artistes to express themselves freely and interact with the audience.