Indian classical dance and Chennai are synonymous with each other and the city is globally renowned as the home to some of the most talented Indian classical dancers and ensembles in the world! It therefore comes as no surprise when the city hosts some of the biggest classical dance festivals, all year through. The annual winter Margazhi Festival is already a must-do for most fans of the art form, but halfway through the year, it is the Indisha Pallava Festival that is most awaited. This year, the festival kicks off on July 22 and continues through to July 31 and will feature over 30 performances in different Indian classical dance styles. We catch up with co-founder and co-director of Indisha, dancer Nidheesh Kumar to find out more about this year’s line-up.
“The Pallava Festival started in 2018 as a means to create a platform specifically for up and coming artistes from all across the country. Both Indu (Nidheesh) and I are alumni of Kalakshetra, and we founded Indisha in 2011 inspired by Rukmini Devi Arundale’s perspectives on the confluence of art, nature, and service to our community,” begins Nidheesh.
The festival will feature a wide selection of dancers from the much-celebrated Leela Samson (the oldest performer) at 7 pm on July 22, to the 17-year-old Mrinalini Anantharaman (the youngest) at 4.30 pm on July 26. Also look forward to performances by Arushi Mudgal (5.50 pm, July 23), Shruti Gopal (7 pm, July 26), Harinie Jeevitha (4.20 pm, July 31) and the inaugural performance by Nidheesh Kumar and Indu Nidheesh on the opening day.
“All of our artistes featured in our festival are truly of a high standard. The second and third slot on each day will feature renowned artistes with decades of experience, and each of them will certainly be a special experience to watch. The first slot on each day will feature budding artistes who deserve to be discovered for their hard work and passionate representation of their art and we request audiences to not only attend performances by the famous artistes, but to also support the next generation of budding talent who truly need that extra motivation,” concludes Nidheesh.
INR 300 onwards. July 22 to 31. 4pm onwards. At BlackBox Theatre — Sahrdaya Creative Spaces, Besant Nagar. +919566284877.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal