Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Dance maestros from five countries representing a broad sweep of global dancing traditions will flock to India Feb 15-18 for a three-day, two-city international festival of dance in the capital and Hyderabad.

The festival “Shreyasi” is part of the “Parampara” series, the annual dance exposition presented by Natya Tarangini of the Raja-Radha Reddy Institute of Kuchipudi Dance.

It will feature performances by the Grand Moscow Classical Ballet, hosts Raja and Radha Reddy, Jose Porcel from Spain, Paul Taylor Dance Company from the US and the Istanbul Dance Ensemble, a dervish dance troupe.

The festival will first open at the Siri Fort theatre in the capital Feb 15 and in Hyderabad a day later.

Announcing the festival at a media briefing in Delhi, renowned Kuchipudi exponent Kaushalya Reddy said the “dancers will address contemporary issues through their unique art forms and creativity”.

“Shreyasi” is modelled on the international dance festival at Avignon in France, Edinburgh in Britain and Salzburg in Austria and is aimed at promoting “India as a dance and cultural tourism destination”, Reddy said.

“The international festival will be biennale feature of ‘Parampara’. The West is looking to India for its culture. We want tourists to time their visit here with the event so that they pack in the best of the cultural experience like the Jaipur Literature Festival that draws a number of foreign tourists to the historic city,” Kaushalya Reddy, wife of Raja Reddy, said.

The Natya Tarangini was established by dancing duo Raja and Radha Reddy in 1976 to promote Indian classical dances, especially Kuchipudi.

“Beginning 2001, Natya Tarangini conceived and executed the ‘Parampara’ series of music and dance festivals, which brought young as well as reputed senior artistes in classical music and dance from all over India to the Delhi and Hyderabad stages.

“This year, the festival completes 10 years. And we wanted to give it an international platform,” Reddy said.

She said: “The festival was designed keeping the new Indian audience in mind. The Indian audience is changing and they are now more exposed to Western culture and experimental art forms,”

Reddy, who was accompanied by her elder sister Radha Reddy at the media briefing, added that the troupes were chosen after thorough research and were considered “masters of their genres in their respective countries”.

While the Grand Moscow Classical Ballet comprising Natalia Kasatnika and Vladimir Vasilyov will render capsules from the famous ballet theatres, Jose Porcel will present traditional Spanish flamenco.

Raja and Radha Reddy will render a selection of their Kuchipudi choreographies, a classical dance form from Andhra Pradesh.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company will offer snapshots of the latest in American contemporary dance movements, while the Istanbul Live Ensemble will showcase the spiritual Sufi whirling dance rituals, she said.