A blend of youth & experience at Khajuraho fest this yr

Bhopal: In its 47th edition, Khajuraho Dance Festival is expected to live up to its reputation yet again. Starting from February 20, this weeklong cultural extravaganza will see a perfect blend of youth and experience mesmerising the audience in the backdrop of ethereal Khajuraho temples, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Chhatarpur district, with their mastery over various classical dance forms, including Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Sattriya.

This year, the inaugural day will see two virtuoso dancers—gurus Uma Sharma and Jatin Goswami—perform for the discerning audience. Both will also receive Kalidas Samman from MP government at the festival.

Looking forward to attend the event, Uma Sharma said, “This will be my sixth performance at Khajuraho festival, which is very close to my heart. I will be performing there after a gap of 12-15 years, along with my troupe, so it makes it extra special. My focus would be on abhinaya, sadly this aspect is losing its lustre when it comes to all the dance forms today. I would like to revive it, especially for the youngsters."

Goswami who had performed earlier at the prestigious fest in 2002, shared, "This will be my second performance at one of the best classical festivals in the world. I really hope that I can inspire the youngsters to take up ethnic traditional dance forms like Sattriya, which are slowly becoming extinct."

A major tourist attraction, the annual fest is attended by a lot of tourists from India and abroad. Despite the ongoing coronavirus scare, the number of foreign tourists is not likely to nosedive. “People plan their trips to Khajuraho especially during this time because the weather turns beautiful with the advent of spring and sublime aura around the temples adds to the magic of dance performances. This year too, we expect around 200 foreign tourists every day, especially from the United States, Britain, France and Germany, along with Indians," said Akhilesh, director of Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Evam Kala Academy, department of culture, Madhya Pradesh, the organiser of the event.

"With each passing year, we have seen the number of youngsters increase at this event," said Akhilesh and added, "We have invited the students of dance from various music colleges across the state, so that they get a platform to watch some of the internationally acclaimed dancers at this unique platform. It is a great learning experience for them."

Meera das, Pujita Krishna, Krishna Mohan Mishra, Lata Singh Munshi, Shobana Pillai, Suprava Mishra, Anand Shankar Jayant, Y Asha Kumari, Kshitija Barve, Ragini Makkhar, N. Srikanth , Aswathy Srikanth, Nair sisters, Narthaki Nataraj, Bhadra Sinha, Gayatri Verma, Richa Joshi, Deepak Gangani, Mohika Saxena, Srividya, Enakshi Sinha, Sinam Basu, Amita Khare are some of the dancers expected to perform at the event.

Khajuraho Dance Festival, organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, is a one-week festival of classical dances held annually against the spectacular backdrop of the magnificently lit Khajuraho temples.


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