A Feast of New Choreographies!

By Nrupa Soman

Dr Sonal Mansingh and her institute Centre for Indian Classical Dance (Shri Kamakhya Kala Peeth) curated and presented a 5-day classical dance festival in the national capital. Jointly hosted by the Department of Art, Culture and Language, Government of Delhi, the festival featured new choreographies by 10 eminent artists across dance forms. From January 13–15 and January 28–29, the 5-day cultural odyssey combined ancient traditions of classical dance with modern perspectives.  ‘The Festival of New Choreography’ (Kala Yatra 2026) was not just about invention, but also about insight; featured both inherited stories and traditional movements, seen with new eyes.

Day 1

The inaugural performance was presented by Dr Mansingh’s institute. Amrut Manthan — a timeless tale of the churning of oceans— opened to a full-house at the Kamani Auditorium. Wholesome with a vintage aura, and choreographed by Mansingh herself, it kept the audience thoroughly engaged especially with its magnificent stagecraft. A larger than life mandar parvat, Vasuki stretching wing-to-wing and a befitting tortoise as the kurma avatar of Vishnu aided the narrative. With a team of 24 dancers performing Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohini Attam and Chhau, the ensemble production was quite the visual spectacle. The entire team was adept and the performance went off without a hitch.

This was followed by Athijeevanam by the International Centre for Kathakali, choreographed by Sadanam Balakrishnan. Athijeevanam is based on contemporary issues depicting man’s greed and short-sightedness, reflecting on nature and the need for compassion. Though rooted in time-honoured practices, the piece soon proved itself to be à la mode. The vivid colours and the modern thematic treatment underscored Kathakali’s capacity for relevance, highlighting the aptness of this piece in a festival dedicated to new choreographic thought.

Day 2

Day two opened with a Mohini Attam performance by Trikalaa Gurukulam, Delhi as choreographed by Prof. Deepti Omcherry Bhalla. Naadaswarupam Devim Namami was an offering to Devi through seven verses set to seven ragas and seven Kerala talas; each highlighted one of the seven swaras. It was a graceful and competent performance.

Girija Kalyana by Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali Keremane, Karnataka brought the house down. The energy was crackling from get-go with an added bonus of guru Keremane Shivanand Hegde portraying Shiva himself.

Watching an icon on stage with his commanding stage-presence, ably supported by Keremane Shridhar Hegde (who was remarkable as Parvati) was a treat. The troupe and the musicians were equally talented. Girija Kalyana is a play written more than a few centuries ago, yet the contemporary sensibility with which it was presented, accompanied by vigorous choreography and elaborate costumes, created a memorable theatrical experience for the audience. Kamadeva’s shots of flower-tipped arrows at Shiva, or Parvati waxing poetic towards Shiva were very effective scenes.

Day 3

A sweet storybook telling of Sita swayamwar was presented in the Sattriya tradition as the opening performance on day three. Sita Bibaha Bihar by Bhabhananda Barbayan and a group from Assam presented the story of Ram and Sita, inspired by the Ramvijoy Naat by Srimanta Sankaradeva. Performed with grace and restraint, there was a pleasing innocence to the performance.

If Ram the dutiful, embodiment of dharma itself, heroed the first production of day three, it was Vaibhav Arekar’s morally ambivalent Karna who stole the spotlight. Karna – Bound by Fate as choreographed by Arekar, performed by the Sankhya Foundation, traced the life of the noble warrior Karna—bound by generosity, undone by fate. Woven together with sharp nritta passages, the crisp 35-minute production covered the key aspects of the Kurukshetra war in the lead up to Karna’s death. With a team of only six dancers, picturesque montages with dancers framed artistically helped quickly establish the salient episodes while keeping the focus firmly on Karna. Kunti’s revelations of Karna’s true origins, the past and the present coming together through mirrored movements, culminated in a poignant depiction of infant Karna grabbing onto his mother’s fingers as she slowly let go. Gautam Marathe’s Ghatotkach had a more classical ‘hero entry’ than Karna. Whether this was by choice or chance, it helped underline Arekar’s vision of the conflicted ill-fated Karna, destined to be perpetually displaced from his rightful place. Special mention to Sushant Jadhav for the effective light design.

 Day 4

The Mahabharata theme continued to reign supreme on day four of the festival. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra presented his new production Duryodhana— a brilliant and innovative choreographic work, with all the trappings of a quintessential dance drama and none of the cliched predictability that comes with the territory. Preetisha Mohapatra, cast as the complex Duryodhana, effortlessly got into the character’s skin, and traced the journey of this mighty warrior until his bitter end. The dancer’s bodies functioned as a versatile medium, shifting from conventional nritta presentations to being presented as animated backdrops and living stage architecture. The seamless transitions of the music and dance made this production an aesthetically sound and compelling piece of work. The interesting choreographic choices when depicting the Karna’s chariot, likewise the skill used to walk the fine line between artistry and actual combat when setting the battle scenes, was commendable. Duryodhana’s Urubhanga took the spotlight, and projected him as a pathos filled anti-hero.

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra took over the second half of day four with their production Chakravyuha. Revived since its first run in the 1990s, Shashidharan Nair and his troupe presented this powerful dance-theatre production.  Employing a synergetic use of Chhau, Kalaripayattu and Kathakali, Abhimanyu’s story of his courage and sacrifice unfolded to a packed theatre. The movement patterns used as Abhimanyu entered the chakravyuha could ably depict a visual of a dense, many-layered military formation. The soundtrack was rather dated, nevertheless the agile dancers compensated with their proficient performance.

Day 5

Day five of the festival showcased two powerful performances. Saugandhikaharanam by Chidakash Kalalay, Bengal, choreographed by Piyal Bhattacharya, depicted Bhima’s journey ‘where might transforms into humility’. The presentation was stylistically based on the Marga Natya Parampara accompanied by live music in keeping with the traditions. The stage properties, elaborate costumes, unique masks, headgears and the sheer riot of colours along with a brilliant use of light design was the first to grab one’s attention. Despite the visual opulence, Saugandhikaharanam as a production speaks for itself. The use of Sanskrit and Hindi lent a unique flavour to the characters and to the production as a whole.

Sayak Mitra, who played Hanuman, had a magnetic stage-presence and was charismatic to watch. His portrayal showcased effortless authority, and made him all the more believable as the pivotal force in Bhima’s[G1]  journey. Bhima, portrayed by Akash Mallick and Rudraroop Mukhopadhyay as Bhima’s psyche were equally effective. They were ably supported by the entire ensemble cast, each brilliant, and made the choreography engaging and inspirational. The sheer amount of thought and detailing in the entire production—from the sheer curtain to depict a veil marking the threshold between the planes of reality, or the presentation of the yaksas and kinnaris was commendable.

The finale of this 5-day long festival was a performance by the Rainbow Dance troupe, Kolkata. Matrika directed by Ratri Das was a performance celebrating the collective power of the divine feminine. Replete with symbolism, seven rupas of Devi or the Sapta Matrika were portrayed as coming together to fight evil in the form of the demon Mahishasur. Lavish ornamentation and vivid colours helped bring to life their choreographic intent. Known as a dance group representing the LGBTQ community, they certainly prove that art recognises no boundaries—age, gender, or any other arbitrary measure becomes irrelevant in the face of artistic expression.

Like a well curated thali, the festival offered something for every palate. It was truly a feast for the senses! The small photographic exhibition in the lobby sustained a buzz and anticipation for the performances to follow; and the festival, as a whole, was well received by the audience.

Nrupa Soman is a Pune/Delhi based dancer, dance researcher and anchor of classical dance and music festivals.