Kuchipudi By Alekhya Punjala: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR KUCHIPUDI BY ALEKHYA PUNJALA

The teacher of half the classical dancers in town is herself taking stage this evening. It's the the other half that are luckier - they'll get a class today for free!

Parampara, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, is organising the Abhinaya Sudha 2006, a festival highlighting the expressional aspect of Indian dance traditions, from 1st to 3rd December. Six renowned dancers will perform the six dance forms of India: Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Mohini Attam, Kathak, Odissi and Vilasini Natyam.

Today, Alekhya Punjala will present a Kuchipudi dance recital at the Bhaskara Auditorium of B M Birla Science Centre. Punjala is a senior Kuchipudi dancer and a disciple of Pasumarthi Venugopala Krishna Sarma and Dr. Uma Rama Rao. She is a director of the dance department of the Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad. An expert in her field, she has performed all over the country and the world, winning herself various awards. She is renowned for her abhinaya and for the choreography of her ballets.

Through Abhinaya Sudha, Parampara tries to explore the many dimensions of the expressional element in Indian dance traditions. With expansive dancing becoming the order of the modern day, a very important aspect of Indian Classical dance, saattvikaabhinaya, or dance which comes from and deals with the matters of the heart and soul, is probably being neglected, making people lose out on the aesthetics of the portrayal of myriad moods and sentiments.

As a step in highlighting this abhinaya, Parampara and its director Sanjay Kumar Joshi, a renowned dancer himself, will be showcasing a galaxy of illustrious dancers in several dance traditions of India. Besides, there will be lectures with demonstrations on the various aspects of abhinaya by some expert dancers.

For further details, please contact Sanjay Kumar Joshi at 2756-7626, 98493-16526.