The Folk Spirit: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR THE FOLK SPIRIT

If you think that nighttime is when the action is, then you haven't tried the
mornings. The venue is alive and kicking by 10am. Masses surge in to make bulky
purchases at the crafts stalls, and to relish some real yummy food. It's the time
when folk artistes, hailing from different parts of the country seem to relax
by loitering around the venue, watching the Hyderabadi folk, before getting started
for another evening of performances on the streets of Shilparamam, at different
nooks and corners of the rural setting, and also at the amphitheater.

The festival hasn't run out of surprises, yet. In store for the visitors was a traditional welcome at the gates, with wind blown instruments and ethnic percussion by the folk performers of Kerala. The performance itself was delightfully surprising. Dancers and musicians, clad in whites, brought their ritualistic culture of music, dance and art. From "Kaikottu Kali", performed by women, dancing gracefully and in circles, to the masculine martial dance of "Kalari", and the entrancing sounds of "Panchavadhyam" - a musical piece -, the performances were a through delight.

Further, the evening also saw a Kuchipudi dance recital, and this time with a high standard and excellence. Disciples of veteran Guru Bala Kondala Rao, the six dancers headed by Vidhya performed those legendary choreographic numbers of Vempati Chinna Satyam. This action packed evening also included folk dances, by some artistes from Karnataka, carrying the universal spirit of all folk arts around the world - of the folks who celebrate being a part of Nature!