Music of India
The NCPA Mumbai Dance Season returns for its sixth yr, providing a month of various performances, workshops, and cultural trade. From classical to people, this occasion fosters expertise and connects audiences throughout town via dance.
The thrill in Swapnokalpa Dasgupta’s voice is unmistakable when she speaks in regards to the upcoming month-long NCPA Mumbai Dance Season. What started in 2016 as a easy WhatsApp group created by Dasgupta, Head of Dance – Programming on the NCPA, to keep away from a conflict in efficiency dates amongst dancers within the metropolis, has now developed right into a much-awaited group engagement initiative supported by the NCPA.
Serendipity at play
“Generally life can shock us in such pleased methods, proper?” asks Dasgupta, as she appears to be like again on that day 9 years in the past when she determined to proactively sort out a really sensible downside affecting the dance group within the metropolis. “My concept, at the moment, was easy. Mumbai has all the time been replete with wonderful artistes, an appreciative viewers and a number of other efficiency areas. However oftentimes, there can be a conflict in schedules among the many venues, particularly in related genres of dance. That might result in the viewers getting divided. To resolve this downside, I began a WhatsApp group with round 50 of town’s dancers and organisers, with the essential intention of giving one another readability on which date an artiste is acting on and the place.”
Quickly the group was abuzz with rather more than exchanges about schedules. Communication started about what extra could possibly be achieved on a person and collective foundation to foster creativity, nurture new expertise, encourage older expertise to collaborate and customarily broaden the footprint of dance as an artwork kind. From this samudra-manthan of kinds, was born the Mumbai Dance Season, which is now in its sixth yr.
Elucidating the explanation behind conceptualising a season as a substitute of getting a three- or four-day-long competition, Dasgupta talks in regards to the system of ‘sabhas’ that started in South India. “The sabha tradition has been a catalyst for the rise of a number of wonderful artistes over time. Locations like Chennai are recognized for his or her thriving seasons in dance and music. Not solely does it encourage expertise, but it surely additionally provides the viewers a possibility to have interaction with completely different varieties and artistes. Dance mirrors society; it’s an artwork kind that prospers via engagement with society. With this concept in thoughts, we determined to have a season, whereby multi-form dances could possibly be showcased by senior and up-and-coming abilities,” she explains.
Increasing the footprint
The Mumbai Dance Season, when it was launched in 2018, was a ten-day occasion. Since then, it has grown to develop into an nearly month-long affair that showcases a mix of people and classical dance varieties. Other than stay performances, the season additionally gives a platform for lectures, demonstrations, workshops and outreach programmes. “An trade of concepts about dance in each format is the core of the Mumbai Dance Season,” says Dasgupta, who gave the idea a twist to make it extra attention-grabbing and enhance viewership. The season begins and ends with a efficiency on the NCPA. Nevertheless, audiences can not journey to the NCPA always nor can one venue accommodate each good artiste within the restricted interval of 1 month. Thus, it was determined to make the format extra hyper-local. “We invite dancers and dance establishments throughout town to conduct programmes of their locality, for which they’ve to ask performers and establishments from different locations. The host establishment can current for the primary 20 minutes. Nevertheless, the remaining time have to be given to visitor performers who can then current a efficiency or give a lecture or demonstration,” says Dasgupta. This trade has earned the Mumbai Dance Season plenty of goodwill. Not solely does it make a number of occasions accessible to audiences throughout town, it additionally provides a stage beneath the banner of the NCPA to many mid-career and new abilities. Dasgupta expresses gratitude to the NCPA for in accordance this platform, and to Tata Funding Company whose beneficiant assist provides a lift to the taking part performers to dream larger.
Whereas the NCPA embraced the digital medium throughout the pandemic to maintain engagement with the humanities alive, the essence of the Mumbai Dance Season is the in-person expertise it affords. “The NCPA is all about supporting stay arts and the one method to try this is to encourage audiences to attend programmes in particular person. It takes plenty of exhausting work, confidence and braveness to enthrall a various viewers for an hour or extra. That dedication must be reciprocated with due response, which is feasible solely in stay interactions,” believes Dasgupta.
A vibrant combine
This yr’s version will open on ninth January on the Experimental Theatre, with people and inventive dances curated by Kathak exponent Manisha Jeet and Odissi exponent Nivedita Mukherjee.
True to its format, the season will probably be dotted with a bevy of riveting programmes throughout town. Audiences will probably be handled to distinctive productions resembling Let the Video games Start by Namita Bodaji that mixes Kalaripayattu and the traditional board sport, chaturanga, in a dance presentation. Rehana Patel Rane will curate performances showcasing the wealthy mandir and darbar parampara (temple and courtroom traditions) of Kathak in India whereas the Padanyas.
Kathak Institute will current mother-daughter duos in efficiency. Kathak will probably be offered at a competition of solo dances by Manasi Deshpande. The classical dance kind will even be celebrated in a presentation by Radhika Phanse, impressed by the guide Kathakadi Kathak; in a collaborative programme between poets and dancers by Abhinayaa Institute of Analysis & Tremendous Arts; and mentioned in a workshop by Ranjana Phadke, organised by Dipanwita Bhaumik and Divya Rao. Sheetal Kapole will current a competition to have a good time the varied taranas carried out by varied gharanas of Kathak.
The season will shut on 2nd February with an ode to the wealthy custom of classical dance in India, via displays curated by famend students and dancers Dr. Malti Agneeswaran and Dr. Jayashree Rajagopalan. The theme of the finale will probably be ‘Nrityena Itihasa’. Dr. Agneeswaran tells us that the programme will deal with the inspiring occasions of India’s historical past which have formed the nation and bind us collectively. Veering away from mythology, they are going to be incorporating occasions which have had a tangible affect on future generations. She says, “In any case, the entire level of endeavours such because the Mumbai Dance Season is to let the youthful technology be taught from the older ones, and be inspired to place their greatest foot ahead. By giving a multi-venue stage to performers throughout town, the NCPA is not only enabling them to current their artwork, but in addition giving an opportunity to younger youngsters to attend such programmes of their neighborhood. No marvel then that the Mumbai Dance Season has develop into such an eagerly awaited occasion in our cultural calendars.”
By Reshma O. Pathare. This piece was initially printed by the Nationwide Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, within the January 2025 problem of ON Stage – their month-to-month arts journal.
