Kirti Kala Mandir (Nashik) has organised the three days 33rd Nataraj Pandit Gopi Krishna Jayanti Mahotsav with the Nayak festival featuring male dancers only in Nashik, projecting six classical traditions and one timeless hero, commencing on 21 August and concluding on 23rd August,as a tribute to the legendary dancer and choreographer Pt Gopi Krishna, who attained international fame with movies like V Shantaram’s”Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje”.
Kirti Kala Mandir is established by accomplished Kathak exponent and mentor Guru Rekha Nadgauda who also was the disciple of Pt Gopi Krishna. Kirti Kala Mandir has emerged as the prominent centre for Kathak dance for decades together, having trained several dance aspirants, many of them are professionals today, performing for prestigious occasions and teaching in different parts of the country and overseas too.
The festival commences with the Manipuri performance by leading dancer from Kolkata, Sudip Kumar Ghosh, followed by the dynamic Kuchipudi performance by Ritvik Venkat from Hyderabad who will mesmerise the audience with “Ardhanarishwaram”- combining the vibrant elements of the tandava by Lord Shiva with the contrasting lyrical and elegant form of the Lasya dance of goddess Parvati. The second day would feature the ardent disciple of Pt Gopi Krishna in a brilliant Kathak performance by Vaibhav Joshi, followed by the Bharata Natyam performance by the leading dancer from Bangalore, Darshan Shankar. The last day of the festival would feature the powerful Odissi performance by Sanathan Chakravarthy, disciple of Guru Jhelum Paranjape and Sattriya duet performance by Tirth kumar Nath and Jyotishman Moran.
Guru Rekha Nadgauda says “This is an exclusive male dancers festival as a tribute to one of the best male dancers of the country, Pt Gopi Krishna, who popularised Kathak on the international scenario with brilliant performances in movies and several stage performances in many countries. There are not many festivals for male festivals, hence I feel this is a fitting tribute to the great artist”.
Distinguished dance exponents and nationally acclaimed dance critics are expected to attend this unique three days dance festival.
