Nalanda Dance Research Centre proudly announces the Nalanda Nrityotsava, young dancers festival and the distribution of Nalanda Bharata Muni award and the Kanaka Nartana Puraskar to distinguished performers on 12th January, 2025 at the Kanaka Sabha in Juhu. The Nalanda festival of young dancers commences on Friday 10th January showcasing the talent of fifteen dancers from India and abroad too. It will indeed be a cultural fiesta to witness classical dancers, both males and females, portraying the youthful energy and their passion for classical dances.
Dr Uma Rele, Director of Nalanda Dance Research Centre and principal of Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, said “Nalanda Nrityotsava is extremely popular festival, exclusively for young dancers who are eagerly looking forward to perform for prestigious platforms like Nalanda Nrityotsava, every year we receive several entries and it becomes difficult to select, fortunately this time we have selected fifteen dancers in different styles, we have male dancers too, that will be added attraction of the festival. We are planning to have another session for young dancers in the month of August, as we would like to accommodate more and more talented and deserving performers. This festival is also a tribute to our beloved founder Dr Kanak Rele, who always encouraged young talent”.
Nalanda Bharata Muni Samman will be bestowed on Padmashri Dr Suresh Wadkar and veteran Kathak danseuse Padmashri Sunayana Hazarilal. With more than 50 years of his music career, Dr Suresh Wadkar enjoys the status of one of the finest classical and Bollywood singers of today. He has sung more than 20,000 songs in 30 plus langauges for over 600 movies and around 1000 private albums, Sunayana Hazarilal is among the seniormost Kathak exponents of Kathak of the Jankiprasad Gharana. I recently witnessed her performance at the NCPA and I truly admire her dedication which has not deterred in spite of her advancing age. She has several performances to her credit both in India and abroad and several students are seeking her expert guidance.
Kanaka Nartana Puraskar is bestowed on personalities who are associated with performing arts in varied capacities, the recepients are Kathak danseuse Gauri Sharma Tripathi, Bharata Natyam exponent Guru Gayatri Subramaniam, Manipuri exponent Latasana Devi, Odissi exponent and mentor, Guru Rabindra Atibudhi, Kuchipudi exponent and eminent arts critic, Guru Vijay Shanker.
The performers of the festival in varied classical dance styles are Anjali Hariharan from Chennai, Thomas Vo Van from France. Thomas is the disciple of renowned Mohiniattam exponent Dr Neena Prasad and surprisingly dances with a rare quality of elegance and poise. Kavya Pujara from Ahmedabad, Rutuja Nadkarni from Mumbai, Shravani Sai Ram from Bengaluru, SK Washim Raja, disciple of renowned Kuchipudi exponent, Guru Vanashree Rao, known for his vibrancy and command over the dance style. Simran Cherayil from Mumbai, Nayanika Gangani, Kartik Manikandan for Bharata Natyam from Kerala, Varun Shivakumar for Bharata Natyam from Chennai, Mehak Chawla from New Delhi, Tamal Das for Odissi from Kolkata, Anushka Ramanathan from Mumbai, S Vadegi and Ananya Mohan Iyer ,both from Bengaluru will perform Kathak. Just before the award ceremony, Nalanda dancers will present “Asamatvam Ayogam” on 12th January. Classical dance lovers do not miss this chance to witness young upcoming and talented classical dancers showcasing their passion for the divine art form of classical dance for four days commencing on 10th January and concluding on 13th January at Kanaka Sabha, Nalanda Dance Research Centre, Juhu, Mumbai. Entry is Free.
