On Thursday, 2nd January 2020, Layshala Lalit Kala Samiti, Pune branch organized a dance meet with two other dance institutions under the guidance of Mrs. Astha Godbole Karlekar. This event was a part of the monthly ‘Meet the Artist’ Activity, recently started one of it’s kind ideas of Astha Didi for the students to know about other artists and their art…

The event started with the introduction and felicitation of Bharatnatyam dancer and teacher, Ms. Maitreyee Bapat followed by a question-answer session with her, where kathak students got to know many things about Bharatnatyam, a well-known south Indian classical dance form. Like “What is the difference between kathak and Bharatnatyam?”, “How is the footwork done in Bharatnatyam?”, “How much and what kind of practice(riyaaz) is done by a Bharatnatyam dancer?” and so on. The students of Ms. Bapat performed a beautiful composition called ‘Tillana’ which was a unique blend of powerful footwork and graceful movements. Sound of their foot-bells filled the hall with a positive energy while their coordinated, synchronized and elaborate hand movements reflected intense practice and unity! 

The event saw next group dance performance by students of Ms Archana which was technical dancing in Kathak. It was marked with distinct aesthetic poses, high speed footwork and balanced spins. Their presentation ended with a ‘chaumukhi chakradar paran’, an amazing composition consisting of continuous spins, where the dancers faced in one of the four directions after each spin was just unforgettable!

Finally, the students of Mrs Godbole Karlekar presented a Kathak devi bhajan ‘Devi daya karo das par’ in praise of the powerful goddess. The poses and expressions of the dancers threw light on the fierce form of a goddess who kills the devil and establishes peace. Those watching could really visualize the goddess during the performance! The group also performed some fast paced short compositions called ‘tukdas’ in which they covered whole area through spins and rhythmic movements of the dance form.

This memorable event was a treat for the eyes of the viewers and a lot to learn from for the students. It indeed left the students but inspired!