NCPA’s Mudra Dance Festival explores a very unique theme—churning within and around!

#Mudra is the only thematic dance festival of the #NCPA which is presented around International Dance Day every year. Previously, Mudra has been curated on themes like motherhood, colours, bhakti poetry, animal movements, etc. This year, it explores a very unique theme—churning within and around. History has witnessed many churnings—the Partition, natural disasters and pandemics. In 2022, we look back and ask ourselves pertinent questions. What is poison? What is amrit? And what have we gained in pursuit of it? This festival looks at dance presentations featuring these learnings that over time have just made us stronger and wiser. Performances, lecture-demonstrations and more on samudra manthan as well as more recent churnings.

Storm Before the Calm by Rama Vaidyanathan & Ensemble and Churning- Within and Around by Shama Bhate & Nadroop will take place at the Little Theatre on 22nd April at 6.30pm.

On 24th April, will be ‘Transformations in Your Form since Independence’ which is a lecture demonstration by Darshana Jhaveri, Shama Bhate, Sandhya Purecha & Mandakini Trivedi. This will be followed by a book launch on Mohanrao Kallianpurkar written by Shama Bhate. Set to take place at Little Theatre on 24th April at 11am. In the evening, Chaya Mukhi a Mohiniyattam performance by Gopika Varma, Nrityaganga – Innovation birthed from the Churning of Tradition by Sucheta Chapekar and Kalavardhini Dance Company will take place at 5pm.

On the last day, i.e. 30th April, 2022, Bimbavati Devi and Manipuri Nartanalaya will showcase ‘Footprints in Blood’, post which Subhajit Khush Das will perform ‘Manasa’. Last but not the least will be a Kuchipudi performance by Sreelakshmy Govardhanan from 6.30pm onwards.