Event Details

Kathak Recital by Rajendra Gangani
Raag Raagini Duet – Kathak by Pooja Pant &
Bharatanatyam by Parshwanath Upadhye
An NCPA Presentation

A renowned Kathak dancer trained in the Jaipur gharana, Rajendra Gangani is the disciple and son of Kundanlal Gangani. An accomplished musician, composer of tunes, he also has a rare mastery of the tabla, harmonium and pakhawaj. He has won numerous accolades and awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sangeet Raj and Shastriya Natya Shiromani award. Gangani holds a post-Diploma from Kathak Kendra, Delhi and has been associated with them as a Senior Guru. He is an empanelled member of the ICCR and has presented several group choreographies and dance-dramas both in India and abroad.

Prevalent in the North as a classical dance form, Kathak has, over the centuries, attained refinement and enriched itself with various hues and embellishments. Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha which means ‘story’, and kathakar which means ‘storyteller’. A typical Kathak presentation consists of the invocation, a pure dance (nritta) and an expressive dance (nritya). In this Kathak recital, the audience will be treated to a mesmerising bouquet of traditional bandishes. Weaving his innovative style with technical wizardry, Gangani will showcase intricate movements in a spontaneous dialogue or sangat with live musicians.

Pooja Pant is a Kathak performer, choreographer and founder-director of Pooja Pant Dance Company. She has travelled across India and the world to perform at various venues and festivals including Contacting the World and The London Palladium in the UK, Kala Ghoda Art Festival, Royal Opera House Muscat, Zorlu Center in Turkey, Indian Cultural Centre in Maldives and Kathak Kendra in Delhi. Known for her technical finesse and delicate abhinaya, her most notable works include Samanvay, Nishant, How Dare You, Saptarang, Tehreek and Binda Kahat. A Master’s in Kathak, she has been awarded prestigious awards namely the Pandit V.D. Paluskar Award, the Menaka trophy, Singaar Mani, Nirtya Nipuna, Sujata Natu Award and Kala Ravi. She runs the Pooja Pant School of Kathak.

Parshwanath Upadhye is a Bharatanatyam dancer and a stellar performer who has carved out a niche for himself in the world of Indian dance. In recognition of his work, he has been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Adithya Birla Yuva Puraskara and Best Dancer at the Madras Music Academy. His ensemble works include Punyah Krishna, Hara, SatGati, Abha and Naga Mandala. Upadhye is the Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Punyah Dance Company and heads the Upadhye School of Dance.

Raag Raagini brings together two dynamic artistes of the current generation, Pooja Pant and Parshwanath Upadhye, exploring the starkly different yet corresponding dance forms of Kathak and Bharatanatyam in a duet performance.

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