Event Details

Aakanksha – The Longing – Bharatanatyam by Meera Sreenarayanan
Sthiti Gati – Multidisciplinary dance by Arupa Lahiry’s Urja Dance Company

An NCPA Presentation

Young Sangeet Natak Academy awardee for Overall contribution in the field of Bharatanatyam for 2019, Arupa Lahiry, is a reputed Bharatanatyam artist trained under Smt Chitra Visweswaran (Padmashri awardee) and is empaneled with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) as well as is an A grade artist of Doordarshan, Delhi and Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

A dancer renowned for her graceful dance, she has toured all over the world in capacity of a performer, teacher, choreographer and an artistic director. A few of her major performances nationally include Madras Music Academy Dance Festival 2023, Kalidas Samaraoh 2019 & 2000, IIC Double Bill Concert 2019, Khajuraho Mahotsav 2013,2015,2023.& Internationally inFrance Opera Lille 2013, Mexico Theatre de la Ville 2017, Behrain Indian Fine Arts Society 2019, ICCR tour of Bulgaria 2024.

She has toured major countries like UK, USA, Mexico, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, UAE, Behrain, Oman, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia & Australia.

As a choreographer, she has choreographed for major events like G20 Spouse Lunch, ICCR Pratibha Sangam and ICCR Atomic Energy Meet working with even large groups of 75 artists at a time.

Apart from being a reputed performer,
Arupa has been awarded two fellowships, by the TATA Group (2013-14) and also from the Ministry of Culture(2017-19: Junior Fellowship) to work on various aspects of Bharatanatyam and is an MPhil in English Literature.

Currently, she is the Regional Director of IGNCA, Ministry of Culture Government of India and functions out of Vadodara, Gujarat.

Sthiti-Gati is a performative presentation of 1 hour by the multi dance company “Urja”. Urja founded in 2015 by Bharatanatyam dancer, Arupa Lahiry, has always found strong allies in terms of thought and direction in Kathak dancer Leena Malakar Vij and Odissi dancer Lipsha Sathpathy from the very beginning. In recent times the team has expanded its vision by the presence of Mohiniattam dancer, Vishnupriya Marar.

Sthiti Gati is an interesting exploration of how the opposites of statis finds its reflection in movement. Is it the potential or the kinetic that drives the world? This presentation started its formative journey two years back when Khajuraho Dance Festival wanted a new work. The temple sculptures and the unspoken stories of stone started whispering. Whose imagination leads whom? Is dance the Muse of sculpture or sculpture the seed of dance? Isnt the flow in stone sculpture a reflection of the flow of a performing body?

These questions seek answer in this dance production Sthiti Gati where each piece has delved deep into the Visual Art world and tried to bring forward a sense of movement in dialogue with silence.

Meera Sreenarayanan began her dance journey under Prakash Choondal and later trained under R.L.V. Anand followed by Kalakshetra’s Nirmala Nagaraj. She continues her advanced training with Indira Kadambi and explores navarasa sadhana with G. Venu. A postgraduate in Bharatanatyam from the University of Madras, a diploma holder in Nritya Shastra from the Nalanda Dance Research Centre and an empanelled artiste of SPIC MACAY, she has received the Best Performer award at Madras Music Academy among others. Founder of Tatdhii Arts and Learning, Sreenarayanan is committed to making the arts more accessible, blending science and art to inspire younger generations.
Aakanksha – The Longing is a solo dance-theatre work journeying through the quiet terrain of yearning, shaped by the shifting moods of the monsoon. Drawing from classical and folk sensibilities, the performance explores the inner landscapes the monsoon evokes—the silent, persistent ache of desires unspoken and dreams deferred.

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