Event Details

Atah Kim – Kathak by Kumudini Lakhia’s Kadamb Centre for Dance
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PRAVAHATI: The force forward – Bharatanatyam by Geeta Chandran & Natya Vriksha Dance Collective

An NCPA Presentation

Kathak legend Kumudini Lakhia is known for her unparalleled technical expertise and innovative artistry. Having dedicated more than seven decades to her art—training, teaching and creating—Lakhia has been conferred the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards, among others. She has served numerous prestigious organisations in India and abroad and is the Artistic Director of the Kadamb Centre for Dance in Ahmedabad which has toured extensively around the world to critical acclaim.

Lakhia reflects, “Every day, the empty space confronts me, but instead of void, I see potential energy waiting to take shape—forms drawn from my life, patterns deeply connected to me. As bodies expand, space becomes flexible, creating a new dialogue between time and space.” This ever-evolving search for dance within the body is an experimental process, challenging physical energies to shape contemporary choreography. The structure of Kathak embodies a continuous awareness of progress and the journey ahead, inspiring the title of this presentation, Atah Kim, Sanskrit for ‘where do we go from here?’

Celebrated as one of the leading figures in Indian classical dance across the world, Geeta Chandran is a highly accomplished dance guru, scholar, choreographer, media personality and Carnatic vocalist, and she harnesses all these energies to infuse the universe with the spirit of Bharatanatyam. Chandran is Founder-President of Natya Vriksha, New Delhi, where she champions tradition, transcending linguistic barriers and creating meaningful choreographies, contributing to the wider societal dialogue. In her five-decade-long commitment to dance, Chandran has been honoured with the Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Tagore National Fellowship and Nritya Choodamani by the Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.

PRAVAHATI: The force forward unveils Chandran’s skills as a choreographer whose unique vision brings alive the essential elements of Bharatanatyam while experimenting constantly with content and form. Chandran explores time and space as non-stagnant and ever flowing in both imagination and execution. Through four pieces—a complex Mallari tribute to Shiva; Kalidas’s Varsha Ritu from the Ritusamhara; Pratidhwani which examines our internal architecture through the motif of the echo, and a celebratory tillana—her choreography underlines Bharatanatyam as a dynamic form with ample potential for reflecting contemporary artistic sensibilities.

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