Event Details

Bodyline
Kathak by Gauri Sharma Tripathi & ANKH

Asthitva – Tale of a Pregnant King
Bharatanatyam by Parshwanath Upadhye & Adithya P. V.

Gauri Sharma Tripathi is an artiste in residence at the Southbank Centre, London. She has trained in Kathak under her guru and, Padma Sharma. Taking Kathak into a non-traditional and collaborative environment, Sharma Tripathi has choreographed and performed in India and internationally. Sharma Tripathi set down the three-year degree course on Kathak for London Contemporary Dance School. She is also an ISTD South Asian dance faculty member and has performed at the NCPA and ICCR, India. She is the founder of Amara Nritya Kala Hansa (ANKH), a dance initiative seeking to redefine Kathak for today’s world by exploring its relevance through contemporary themes.

The language of Kathak lends itself to the contemporary mindset, opening pathways to explore both the limitations that surround us and those we unknowingly impose on ourselves. Bodyline is an artistic vision that respects and challenges the Kathak form while embracing contemporary idioms of movement. Pushing boundaries of form, space, light and sound, Sharma Tripathi creates dynamic choreography where dancers explore new dimensions, maintaining tradition while awakening a bold, innovative and transformative way of dancing.

Parshwanath Upadhye is a Bharatanatyam dancer and performer who has carved a niche for himself in the world of Indian dance. He has been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Aditya Birla Yuva Puraskar and Best Dancer by the Madras Music Academy. Upadhye is the Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Punyah Dance Company and heads the Upadhye School of Dance.

Adithya P. V. is a dynamic young Bharatanatyam dancer, who was initially under the tutelage of Latha Edavalath before continuing with the internationally acclaimed dance duo, Kiran Subramaniam and Sandhya Kiran, known as the Kirans. Adithya is currently a student of veteran dancer Dr. Sudharani Raghupathy. He holds a diploma in Bharatanatyam from Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Chhattisgarh. A graded artiste of Doordarshan, Adithya has performed solo and in collaboration with several leading dancers from India and abroad at various festivals around the world. In addition, he is also an artistic director at the Upadhye School of Dance.

Asthitva — Tale of a Pregnant King depicts the story of a king who yearns for an heir to his throne. Events lead to a perplexed situation in which, instead of the queen, the king himself is blessed by the goddess to bear a child. Ensuing this miraculous delivery, he is faced by questions of his own identity. This satire on the king’s gender identity utilises all the four aspects of abhinaya including vachika.