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Classical dance fest from March 7

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 3 � The 7th edition of the Pragjyoti International Dance Festival (PIDF), an annual classical dance extravaganza to exhibit the wide range of India�s classical dance forms together on one platform, will kick off on March 7 in Guwahati and Tezpur.

Kalpa, a Society for Promotion of Literature, Art, Culture and Social Harmony, will present this festival to celebrate the rich heritage of Assam.

The classical dance extravaganza, which will continue till March 11, will be held at Shraddhanjali Kanan here, and Mahabhairav Temple in Tezpur.

Sattriya danseuse Dr Anwesa Mahanta, Festival Director of PIDF, said, �With the PIDF showcasing the richness of Indian dance traditions by the brightest young stars, we are trying to share that vital energetic force to understand ourselves and our cultural heritage in a better way. Also, to explore the aesthetic synergy of the heritage sites, we offer our respect to these glorious sites through dance and celebrate the divine bond of the tangible and the intangible.�

On the other hand, Arindam Mahanta, Festival Coordinator of the PIDF, added that the dance festival is an attempt to promote the intangible heritage of classical art among the younger generation. �Dance is an interdisciplinary area that requires a holistic appraisal of literature, philosophy, history, science, music, painting, sculpture, yoga, spirituality, religion, art and so on,� he said.

The festival will feature names like Carolina Prada for Chau (US), Warda Rihab for Manipuri (Bangladesh), Sashwati Garai Ghosh for Odissi (Kolkata), Anil Iyer for Bharatanatyam (Bangalore), Shruti KP for Mohiniattan (Bangalore), Manashri Dihingiya (Sattriya), Shubhi Johri and Amit Khinchi �for Kathak (Delhi), Padma Ragini Puttu and her students for Kuchipudi (Russia), Badula Padma Ata Sattra (Lakhimpur), Dr Anwesa Mahanta (Sattriya,) Hari Saikia and his team for Sattriya (Guwahati).

With the congregation of the dancing minds across the borders on one platform, the festival is expected to bridge a better understanding between India and the Asia-Pacific regions and promote in its own way, the ideals of peace and harmony through the aesthetics of Indian heritage.

This�edition of the Pragjyoti International Dance Festival will offer a tribute to the contribution of the 600-year-old Ahom rule towards the society and culture of Assam and aims at featuring the mythical and historical significance of Tezpur at the Mahabhairav Temple.

Through the dance movements and unique expression of a dancer�s language of the mind perceiving the world and its cosmos, the festival will communicate the glorious past of Assam and the Ahom dynasty and momentous contributions of the kingdom towards Indian history.�

An interaction of young exponents with the students and a heritage walk, �Dance, Sculpture and Mythology,� in the morning hours at the Kamakhya Temple is planned during the festival.

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