Ghungroo Dance Academy and Center for Dance ended his festival with celebrate Nritya Sangam Festival 2024 a few days ago, with the active collaboration of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in Gyan Manch, Kolkata. The artistic director Vidushi Madhumita Roy Misra and her institution Ghungroo, celebrated the ancient Indian tradition of Guru-Shishya-Parampara. The culture of the country believes in passing on the knowledge of the arts from one generation to the next. Guru-Shishya-Parampara is more important in today’s times as many aspirants rely on YouTube gurus and end up acquiring only half-baked knowledge in their field. There is no substitute for a flesh-and-blood guru standing in front of you and teaching you.

The main aim of Madhumita Roy Misra, a renowned Gharana Kathaka from Lucknow, in organizing this festival was to promote the talents of the veterans alongside those of the newcomers and to encourage young artists towards a more disciplined and artistic endeavor in their chosen field of performing arts.

The students of Ghungroo Dance The Academy presented three brilliant choreographies based on 11-bar Chartaal ki Sawari, Ek boond Barish ki (the monsoon) and Tarana. All three were choreographed by Madhumita Roy Misra. Each performance showcased Kathak’s unique style and narrative and included classic compositions and innovative choreography. It was a moment of joy as Rasikas and performers shared aesthetic bliss during the performance.

The duet of Arindam Dalui and Sourav Pal captivated the audience with their brilliant rendition of the 16-bar piece Teental. Rhythm exists in the universe to be felt and enjoyed, and there it soothed our senses to dwell in its beauty.

Kathak dancer Souvik Chakraborty, who is very fond of the Kathak language and the art of storytelling, performed Surya Stuti, based on Teentaal. The concept was that the Guru is like the sun that illuminates us and shows us the path of knowledge. Thanks to years of practice, Souvik is now one of the most sought-after artists, both in India and abroad. With the right perspective, he always treads new ground.

The duet dance The performance of Sriyanka Mali and Prasenjit Majumdar with their guru Madhumita Roy Misra in Bol Padhant showcased the beauty of rhythm created by ten and a half matras. It was absolutely captivating. The jaunty pirouettes were a sight to behold.

The Kathak duet of Nilopa Maitra and Nitisha Banerjee, based on the ghazal ‘Fasle aise bhi honge’, was a piece of poetry. One could truly see a scene of great beauty with dancer glide with their perfect movements, Dance the requirements of the Taala and Laya. The choreography of Kathaka Paramita Maitra was impeccable. The colour and design of the costume gave one an idea of ​​the importance of the colour being chosen for a particular time, place and occasion.

Trina Roy, a product of the Jailal genre of Kathak, seems to be conscious of her duties as the bearer of a great legacy. A serious Kathaka, she has honed her skills in the all-round Kathak aspect to continue to take the right steps to keep it alive and prevent the style from fading into oblivion. She has an excellent command of Laya and Taalim. She entertained the audience with an enviable command of Tandav Ang and a Shiv Tandava in Dhrupad style. She displayed a considerable level of perfection in terms of technique.

dancer Paulami Basu, Indira Tripathi and Paramita Bhattacharya performed the nine Matra Taals beautifully, starting with a Teen Taal. Their strong movements and well-synchronized footwork made an impactful and unparalleled statement. Their choreography was based on the nine-beat Dhrupdangi Tarana. They were wonderful.

Nandini Chakraborty and Debasmita Mukherjee deftly danced eight and a half bars of Taal before moving on to a Ghazal to showcase their emotional qualities.

While the entire evening was dedicated to Kathak, Madhumita Roy Misra also hosted a group of Kuchipudi dance to add spice to the evening. The pranks played by Krishna’s mother Yasoda in this style were welcomed by the audience. Krishna’s activities always add spice to Balyaras, whether dance Madhuri Majumdar, a direct disciple of Kuchipudi exponent Vempati Chinna Satyam, choreographed the beautiful presentation.

The author is a senior dance critic