Pune, Aug 29 (PTI) Eight classical dance forms, eight primary emotions, and one enduring epic — Pune is set to witness ‘Ashta Bhava, Ashta Nritya – Mahabharata’, a grand artistic confluence of India’s diverse dance traditions on Saturday.
Jointly presented by the Pune Art and Culture Foundation and the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Cultural Centre Department, the dance drama will be staged from 5.30 pm to 8 pm at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir.
The production, conceptualised by Gayatri Mishra and coordinated by Sattriya exponent Dr Devika Borthakur, will weave together Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Sattriya to depict key episodes of the Mahabharata, including ‘Draupadi Cheer Haran’, ‘Vishwaroopa Darshan’, and ‘Abhimanyu’.
At the heart of the production is an attempt to view the Mahabharata not merely as a historical or mythological narrative, but as a vast emotional landscape.
Its characters, conflicts, relationships and moments of triumph and tragedy provide the dramatic canvas, with individual dance traditions bringing their own vocabulary of movement, rhythm, music and expression to the storytelling.
Gurus Dr Vasanth Kiran Rayasam (Kuchipudi), Dr Devika Borthakur (Sattriya), Arundhati Patwardhan (Bharatanatyam), Leena Ketkar (Kathak), Jyoti Das (Manipuri), Renjish Nair (Kathakali), Gayatri Ambekar (Kuchipudi), Rasika Ghumaste (Odissi), and Manjula Nambiar (Mohiniyattam) will present stories from the Mahabharata through their respective choreographic compositions.
The production promises a journey through some of the Mahabharata’s most powerful moments — from the wonder and intrigue surrounding Lakshagriha and the emotional world of Bhima and Hidimba to the humiliation of Draupadi, the revelation of Vishwaroopa, Abhimanyu’s heroic struggle and the complex story of Karna.
The organisers said the programme is also an effort to introduce audiences to the breadth of India’s classical dance heritage by bringing traditions from different regions of the country onto one stage.
The production thus becomes both a retelling of the Mahabharata and a celebration of India’s plural cultural vocabulary.
The programme has been co-sponsored by Pimpri Chinchwad University (Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust), Sarhad Pune and PMC corporator Nivrutti Bandal. PTI SPK COR ARU
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