Going beyond hedonism

4th National Dance Festival ends with high hopes
Curtains came down on the 4th National Dance Festival on April 29 — marking the International Dance Day — at National Theatre Stage, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). Chief guest at the programme — organised by Bangladesh Nritya Shilpi Sangstha (BNSS) — was Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid.
Saju Ahmed, general secretary of BNSS, explained why the organisation chose the Education Minister as the chief guest. “We, dancers, have an appeal to the minister. We want a better public understanding of dance. The purpose of dance goes beyond mere entertainment; dance can inspire, motivate, educate, enlighten. We believe if this art form is included in our education system, it would truly benefit us as a nation.”
Presided over by veteran dancer Laila Hasan, the first session of the evening featured a discussion. Member of the Parliament, Rashed Khan Menon and Chairman of Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation, M. Hamid were special guests. The discussion also had media personality Muhammad Barkatullah reminiscing on his ‘guru,’ renowned dancer, the late Gawhar Jamil.
Seasoned dancer and exponent Amanul Haque was honoured with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Haque was awarded a crest and an ‘uttariyo.’
The second session featured performances by members groups of BNSS and Dancers’ Guild (from Kolkata, India). Dancers of ‘Natraj’ began with a composition choreographed by Laila Hasan. The message of the piece, seemingly performed at a leisurely pace, was patriotism. At one point, Laila Hasan joined in with her team on stage.
The next performance by artistes of Nrityadhara shook up the muted ambiance. Featuring a re-arranged version of Nazrul’s ever-familiar classic “Duur dwipbashini” — that sounded absolutely unfamiliar and fresh — the piece choreographed by Minu Haque was greeted with rounds of applause. Fusing ‘mudra’ of several dance forms that were restrained and effusive, the composition invoked unbridled passion.
Next on stage were three dancers of Kathak Sampraday, performing a composition choreographed by Saju Ahmed.
Nrityanandan staged a Manipuri-based performance. Choreographed by Sharmila Bandopadhyay, the immaculately executed piece presented the country in the mother form. The message: the motherland blesses us, nurtures us unconditionally; yet blinded by greed, we often carry out actions that leave her wounded. But the flow of her love and blessing doesn’t die down.
Other noteworthy performances were by Abbasuddin Academy (from Khulna) and Nrityalok. Featuring a stirring recitation of Nazrul’s “Bidrohi” (by Kazi Sabyasachi), the latter, choreographed by Kabirul Islam Ratan was innovative.
It is imperative that a show of this stature does not include anything in poor taste. Two particular performances — by Chattagram Nrityashilpi Sangstha and Sukanya — were literally eyesores. Apart from hideously loud and outlandish costumes, the crass moves and expressions seemed like a cross between avoidable Bollywood and Dhallywood “item numbers.” The composition (if it can be called that) choreographed by Sultana Hyder and staged by Sukanya, featured a dancer in the centre who was seemingly having trouble keeping up with the others. Under the guise of “creative composition,” these “dances” that do not follow any particular classical or folk principle but rather demonstrate crassness and lack of refinement, should not be allowed stage time at a national event. Organisers should have avoided these embarrassments.
The last attraction at the event was “Jajnaseni,” performed by Dancers’ Guild. Concept and choreography by Jonaki Sarkar and Aishika Chakraborty, the 40-minute composition featured the ‘Navanritya’ (new dance) style — a spectacular mélange of dance forms including ‘Mayurbhanj,’ ‘Chhau,’ ‘Bharatnatyam,’ ‘Kathakali,’ ‘Manipuri,’ ‘Odissi,’ ‘Thang-ta’ and the ‘Kandyan’ dance of Sri Lanka. Featuring eight scenes, “Jajnaseni,” enacted episodes in the life of Draupadi, the central female character from “Mahabharat.”

Courtesy of The Daily Star