Popular dance organisation Nrityanchal has taken up a project to preserve the folk dance forms of the country. In this connection a weeklong-day folk dance workshop on traditional raibeshi dance, conducted by Dr Tarun Prodhan, began on Sunday at the Shilpakla Academy.
In a seminar held on Saturday the troupe members presented details of the project at the Seminar Hall of the academy. The two directors of the dance company, Shamim Ara Nipa and Shibli Muhammad, and its coordinator Muhammad Jahangir were present at the seminar titled ‘Practice of folk dance of Bangladesh and its continuation’.
The keynote address was given by Dr Tarun Prodhan of the department of drama, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.
Shamim Ara Nipa gave an outline of a research project of Nrityanchal on folk dance. She revealed that folk dance is gradually disappearing and the so-called folk dance that is performed in different programmes is not actually folk dance rather these dances are a mixture of different dance forms. Many dance directors use some folk instruments and attires in their dance routines to give it a folk appeal but the ‘dance’ itself is not the actual folk dance. She also revealed that there is a misconception that however dancers dance to folk song can be called folk dance. But actually there are many forms of folk dances performed by traditional artistes.
She also told New Age that Nrtiyanchal has taken initiatives to save the authentic folk dance forms in three phrases—preservation, training and presentation. Nipa said that they have already identified some forms of folk dance and are trying to preserve them in video recordings. Later, dancers of Nrtiyanchal will learn these traditional folk dances and will present the dances in programmes along with traditional dancers.
Nipa also informed that Nrityanchal has been working with several folk dance organisations—Bangladesh Bratochari Samity of Narayangong, traditional Lathial troupe of Kishoregong, Paharpur Unnoyon Jaridal of Netrokona and Nabonagori Dhamail Sangha of Sreemangal, to preserve folk dance.
In his key-note paper, Prodhan revealed that dance is the mother of all art form and all sorts of dances have originated from folk dance. So it is indeed necessary to preserve and spread the dance form.
Shibli Mohammad, in his speech, stressed that there is a huge demand of local traditional folk dance in foreign countries, and preservation and accurate performance of folk dance can represent our culture more effectively beyond the borders.
A video featuring different kinds of folk dance like Bratochari, Jari, Dhamail, Lathikhela, and others were presented at the seminar.
-With New Age input
