The Bhramara Festival of Dance concluded its inaugural edition with a two-day extravaganza of classical dance in Mumbai. The festival was a resounding success as the venue the Royal Opera House had droves of dance enthusiasts and patrons immersed in the enthralling experience.
Apart from the dance performances, the workshops and the food stalls also had youngsters and families queuing up.
This festival has been conceptualized and founded by Tripti Arya who apart from being a dancer herself, is passionate about promoting and preserving traditional dance forms.
Tripti says, “With the first season of The Bhramara Dance Festival, I have tried my bit to create an awareness among the young generation about how evolved and dynamic Indian Classical Dances are. Our attempt with Bhramara is to share a memorable experience with them and hope that more youngsters are attracted to Indian dance forms.”
The two-day dance festival comprised of performances from across India and abroad in six classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mayurbhanj Chhau and Kathakali. Not just that, the festival whose theme for the inaugural edition is Enchanting Epics also had an added attraction of outdoor organic food pop-ups by The Farmers Market, workshops and lecture-demonstrations with the main artists and outdoor performances like Kalaripayattu and Baghanata (Tiger dance).
One of the unique offerings of the Festival was that none of the performances was longer than thirty minutes and before every performance, there was an animated film played explaining in brief about the upcoming performance.
Among the top draws at the Festival was ‘Leela’ by Arushi Mudgal and troupe. Arushi is one of the foremost names in Odissi dance today. Another compelling performance was Sanjeevani by eight-time national award-winning Bharatnatyam artist Parshwanath Upadhye. The festival also witnessed the India premiere of the Kathak dance drama ‘Son of the Wind’ by the Leela Dance Collective– the multi-racial dance troupe that comprised of renowned dancers from California and India. Well-known Kuchipudi artist Avijit Das and renowned Kathakali artist Sadanam Balakrishnan and troupe were part of the festival.
Arya Group Foundation (AGF), Jindal SAW, JSW and Nourish Organics were the presenters of the first edition of the Bhramara Festival of Dance. The event was managed by Showhouse Events. The two-day festival took place on the 19th and 20th of January at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai.
