A Gaudiya dance evening will be held today at 6:30pm at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. A dance artist of Nrityanchal, Rachel Priyanka Perris is performing a solo Gaudiya dance, under the direction of dance guru of Kolkata Dr Mahua Mukharjee.
Besides this performance, Rachel also conducted a seven-day-long Gaudiya dance workshop from January 17-23, where 80 students of Nrityanchal School participated.
Rachel Priyanka Perris completed her graduation and post graduation from Rabindra Bharti University. She received advance training in Gaudiya dance from exponent guru Dr Mahua Mukharjee, who is a researcher and teacher at Rabindra Bharati University and dean of the faculty of fine arts. Now, Rachel is doing her MPhil in Gaudiya, which has been recently introduced to the dance arena of Bangladesh.
About the genre, Rachel said: “Gaudiya Nritya originated from Gauda, also known as Gaur, in Bengal. The dance form was lost over the centuries. It has been reconstructed by Mahua Mukherjee.”
Gaudiya Nritya originated in the western Indian state of Bengal. The word “Gaudiya” itself means “old Bengal”. The dance form can trace its roots back to the Natya Shatra.
What you are going to perform in today’s programme?
I will perform Ganeshvandana, which expresses respect towards God, with the students who participated in the workshop. Then, the students will perform the basics of Gaudiya Nritya named Angasadhana and Nrittanga. I will also perform solo numbers: Alapchari which is a rhythm based dance: Kalinamabali, which is about the different names of the deity Kali and her image: Ardhanariswar and another Lilakirtana. Students will perform on two Bangla songs which is choreographed with Gaudiya steps – Lassya and Tandav.
As the dance form is new here, what kind of feedback did you receive from the workshop?
Response and feedback from the students are positive. They are very interested in Gaudiya Nritya. As I am finding them really involved to learn, I think we should take more steps to promote classical dance here. We have to practice and devote ourselves to it. Because, I find that dance is a form of worship for me.