Young yet talented Bangladeshi dancer Amit Chowdhury mesmerised audiences with his Bharatnatyam presentation in last night’s show, on the fourth day of the ongoing Bengal Classical Music Festival at Army Stadium.
Amit Chowdhury shared his thoughts about preparing for the performance in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune.
“The feeling is a blend of thrill, nervousness and honour. I am nervous because I am performing for many classical maestros in the audience. Still, I am enjoying the nervousness and taking great preparations,” Amit said.
“Every dancer must have expertise in one or more forms of classical dance, and I chose Bharatnatyam because of my passion for that genre,” said the artist.
He was given the Sringer Moni title at the 49th Kal Ke Kalakar dance festival of Mumbai for his stunning performance.
Amit Chowdhury is a choreographer for Shadhona, a leading dance organisation of the country. He is also lecturer at Shanto Mariam University and a guest teacher at Dhaka University.
He started dancing from a very early age and took his primary lessons from Rajdwip Banarjee, Guru Runu Biswas and Chittagong Shilpakala Academy. He went on to obtain a BA and MA in Bharatnatyam from Rabindrabharati University in India.
Amit Chowdhury was fortunate to have the support of his family. “Many dancers have to struggle,” he said, “but I am grateful to my family that with their continuous support, I was able to overcome many obstacles with ease.”
Regarding the present state of classical dance in Bangladesh, he said: “There are numerous talented classical artists. But there is a common tendency among dancers to start making money through stage shows and choreography work after they attain popularity, and they lose practice dancing. This should not the way. Achieving ultimate excellence in dancing requires continuous practice.”
He also emphasised the importance of organising large festivals to promote classical dance in the country.
“The Bengal Classical Music Festival is a praiseworthy attempt to popularise classical music and dance. By watching performances of living legends, local artists are learning a lot,” said Amit.