Manipuri Dance Festival will be held today and tomorrow to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of the late Manipuri dance guru Bipin Singh. His dance style has been practiced in Bangladesh for the last three decades by several hundred dancers. Under the guidance of his wife guru Kalavati Devi, many schools are still following his footsteps.
Supported by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the festival is organized by five Manipuri Dance Schools - Kolpotoru (sister organization of Shadhona, Lubna Marium), Nrityam Nrittya Shilan Kendra (Tamanna Rahman), Dhrumel (Sweety Das Chowdhury), Bhabna (Samina Husain Prema), and Dhriti Nartanalaya (Warda Rihab).
The festival will begin at 6pm at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The first day of the festival will feature solo performances by Sweety Das Chowdhury, Samina Husain Prema, Warda Rihab and Tamanna Rahman, with a special recital by Guru Bipin Singh’s daughter, Bimbavati Devi. Performances by Nrityam, Bhabna, Dhriti, Kolpotoru and Dhrumel will close the festival on Saturday.
Dr Sunil Kothari and Leela Venkataraman, two of the leading dance critics of India, will attend the festival. Kalavati Devi will conduct a three-week workshop preceding the event.
