Showcasing Bangladesh Internationally
Khajuraho is nestled in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and is globally acclaimed for some of the most beautiful temples on the planet. Built by Chandela rulers during the medieval period, the Khajuraho temples truly epitomize Indian architectural design. With these incredibe structures as a background, the famed Khajuraho Dance Festival, organized by the Ustad Alauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy of the Cultural Department (Kala Parishad) under the Madhya Pradesh government, is recognized by dancers and dance academies all over the world and has been taking place for 42 years.
For the first time a Bangladeshi dance company was invited to participate last February 2016. Led by Lubna Marium, 'Shadhona', one of the leading dance groups of Bangladesh, presented a Manipuri dance drama, conceptualized and directed by Sweety Das Chowdhury. This production is the result of a project run by 'Shadhona' and 'Manipuri Theatre' in Komolganj, Sylhet, to teach Manipuri dance to young and talented Manipuri dancers of Bangladesh. The literature of Shadhona's presentation, 'Radharani'r Oshtoprohor', is based on Bangla Vaishnava Padavli Kirtan's sung during Manipuri rituals in Bangladesh. The artistic direction of the production was by Lubna Marium. The presentation, by 14 dancers from both Dhaka and Komolganj, was well received by the audience. Sunil Kothari, one of the leading dance historians of India, was all praises for the Bangladeshi presentation.
The Khajuraho Dance Fest also includes a 'Dance Dialogue – Kalavarta', for dancers, academics and journalists, where Lubna Marium elaborated on the history of dance practices in Bangladesh in her presentation 'Seeking Sahaja through Dance'. This included a power-point presentation and a dance presentation by Shadhona's dancers, and directed by Amit Chowdhury.
Bangladesh's impressive participation has led the organizers to propose that Bangladesh be the 'theme' region in next year's Festival. This would entail an exhibition pavilion dedicated to showcasing Bangladesh's cultural practices, daily performances throughout the week-long Festival, and participation by Bangladeshi craftsperson and artistes in the Crafts' Fair held within the Festival grounds.
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