Khujraho Dance Festival 2011

The music of the flutes, the rhythm of the khungroos , the synchronized dance steps displaying various art forms, the divine fragrance of the aggarbatis from the temple, the color of the natyas…..the flavors of dance at Khujraho begins…

Indian Classical Dance

Arunima kumar at Khujraho festival

The city of Khujraho is home to the magnificent display of temple architecture and culture. The temples are monuments from the 250 AD. A visit to the place would tell you hundreds of stories about Indian civilization and cultural heritage. The group of temples in Khujraho has been designated by the UNESCO as world heritage site thus endowing it with more importance. The temples of Khujraho host a week long dance festival known as the Khujraho Dance Festival where dancers from across the country as well as foreigners perform various dance forms. The event is organized by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad. Kuchipadi, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam are the prominent dance forms performed in the stages.

Kuchipudi Dance

Dance or ‘natyam’ as it is called is an art form performed by the dancer’s body and mind. The synchronization of expressions along with the bodily movements in accordance with the rhythm marks the presentation of the form.

Usually a unique theme or a situation from the Puranas is depicted conveying the whole story in a precise form. The Navarasas or the nine different emotions are to be brought about by the participant during the show. Each of the form, whether it is Odissi or Mohiniyattam, has its own flavor and charm.

Mohiniattyam Dance

The costumes and the method of dancing are different in each dance form. Mohiniyattam is more of a mellow dance form while Bharatnatyam involves more aggressiveness in terms of dance momentum. They all hail from different states of India and depict their very own culture. During the festival Khujraho takes up a new form by itself. Famous dancers specialized in their own niches dancing to the khungroos, musical instruments playing melodious music and the rich essence of culture sending its vibes across the divinity of the temples will enchant you. The evenings colored with devotional music and the slow chanting of mantras from the temples gives you a completely new spiritual feel at Khujraho.

Promoting cultural heritage and traditional dances of India, the Khujraho dance festival is in fact the union and celebration of all the classical dancers across the country. This festival is conducted in February or March every year. Eminent dancers participate in this occasion making it very special. The schedule for the festival is given below (February 25 – March 02, 2011):

Dates	Events
February 25, 2011	Gajendra Panda	Odissi Group
	Malvika Mitra	Kathak Solo
February 26, 2011	Geeta Chandran	Bharatnatyam Solo
	Darshana Jhaveri	Manipuri Group
February 27, 2011	Vijaylaxmi Shivaji	Mohiniattam Solo
	Vasanti Vaishnav	Kathak Solo
February 28,2011	Group Dance Performance	Manipuri Pungcholam-Joy Singh-Group Satriya -K. D. Goswami-Group Purulia Chhau-Chinidas Mohato-Group
March 01, 2011	Maneesha Sathe	Kathak Solo
	C. V. Chandrashekhar	Bharatnatyam Solo
March 02, 2011	Kalamandalam N. R. Gramprakash	Kathkali Group
	Kiran Sehgal	Odissi Group
	Ishira & Moulik Shah	Kathak Duet
March 03, 2011	Vaijayanti Kashi	Kuchipudi Solo
	Rajendra Gangani	Kathak Group

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