About The Event
Day 3 of the KNMA Dance Festival explores love through friendship, romance, devotion and longing. The programme includes Kadal, an excerpt from Subhadra-kalyanam, which reflects on sibling bonds, friendship and romantic love; Milan, a choreographic interpretation of the life and poetry of the nineteenth-century Punjabi mystic Piro; and Anurakti, a contemporary work inspired by Akka Mahadevi's vachana that contemplates a love beyond worldly attachment.
`Kadal`: Tankavel Vattiyar`s Subhadra-kalyanam
By Kattaikkuttu Sangam
7.00pm - 7.45pm I Amphitheatre
Kattaikuttu is a form of movement and voice based theatre popular in North and Central Tamil Nadu. Performers adorn themselves with wooden ornaments (kattai) and traditionally perform through the night. This performance is excerpted from a night-long kattaikkuttu performance of Subhadra-kalyanam. It explores three profound forms of love: the protective bond of siblings (Krishna and Subhadra), the unshakeable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna, and the romantic love between Subhadra and Arjuna.
Language: Tamil
Choreographer: P. Rajagopal
`Milan`: The poetry of Piro
By Meera Sreenarayan
7.55pm - 8.30pm I Amphitheatre
Milan is Bharatanatyam artist Meera Sreenarayan`s choreographic interpretation of the life and `kaafis` (poems) of the nineteenth-century Punjabi mystic Piro (Piran Ditti) and the unconventional relationship she shared with her Pir, Gulab Das, founder of the Gulabdasi tradition.
Language: Punjabi
Music: Radhika Sood and Raj Kumar Bharathi
`Anurakti`
By Jahnavi Sheriff and Friends
8.40 pm - 9.00pm I Amphitheatre
Inspired by Akka Mahadevi`s vachana Naanolidenayya Cheluvange, the work explores love beyond worldly attachment. Through the journey of a woman who encounters adoration, desire, and earthly relationships, the piece asks what happens when one experiences a love so profound that all other forms of love lose their grip.
Language: Kannada
Music: Chandana Bala Kalyan
