About The Event
Day 1 of the KNMA Dance Festival opens with an evening of rhythm, desire and divine love. Beginning with Chenda Melam, a vibrant traditional percussion ensemble from Kerala, the programme continues with Anaṅga Raṅga, a celebration of love in its many forms across languages and dance traditions, and concludes with Ānanda-līlā, a Maharaas presentation exploring the sacred dance of Krishna and the Gopis.
Chenda Melam
By Delhi Panchavadya Trust
6.00pm - 6.30pm I Nursery grounds near Amphitheatre
A vibrant traditional percussion ensemble from Kerala, featuring the powerful and majestic sounds of the Chenda, accompanied by instruments such as Valanthala, Elathalam, Kombu and Kuzhal.
‘Ananga Ranga’: A celebration of the Formless in Form
By Swapnasundari, Bragha Bessel, Kalamandalam Balasubramanian, Madhavi Mudgal, Vaishali Trivedi, Gaurav Bhatti and Sundaresan Pandurangan
7.00pm - 8.10pm I Amphitheatre
In Puranic literature, Kamadeva or the god of desire is manifested into being by the mind of Brahma. As Ananga, he enters the hearts of all creatures in hidden form, sometimes in the sweetness of honey, the fragrance of mangoes and moonlight. Ana Ra Ga is a celebration of love in manifold forms, in a cross section of languages featuring senior artists of various dance expressions that capture its delicate nuances and varying moods.
Languages: Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Braj Bhasha
Genres: Vilasini Natyam, Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali
‘Ananda-lila’: A Maharaas
by Anjika Society for Manipuri Dance and Movement Therapy
8.00pm - 8.15pm I Amphitheatre
Maharaas is the sacred divine dance of Lord Krishna with the Gopis of Vrindavan under the autumn moonlight of Sharad Purnima. It symbolizes the ultimate spiritual union between the individual soul (Jivatma) and the Supreme Divine (Paramatma).
Language: Manipuri
Choreographed by Priti Patel
Day 2 of the KNMA Dance Festival brings together stories of devotion, romance and spiritual transformation. The evening is unveiled by Śubhārambha, an excerpt from the Manipuri Sankirtana tradition. The programme continues with three performances - Śṛṅgāra-mañjarī, inspired by the timeless story of Nala and Damayanti, Prema Darpaṇa, drawn from Aśvaghoṣa's Saundarānanda-kāvya, and Anurāgam, a presentation that celebrates love as the rasa from which all emotions emerge.
‘Shubharambha’: An excerpt from Sankirtana of Manipuri Dance and Music tradition
6.00pm - 6.30pm I Nursery grounds near Amphitheatre
Manipuri Sankirtana is a traditional devotional art form from Manipur that combines ritual singing, drumming and dancing to narrate the lives and deeds of Lord Krishna and Radha.
Language: Manipuri
Artistic Director: Priti Patel I Assisted by K. Ratan Singh, W. Suraj Kumar, Th. Imocha Singh and S. Karuna Devi
‘Sringara-manjari’: Nala Damayanti in Kathakali
By Kalamandalam Balasubramanian
7.00pm - 8.15pm I Amphitheatre
Kathakali stalwart and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Kalamandalam Balasubramanian performs the timeless story of Nala and Damayanti or the Nalopakhyana, an episode from the Mahabharata.
Language: Malayalam, Sanskrit
‘Prema Darpana’: Saundarananda-kavya
By Amrita Lahiri and Sayak Mitra
7.55pm - 8.15pm I Amphitheatre
Kuchipudi dancer Amrita Lahiri and Marga Natya artist Sayak Mitra come together to perform a verse from the `Saundarananda-kavya` by Ashvaghosha. The kavya revolves around Nanda, the half-brother of the Buddha and his journey to salvation.
Language: Sanskrit
‘Anuragam’
By Sridevi Nrithyalaya
8.15pm - 8.30pm I Amphitheatre
Sridevi Nrithyalaya celebrates love with Geetam, Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam, commemorating the thoughts of ancient rasikas who contributed to the eternal feeling of love with their scholarly writings. `Anuragam` portrays love as the prominent rasa from which all our emotions are born.
Language: Tamil
Choreographer: Dr. Smt. Sheela Unnikrishnan I Music Score: Embar Kannan
Day 3 of the KNMA Dance Festival explores love through friendship, romance, devotion and longing. The programme includes Kādal, an excerpt from Subhadrā-kalyāṅam, 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 Anurākti, 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
The final day of the KNMA Dance Festival turns towards devotion, surrender and transcendence. The evening features 4 performances - Bhakti, a presentation of Kathivanoor Veeran Theyyam rooted in a legendary love story from Kerala; Praṇidhāna, based on Sant Janabai's devotion to Lord Panduranga; Raṅg Rūḥānī, which explores the relationship between Amir Khusrau and Nizamuddin Auliya; and Basanta Anurāga, a celebration of Krishna through the moods of spring, love, longing and enchantment.
‘Bhakti’: Kathivanoor Veeran Theyyam
By International Centre for Folklore and Culture
6.00pm - 6.45pm I Sunken Garden
A living tradition that combines music, dance, mime and elaborate costume, Theyyam is a ritual performance popular in the North Malabar region of Kerala. Kathivanoor Veeran Theyyam traces its origin to the tragic love story between Mangatt Mandappan and Chemmarathy, whose love survives death and becomes divine.
Language: Malayalam
‘Pranidhana’: The story of Janabai
By Harinie Jeevitha
7.00pm - 7.20pm I Amphitheatre
Pranidhana is a work based on Sant Janabai`s love and devotion to Lord Panduranga. The performance strings together some abhangs written by the 13th century poet, journeying through her life and love.
Language: Marathi
Music: Sri Rajkumar Bharati
‘Rang Ruhani’
By Adithya PV and Dheerendra Tiwari
7.25pm - 7.45pm I Amphitheatre
Rang Ruhani explores the relationship between Amir Khusrau and his spiritual master, Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya through Bharatanatyam and Kathak. The performance is ultimately about a bond that begins between a guru and a shishya, but slowly moves beyond those definitions. It is about love, longing, surrender and the search for something beyond oneself.
Language: Hindavi, Persian
Music adapted by: Janab Samiullah Khan and Priya Purushothaman
‘Basanta Anuraga’
By the Odissi Dance Academy
7.50pm - 8.15pm I Amphitheatre
Weaving together the moods of spring, love, longing, and enchantment, this presentation celebrates Krishna as the eternal source of beauty and bliss, whose presence intoxicates not only the heart, but the very soul of the universe.
Language: Oriya
Choreographer: Guru Dr. Aruna Mohanty
