MUMBAI: In its 50^th year, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Nakshatra Dance Festival 2019. A three-day festival, it will take place on 13, 14^, and 26 September, 2019 at NCPA.  It aims to feature innovative group choreographies by eminent choreographers such as Ranjana Gauhar and troupe (Odissi), Saswati Senand troupe (Kathak), C. V. Chandra sekhar and troupe (Bharatanatyam), RajashreeShirke and troupe (Kathak),Nandini and Sharada Ganesan (Bharatanatyam).

Commenting on the Nakshatra Festival, NCPA Dance head Swapnokalpa Dasgupta commented, “We celebrate 50 years of the iconic NCPA this year with many beautiful presentations. To mark this special year, along with new presentations we have brought back on popular demand some exceptional dance choreographies that had been performed earlier at the NCPA for our NCPA Nakshatra Dance Festival. Ranjana Gauhar's Chitrangada based on Rabindranath Tagore's creation and Prof. C V Chandrasekhar's Panchamabhootam are two such. We have also brought back Rajashree Shirke's immensely popular dance Theatre piece - Ravan Mandodari Samvaad. We look forward to the new choreographies by Sharda Ganesan and Saswati Sen. For the first time we have weaved an evening with exquisite choreographies of Pt. Birju Maharaj ji which have been used in Bollywood. This festival is a tribute to the versatility of Classical dance as we look forward to experience it through its various applications- Dance drama (Chitrangada), Dance with spoken words- Ravan Mandodari Samvaad, and Dance and Vastu Sastra (Panchamabhootam has depicted all the symbols of the five elements of nature like square for Earth, vertical lines for fire etc) and of course  the Nazakat of Kathak in Bollywood.”

On the first day of the event – 13 September 2019, the festival will commence with a stellar Odissi performance- Chitrangada by Ranjana Gauhar and Troupe and Urjaa by Sharada and Nandini Ganesan with troupe.

Ranjana has gathered her thoughts both from Chitra, the one-act play in English and Chitrangada, the popular Bengali dance drama both written by Rabindranath Tagore. Inspired by his vision and his sensitivity to portray ‘the complete woman’ as one who personifies love, courage and substance, she pays homage to the genius of Rabindranath Tagore through her presentation of Chitrangada.

Followed by which, Sharada and Nandini Ganesan along with their troupe will do a Bharatanatyam performance on Urjaa- a divine energy that exists within each of us. It opens with the Aananda Lahari, paying an ode to Shakti as the energy (prakriti) without whom Shiva.