The Uday Shankar Dance Festival 2014 reached great heights on the third evening (December 10), featuring four solos and two group performances at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata, India.

Shelly Sarkar first took the stage with a Kathak solo to live music performances. Guest artiste Dr. Lima Das from Gwahati, Assam came next to the rhythm of a solo Sattriya dance which was extremely graceful.

A physician by profession, Lima's passion revolves around Sattriya dance, a beautiful dance form created by the Vaishnava saint Mahapurusha Shreemanta Shankara Dev — who left rich literary, cultural and religious legacies that predominantly influence Assamese life. Lima started off with a pure dance form, and followed it up with an abhinaya dance, depicting a saga called Draupadi's vastraharana from the Mahabharata. She took extracts from the Sanskrit and Assamese versions of Mahabharata, and generated exquisite expressions and devotion in her performance.

Shayomita Dasgupta performed a Odissi solo at the festival. She blossomed the pallavi

and an abhinaya-ang dance style Brojo Cochora Audiya, set on raga Ananda Bhairavi and taal joti. Suhani Dhanki (of Mumbai] lyrically presented solo Bharatanatyam pieces, portraying satyam shivam sundaram. Through exposing various movements and imageries, including Shiva Stuti, Nataraj, Baghro, Damru, Snake and Trishul of Lord Shiva, Suhani immaculately portrayed devotional rasa. The artiste’s neck and eye movements were scintillating. Showing the entire gamut of aharya, she displayed gaja vadh (killing of an elephant). Her second offering

also eulogised Lord Shiva and was set on raga Yaman Kalyan and taal khanda chakra.

Directed by Ashimbandhu Bhattacharya, artistes of Upasana Centre for Dance presented several dance pieces on the title 'Parikrama*. The artistes showed the cycle of life through evoking shringar and various ananda rasa, incorporating nuances of Radha-Krishna in Vrindavan, the evolution of Kathak from temples to royal courts and on stages exerting experimental, fusion based and contemporary movements. The artistes danced to a melodious

1 lindi song "Dil Bhi Toh Hai*, followed by a performance set on a tarana that incorporated gat, chalan, ladi, tehai and chakradar padan. Kathak is the only dance form that was nurtured by both the Hindus and the Muslims. Several artistes in veils performed a piece creating the ambience of Mughal darbar on stage

The artistes of Gaudiya Nritya Bharati were prominent in their portrayal of three visual poetries -Chandi Vandana, Krishna Raam Katha and Ardha-Narishwar --themed on Indian religious-mythical nuances. Professor

Mohua Mukherjee directed all the pieces, while taking part in two. Amitava Mukherjee and Ayan Mukherjee directed music for the performances. In Chandi Vandana, the artistes showcased 10 forms of Mahavidya through their flawless mudras, depicting the precise expression of Kali, Tara, Bhubaneshwari, Shodoshi, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumabati, Matangi, Bogota and Kamola in distinctive styles. Dr. Mohua Mukherjee acted out her solo presentation of "Krishna Raam Katha* with diminutive expressions. Being a pioneer of the form, Professor Mukherjee's choreographies were imbued with great artistic passion and devo-

Mingling the myth of prakriti and purusha with the unique choreography of Gaudiya dance; Bangladeshi artiste Rachel Priyanka Perris with her Indian counterpart Ayan Mukherjee performed a duet piece titled "Ardha-Narishwar". Rachel’s grace and Ayan's vigour represented the epitome of Parvati and Shiva respectively. The artiste duo later immersed in speedy yet immaculate throwing of mudra, expression and emotion, with several accompanying artistes, winning rounds of applause.