By Vijay Shanker
Divine Dance Institute in Nashik presented The Legend of Krishna as a dance-drama during Geetanjali Mahotsav at Parshuram Natyagriha, in Nashik recently. The dance-drama portrayed the life of Lord Krishna with beautiful audio-visuals, music, dance and drama that kept the audience enthralled.Geetanjali Mahotsav is an annual event wherein the dancers of Divine Dance Institute showcase their talent as a tribute to their mentor Geeta Gurudas Banerjee. The institute was established by dancer Karan Kiran with the intention of propagating classical arts and promoting young talent across the country. The highlight of this festival was the participation of guest dancers like Sunil Sunkara (Mumbai), Sushant Ghosh (Kolkata), Vasundhara Sharma (Varanasi) and Aishwarya Kunte (Nashik). Sunil Sunkara impressed with his brief and sparkling Kathak performance and fine announcements, the poetic rendition by Sruti Vaidya as a tribute to Geetanjali was soul-stirring. Sushant Ghosh revealed his technical mastery in Kathak. Performances by Vasundara and Aishwarya were pleasing and striking.
The highlight of the evening was the dance-drama titled The Legend of Krishna. Commencing with the birth of Krishna amidst storm and rain, the blue stagecraft to symbolise the waves on the water created a fine impact. The visuals depicting Gokul, Vrindavan, Dwarkapuri and ultimately Kurukshetra helped to heighten the dramatic aspect, which had its climax in the Krishna-Arjuna scene of the Geetopadesam. The dancers were led by the dynamic Karan Kiran as Lord Krishna, with talented dancers making their mark as Radha and Rukmini. It was a colourful presentation by the team of Divine Dance Institute.