Nrityanchal stages Rai-Krishna Padabali on Saturday at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.— Snigdha Zaman

3-day dance fest postpones

The three-day dance festival titled Rabindra Nritya Utsab-2012 organised by leading cultural organisation Nrityanchal postponed due to unavoidable circumstances following its opening day programme on Saturday at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The scheduled Sunday and Monday programmes of the festival, organised to mark Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary and World Dance Day, was cancelled at the end of the opening ceremony.
The organisation chalked a day-long programme on Sunday at two venues- TSC at Dhaka University and Mukta Mancha of Suhrawardi Udyan- featuring Tagore’s creation based dance presentations to celebrate the World Dance Day that falls on April 29.
On Monday Sarswat Sangskritik Kendra form Kolkata was scheduled to present lyrical drama ‘Biswa Bina Robey’ at the Bangladesh National Museum auditorium.
‘It’s really disappointing that we had to postpone our long desired three-day programme due to malicious political situation and political clashes. We live in a country where nobody is here say in favour of the people,’ said, leading dancer Shiblee Muhammad, a director of Nrityanchal, at the end of the opening day programme at National Theatre Hall.
Earlier, ringing a nupur  Rabindra Bharati University professor Karuna Sindhu Das, who is also holder of ICCR’s Rabindra Chair, inaugurated the festival as chief guest.
Vice Chancellor of the Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, has been nominated as the first Tagore Chair at the Dhaka University
Professor Abu Sayeed Chowdhury unveiled Rabindra dance related book ‘Rabindra Gitinatya O Nrityakala,’ planned and edited by eminent researcher Muhammad Jahangir, who is also the coordinator of Nrityanchal.
Eminent poet Shiekh Hafizur Rahman spoke at the function and the programme was anchored by Muhammad Jahangir.
Subsequently, Nrittyanchal staged dance drama Rai-Krishna Padabali written by Sheikh Hafizur Rahman and directed by Sukallyan Bhattacharya.
Adapted from Tagore’s Bhanusingher Padavali, Sheikh Hafizur Rahman’s dance drama had been presented by the troupe members through spectacular solo, duet and group  dance recitals incorporated with some soul-stirring Tagore songs rendered by leading Indian and Bangladeshi singers like Haimanti Shukla, Rezwana Chowdhury Banya, Manmoy Bhattyacharya, Antara Chowdhury, Joyti Chakrabarty and Aghniv Bondhapadhaya.
The experimental production directed by Indian dancer-choreographer Sukallyan Bhattyacharya featured both live and recorded dance recitals with recorded music and narration.
Using innovative set and light design a dreamy ambience had been created to narrate legend Ratha’s eternal quest to meet lord Krishna. Mostly duet scenes between Ratha played by eminent dancer Shamim Ara Nipa and Krishna, performed by another leading dancer Shiblee Mohammad, had been presented through a projector that added a different flavour to audience.