Moving Stories

The celebration of 60 years of Indo-German diplomatic relations has been given the title,’Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities’. What this package carries within it is a smörgåsbord of cultural events and interactions. The latest installment in this series in the city is the three-day ‘Prayatna Film and Dance Festival’,to be held from April 27 to April 29. Planned in dedication to the International Day of Dance (April 29),the event combines the ideas and efforts of Pune-based Max Mueller Bhavan,the National Film Archive of India Pune (NFAI),Alliance Francaise de Pune,and Hrishikesh’s Centre of Contemporary Dance. The events will take place at the NFAI and Max Mueller Bhavan.

The three days will be an indulgent celebration of dance. There will be performances that will present a melange of contemporary as well as classical Indian styles. Then there will be movies that will extend the visual spectacle of dance. The critically-acclaimed documentary,Breaking Boundaries ,by theatre director,screen-writer and documentary film-maker Sunil Shanbag,on contemporary dance doyen Astad Deboo and his work with street kids from New Delhi’s Salaam Baalak Trust,will be the highlight of the film schedule. Deboo will also perform at the NFAI on the inauguration day. Other screenings will feature Nirvana Through Dance ,a documentary on kathak exponent from Jaipur,Durga Lal,made by his Mubai-based disciple,Uma Dogra; and Bhavantarana ,a 1991 documentary by director Kumar Shahani.

The German films,Folkwang Meets Africa and Invitation to Dance ,will be part of the repertoire,along with French films,Blanche Neige (Snow White) and The Golden Age of Broadway and Hollywood . “We have taken this opportunity to introduce a very German tradition to India – ‘Dance into May’. As part of the German tradition,we dance around a decorated wooden may-pole to welcome the pleasant spring season. As the International Day of Dance coincides with the end of April,we thought of this as a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our traditions and celebrate dance,” said Michael Flucht,director,Max Mueller Bhavan.

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Dancers Soo Hee Cho,Amira Patankar,Gauri Kunte,Rujuta Kulkarni,Sujaya Ghosh,and Yogini Gandhi’s troupe will be the participating performers over the three days. Pune-based dancer Hrishikesh Pawar’s dance group will perform at Max Mueller Bhavan,on April 29.

(The festival will be inaugurated on April 27,at 6 pm at the National Film Archives of India (Jaykar Bungalow). Entry for the screenings as well as the open air performances is free and on first-come-first-serve basis)