An unusual compilation on Indian dance history & heritage

Team L&M

HABITAT WORLD opens October virtual events with Tracing Dance, a most unusual compilation on Indian dance history and heritage of India without a single moving dance image! Yes, can one imagine a dance film without actual dance? Dance is an art of motion but this film has static photos. With 500 photos, Master of Dance, Prof. Ashish Khokar, has created a story- board that shows our greats from past and present, in under 15 minutes! “To compress so much in so less a time is sheer command of the subject without sacrificing content. Nothing short of genius…” says India’s former ambassador to UNESCO, Chiranjiv Singh, himself a polyglot, ex-additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka and three-term president of Alliance Francaise, which has hosted over 50 Dance Discourses curated by Khokar from 2010 to 2020.

Based on rare photos, posters, art works of famed Mohan Khokar Dance Collection and Archives now donated to the nation @IGNCA, Khokar jr. takes art lovers on a journey that tells of mythological and historical roots of Indian dance. How it came from temple to courts and how from courts to the proscenium stage.

“Indian cultural scale and scape is vast. It has a 360 degree outlook to dance in harmony with nature (folk), with architecture (classical), with literature (traditional) and popular (films).” Notes academician par excellence Prof. Ashish Khokar, who has served the field for 40 years now, without returns or rewards. “My work is my award”.

Each frame is well thought of, layered with contextual thought. A historians’ mind, an archivists’ eyes and an academicians’ non- judgemental approach helps Prof Ashish Khokar creates this magnificent ouvre. Pithy descriptions help tell history in a very accessible manner.  Each line is a subject for PhD. Khokar, also an author of 45 published books and over 5,000 articles as critic and columnist, brings the sheer volume of solid work, to fore. Without a single rupee from govt or corporate India. What an achievement!

Seeing is believing: Watch HABITAT WORLD YOUTUBE channel. All of October for four films.

Tracing Dance on October 06
My Atthai (Rukmini Devi) on October 13
Bala Ma (Balasaraswati) on October 20
Mishran – Choreography on October 27