9th Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance from today
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 09 2011:
With the performance of Sankritana and Maha Raas, Manipur Chief Minister OIbobi Singh will inaugurate the four day, 9th edition of the Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance 2011 at Kaina, a sacred site of Manipur Hindus, on Thursday.
The main performance of the festival will be held at the Shree Shree Govindajee Temple Complex at Kangla with the state Governor Gurbachan Jagat as Chief Guest on November 11 evening.
Well known artistes from across the country will be in the city to present their art and enrapture the spectators with their mastery on the classical dance forms.
Young and upcoming artistes from the State will share a common space with the masters during three evenings of thrilling experience.
The 2011 events feature thirteen well known dancers representing popular classical dance styles from outside the region, along with them six classical dancers from Manipur will perform various forms of classical dances during the festival which had been named after the king, Meidingu Chingthangkhomba also known as Rajarshi Bhagyachandra Maharajah (1759-1798 AD) who conceived the famous Raas Leela, the Manipuri classical dance which was introduced in 1797 A.D .
This national festival of classical dance had grown out of the desire to provide a platform where artistes from all over the country could present their best performances before an audience well versed in the arts and culture.
At the same time, it could provide an opportunity to generate emotional integrity with the rest of the country through art.
Within this framework, the Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance is designed as a celebration of the art of dance, interpreted as an integral part of the people of this land..
The festival was first held in 1989, under the aegis of the East Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata; North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur and the Department of Social Welfare, Art & Culture, Government of Manipur and is being organized every three years.