City dance academy celebrates 28 years of its foundation with a dance soiree

Eminent dance choreographer Sourav Chanda, the Nrital Chanda Dance Center, celebrated 28 years of the dance school with a grand cultural soiree titled Athashe - e - Athash, symbolising '28 on 28th.'

In a formal ceremony, Sujit Bose, minister-in-charge, Fire & Emergency Services, Government of West Bengal, inaugurated the annual event '28 on 28th,' in the presence of actress and danseuse Indrani Dutta, Malabika Sen, a renowned classical danseuse and actress, and Sonalee Chaudhuri, actress and danseuse. Noted dancer and choreographer Kohinoor Sen Barat and Bratati Chowdhury also graced the occasion.

The celebration featured a mosaic of dance recitals beautifully choreographed by Sourav Chanda. Speaking about the occasion, Sourav Chanda said, “It is a special day for me and my dance academy, Nrital Chanda Dance Center, as we enter our 28th year. The journey has been a profound learning experience with thousands of students over the years. We have captured the essence of life through diverse dance expressions and movements. We have also unveiled a new logo for the academy, symbolizing our pursuit of creative excellence, innovation, and art. Dance has transformed many lives in this academy, making this journey truly enriching. There is no age barrier when it comes to learning dance. I have students who have retired from service and then trained to express joy, abundance, and creativity. I aim to teach millions of students innovative dance forms and host numerous cultural events and transform their lives.”

The annual cultural event commenced with a dance recital by the students to the Rabindra Sangeet song Dhwanilo Ahobano Prabhato Ambaro Majhe. Students of Nrital Chanda Dance Center delivered mesmerizing performances to popular Hindi, Bengali modern songs, and Western songs, showcasing a variety of genres including contemporary style, classical dance, Bollywood style, and freestyle. The students used props like baskets, conical headgear topor kulo and hand fans in innovative ways during their folk song dance recitals. The evening's highlights were two dance dramas Debi Chaudhurani where actress Shonalee Chaudhuri captivated the audience with her portrayal of the main character through expressive dance movements, and Shri Chaitanya where she vividly depicted the emotion of abandonment when Shri Chaitanya left Vishnupriya grieving and embraced asceticism.On the same evening, 12 retired senior citizens learnt various dance genres under the guidance of choreographer Sourav Chanda. These female performers are above 65 years old and retired government service employees. The gala event concluded with a performance on A.R. Rahman's song Jai Ho celebrating national integrity.