An Evening of Indian Classical Music and Dance

It was a marriage of South Indian classical music with North Indian dance of Kathak at the auditorium of The National Department For Culture And Arts in Ipoh on March 13.

Backed by Pandavas Fusion Band, led by sitarist Kalai, Nitin P. Shirale from Maharashtra, India, was a fascinating storyteller through his dance movements, particularly his bell-laden ankles.

As most of us were new to Kathak, Nitin took the trouble to explain to us each story before his dance, to enable us to better grasp the story line. I was really appreciative of that!

Nitin also brought along three of his dance students to perform, which they did gracefully.

Earlier, Pandavas Fusion Band entertained the audience with a mixture of classical Indian and contemporary music.

Besides playing popular tracks that have been improvised and Kalai’s original compositions, the band also accepted song requests from the audience.

The 1.5-hour long show was a rare opportunity for Ipoh folk who hardly have access to classical Indian music and dance of such world standard.

The evening’s show was jointly presented by the Greentown Indian Cultural Society, Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose, High Commission of India (Kuala Lumpur), Majlis Kebudayaan Negeri Perak and Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara Perak.

Event: An Evening of Indian Classical Music and Dance
Venue: Auditorium Jabatan Kebudayaan Dan Kesenian Negara Perak, Ipoh
Date: 13th March, 2016
Time: 8pm

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