New Delhi: In a showcase that cuts across religious and geographical divides, dancers will showcase their talent in a three-day international festival between August 2 and 4.
The festival, which will be presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at the Kamani Auditorium, will host dancers from Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Russia, Germany, China and Mauritius.
It will open with a ‘Sutra Dance' recital by Ramli Ebrahim's troupe from Malaysia and close with a unique short composite group performance by seven solo dancers choreographed by noted Indian kathak dancer Saswati Sen, a communique issued by ICCR said.
ICCR president Karan Singh will inaugurate the festival August 2.
"The 2010 edition of the festival will be unlike last year when we invited classical dancers of foreign origin based in India to perform. This year, the dancers are from across the globe. Indian classical dance forms, especially bharatnatyam, is popular abroad. Practitioners worldwide are experimenting with interesting fusions of Indian and western dance genres," said ICCR director general Suresh Goel.
Malaysian dancer and choreographer Ramli Ibrahim, who will open the festival, is a Muslim. Feted globally, he is an exponent of bharatnatyam and odissi. As a young cadet at the Royal Military College in Malaysia, Ramli won a scholarship in engineering.
South African dancer Nhlanhla Vincent Zwane, who will perform August 3, is hailed as one of the finest exponents of fusion bharatnatyam, Zulu and Afro dance.
Irina Strakhovenko, who will perform August 3, is the first "Kuchipudi dancer, teacher and choreographer in Russia".
Zhang Jhingui from China, christened Shanu by her Indian dance teacher, was one of the first Chinese women to learn Indian classical dance. She has been teaching contemporary Indian dance to Chinese youth for the last 20 years.
She will present a kathak recital on August 4.
