Developing an art form

Dr Mahua Mukherjee, a specialist in Gaudio Nritya, had come to Dhaka from Kolkata and recently held workshops to develop this dance form. ‘Gaudio form, has come from the very root of Bengal,' she exclaimed. 'The various sections of classical dance forms, including Angika and Dialogue, which refer to the movements of the limbs and expressions of conversations, have been emphasised in Gaudio as well.'

Dr. Mukherjee has been teaching Genetics in Kolkata for the last 11 years. 'I have also specialised in this particular dance form,' she said. 'Last November, Shibli and Neepa had come to Kolkata to learn and explore new dance forms. They were clearly fascinated when they saw a few of my classes. That's when they decided to hold these workshops in Dhaka and asked me to conduct them. Since I am on vacation now, I thought I could use the time to work here in Dhaka.'

Speaking about the workshops, Dr Mukherjee exclaimed, 'It is simply overwhelming to have dancers from all over the country practising this art form. There are around 145 participants ranging from 10 -35 years and all of them are very dedicated,' she says. 'They have been here for the last 10 days, practising every day from 10 in the morning to 10 in the night, which is very heartening.'