Nupur: Nurturing talents

Shamim Ara Nipa , Minu Billah and Shibly Mohammad (top) young artistes performing at the show

"I have been taking dance lessons since childhood, long before I ventured into modeling and acting," said a smiling Aupee, sipping ice-cold lemonade at a gala reception accorded to Motiur Rahman the editor of Prothom Alo at the Ballroom of the Sonargaon Hotel, recently. It was Shibly and Nipa's idea that I perform at their programme Nupur. The dancing duo are back again with an innovative dance programme, featuring the talented child performers not only from Dhaka but other districts as well."

Around the corner, Shibly and Nipa were exchanging notes with Kumar Biswajit, Shakila Zafar, Nobel, Kanak Champa, Afzal and other prominent cultural personalities of the country. It was an opportune moment to chat with them.

"So, what inspired you to plan a TV show exclusively on dance?" I asked. An enthusiastic Nipa responded, "In the year 2002, under the banner of the dance organisation Nrittyanchal, headed by Md Jahangir and sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank, Shibly and I took up the challenge of spotting talented dancers. The competition gave us a head start by filtering some 400 upcoming artistes of the country."

Added Shibly, "It was intense no doubt, but our target was to screen the very best child performers and give them a platform. In the process we hope to invigorate our listless cultural scenario. The performers, once mature, would be able to represent our country with confidence and dignity. In keeping with our promise, our programme Nupur telecast on ntv, every Tuesday at 9 pm is designed to promote these budding talents."

Nipa continued the conversation, "From each region, a committee comprising veteran dancers and other noted cultural personalities helped the selection process, drawing in droves of talent. This was also an opportune moment to express gratitude to the dedicated teachers at the district levels who have pulled out all the stops to keep the wheels of our culture rolling."

Nipa has a word of praise for the emerging talents. As she says, "We were amazed to see the latent talent particularly among the young male dancers practicing folk-dance at the district level. Although the practice of classical dance is not up to the mark, their aesthetic and costume sense is praiseworthy."

"To generate interest among our viewers and to share the positive aspects of the art form amongst the young generation we often invite proficient dancers, directors, choreographers and even musicians, who talk about their association with dance. We seek suggestions on improving the art form as well. Among them were Zeenat Barkatullah, Aupee Karim, Ishita, Anjana, Bijori Barkatullah and others who have moved to modeling, fashion, films and drama and continue to enthrall the audience. Eminent artist Mustafa Monwar, who had earlier directed several dance programmes and had advised us on the light and costumes, spoke from his experience in one of the programmes. Eminent cultural personality Kamal Lohani talked to the child artistes about his dancing days. The kids were agog to hear that he would often portray the role of a bhoot in Nakshikanthar Matth," elaborated Shibly.

Plans are also afoot to present the colourful traditional dances of the indigenous people: the Rakhaines, Santals and the Chakmas, among others, said Shibly.

In a country starved for cultural performances, local cultural shows by the up coming artists can be a massive crowd puller both on private channels and package-programmes sold overseas to the expatriate communities. By featuring aspiring dancers from all over the country, we can create a talent pool to further enrich our cultural arena both at national and international levels.