Warda Rihab
Dancer & Choreographer

 
 
Photo: Mumit M.

The dance form Manipuri, is now quite popular among urban Bangladeshis. The dance form is ritually practiced by the Manipuri community in India (Manipur state) and Bangladesh (Sylhet region). Rabindranath Tagore popularised this dance form among urban Bengalis. The form developed its own regulations and nuances. It originated as a religious dance form and the experience of it remains spiritual. Like other dance forms, Manipuri, too, narrates stories -- traditionally focusing on Radha and Krishna. The “Ras Lila” is often the central theme. The dance is accompanied by cymbals (kartal or manjira), double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridang) and sankirtan.

Among contemporary Bangladeshi dancers who have studied this dance style, Warda Rihab has carved a niche for herself. Her initial training started at Chhayanaut. Rihab trained under seasoned Manipuri dancers Sharmila Bandyopadhyay, Tamanna Rahman and Belayet Hossain. After completing her BBA and MBA from Dhaka University, she attained a scholarship from ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) in 2006 and went to Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata to do her honours in Manipuri dance. She has been training under Smt. Kalavati Devi and Smt. Bimbavati Devi at Manipuri Nartanalay, Kolkata. Besides her extensive training in dancing, she has also taken lessons in pung and Than Ta (Manipuri martial art) from Ojha Ranjeet and Ojha Thoiba Singh.

Rihab's talents have been recognised by the numerous awards she has been showered with. These include Guru Moisnam Amubi Singh Award, Shikriti Shommanona Award (conferred by Bangladesh Mohila Parishad), Sangeet Bibhakar Award and many more.

After her production, “Hey Ananta Punya” (an adaptation of Tagore's “Notir Puja”), Rihab has been working on the dance-drama, “Bodhidrom” under Shadhona's banner. She plans to introduce Charya Nritya through the dance-drama. Charya Nritya is an ancient Buddhist dance form that has been virtually unknown outside the circles of those who perform it. This ceremonial dance dates back over 1000 years. Priests in Kathmandu perform the dance as part of their esoteric meditation practices, ceremonies, and rituals.

It has now become a trend for dancers to set up their own schools, and Rihab is no exception. “I have started a dance school along with two other gifted dancers, Amit Chowdhury and Arpita Shome. We decided to call the school 'Dhriti'. With our expertise in different dance forms, we are eager to train young, aspiring dancers. However, our intention is not to just teach, but rather to work with young dancers, and to encourage them to take dance seriously,” Rihab says.

“Many feel that dedication to dance will lead to no significant achievement. I consider this state of mind as a social issue in Bangladesh. I've been overseas, and I have seen how it works. Interested individuals abroad get a chance to carry out researches and open doors to further enhancements, while we lack behind due to restraints. Based on this, people make assumptions that there is no future for dance, and we end up shutting the door to our emerging talents. We want to change this mindset,” she adds.

Other than working on “Bodhidrom”, Warda Rihab has plans to perform “Hey Ananta Punya” once again for expatriates living in Bangladesh, as a greater audience has appreciated it, both at home and in Kolkata, the Uday Shankar Festival being one of them.

Her performance in the Shadhona production “Tasher Desh” (a popular dance-drama composed by Tagore), staged last year, was also lauded. The production presented a fusion of diverse dance forms including Manipuri, Chhau and Western Contemporary. Directed by Rihab, the production was jointly choreographed by her and Rachel Krische (UK).

Compiled by Star A&E Correspondent

Arpita Shome
Dancer & Teacher

Arpita Shome is a dedicated dancer and teacher. She started her dance lessons at the age of five. Her culturally inclined parents inspired her to learn the performing art.

Abdus Sattar Kalu, a teacher at Rajbari Shilpakala Academy was her first mentor in dance. In 2003, Arpita received an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship to study at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, where she completed her graduation and post-graduation in Bharatanatyam (in 2006 and 2008 respectively) under the supervision of Khagendranath Burman and Rajdeep Banerjee.

“I secured first class in my B.Mus (honours) with the highest marks in the Bharatanatyam category. During my stay at Rabindra Bharati, I performed in Madhya Pradesh, Kanpur, IIC (Institute of International Culture) Bhaban in Delhi and other parts of India,” said Arpita.

Arpita joined Kalpataru, a dance school run by the cultural organisation Shadhona, as a teacher in late 2008. She also joined Chhayanaut, the leading cultural institution in the country, as a dance teacher in 2009. In late 2009, along with fellow dancers Warda Rihab and Amit Chowdhury, she formed a dance school called Dhriti.

“Shadhona arranged several workshops on dance forms like jazz, aerial, Chhau, Raibeshey etc that were unfamiliar to us. My background in Indian classical dance, combined with experience acquired through these workshops has emboldened me to consider innovative choreographies or even blending different forms. Such experiments are really interesting,” the dancer said.

Last year, Arpita conducted a 10-day workshop on Bharatanatyam at Nazrul Academy. About 40 participants took part in the workshop.

She was appointed as a lecturer at the department of Dance at Shanto Mariam University of Creative Technology in January 2011. She also worked as a guest teacher at the department of Theatre, University of Dhaka (DU), where she choreographed a DU production, “Madhyam Byayog”.

Dancers (South Asian) believe that they can convey emotions belonging to nine sentiments (popularly called “navras”) more effectively through expressions rather than verbal communication. The nine sentiments are: love, mirth, pity or tenderness, anger or wrath, heroism, terror or fear, astonishment or surprise, tranquillity or peace and disgust.

“Every performer -- actor, dancer, musician or mime -- should be able to convey these sentiments,” said the artiste.

“Dance speaks a universal language. Dancers, therefore, have to face more challenges in expressing themselves. Not only facial expressions but also a balanced corporal expertise is required to convey a thought or to depict imagery, whereas lyricists, composers, instrumentalists and music directors assist a singer in fashioning their art form. But we are still less appreciated compared to musicians,” said Arpita.

“I regard dancing as an inseparable part of my life. It is like my everyday prayer. What I'd like to do is to take classical dance forward in our country. I look forward to working on Tagore's dance-drama 'Shyama'. Besides, I have a plan to portray the Pot-chitra (craft) of Bangladesh through my dance in the days ahead,” said Arpita.

“While appearing on various TV channels, many models claim that they are/were dancers. However, a question mark hangs over their true calibres. Real dancers should protest against such fake claims. People watch live musical programmes on TV channels but we seldom see such programmes on dance. We want to see dance performances by skilled artistes so that the performing art can flourish and inspire the young dancers of the country,” Arpita said.

Compiled by Star A&E Correspondent