HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2017 in Mumbai: A vision on wheels

It was the perfect start to the evening — a setting sun, classical music and a Kathak performance on roller skates!Juhi Trivedi, 14, not only managed to keep her balance, she also managed to get the crowd cheering with her skills.

shreya.bhandary@hindustantimes.com

Juhi Trivedi performs kathak on skates at the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda 2017 at Cross Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT)

It was the perfect start to the evening — a setting sun, classical music and a Kathak performance on roller skates!

Juhi Trivedi, 14, not only managed to keep her balance, she also managed to get the crowd cheering with her skills.

“Who would have known that such a classical form of dance could be given such a twist? I was pleasantly surprised to see how young the performer was. We thoroughly enjoyed the show,” said Rajni Khandelwal, 47, an HR consultant from Mulund. “I wish the performance had been longer.”

The dance included swirls and continuous footwork, all on roller skates.

“Kathak is all about footwork and I was amazed to see the girl manage to do it all on the skates. I’m a Kathak dancer myself and I would never even attempt what the performer managed on stage today,’ said Akruti Panchal, 19, a college student from Matunga.

So great was the enthusiasm for the performance that a slip by the young dancer was greeted with cheers of encouraging applause. Every seat at the venue was taken and by the end of the performance, the audience cheered for more.

Thursday evening was dedicated to various dance forms and the crowds thronged Cross Maidan to engage with the Sony Live dance section of the HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

“The audience has been enjoying the whole mix of performances this time around at KGAF,” said section curator Anonna Guha. “While some performances are light and fun, others are thought-provoking. Overall, the aim is to leave the audience feeling recharged.

Guha was performing herself on Thursday evening — Anurati — a fusion of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Creative and Folk.

“I have performed at KGAF before so I’m really looking forward to going on stage again,” said Guha, speaking hours before her performance. “My partner in the performance, Sangita Sawant, will be performing at KGAF for the first time!”

READ MORE

HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai: Six touching stories enacted in an hour

HT Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai: Jai had to die or there would be no Sholay, says Sippy