Battery dance charges up hyderabad city dance lovers

Hyderabad: The 'Battery Dance' by New York's Monsoon Raga Foundation enthralled the audience of the city. The company, in collaboration with Embassy of United States and SBI presented its critically acclaimed production SHAKTI: A Return to the Source, here at Shilpakala Vedika on Friday.

Sculptural duets are the centerpiece of the work, like temple friezes come to life. Music by the sonorous brothers Rajan & Sajan Mishra and their Raag Durga, wove its way into Jonathan Hollander's head in 1992 when he served as a lecturer at MS University in Vadodara and toured India with his dance company.

On the 40th anniversary of the Battery Dance, Hollander returned to the source and created a 30-minute work. The team toured the US and South Asia, revealing a level of sophisticated rhythms and choreographic invention that explained its widespread popularity.

India's own Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju was featured as a guest artist in SHAKTI. He has been engaged in the creative residency with Battery Dance in 2015-16, during the genesis of the choreography and toured along with the dance company ever since. He also presented his own choreography in the classical Bharatanatyam mode.

Lauded for her innovative dancing style, exemplary teaching approach and meticulous attention to the traditions and finer details of her art, Guru Swathi Gundapuneedi Atluri is highly revered as a Kuchipudi Artist. She was also featured as a guest artist presenting two incredible Kuchipudi solos as part of Battery Dance Hyderabad Performance night.