’75 years of the legend Chitra Visweswaran’; this is the theme which students of this famed Bharatanatyam dancer-teacher and her well-wishers are ready to present this week and in mid-October.
The two events celebrate the fascinating life and work of this Alwarpet-based dancer-teacher who founded in 1975, along with her husband, R. Visweswaran, the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA).
An exhibition themed ‘What Anchored Me, Let Me Fly’ opens on Saturday, September 20 (at 5 p.m.) at Alliance Française, Nungambakkam. ( The exhibition will continue till Sept.28, day-long).
The show, uses archival pictures to focus on Chitra’s early years as a gifted student to her collaborations with her husband, her vision for a dance academy in Chennai, and her lifelong pursuit of research and teaching, besides recitals and productions.
Later, on October 12 evening, Chitra will present her milestone dance production ‘Panchali’ at Kalakshetra, Thiruvanmiyur.
‘Panchali’ is billed as ‘a magnum opus dance-theatre production’ inspired by Subramania Bharati’s ‘Panchali Sabadam’. Through a blend of classical Indian dance and theatre, it captures the fateful dice game between the Pandavas and Kauravas, a turning point in the Mahabharata that reshaped kingdoms and generations.
