On 27th November 2021, New Acropolis Culture Circle organised an event titled, Dance and Beyond by Bharatnatyam dancer Nehha Bhatnagar. Nehha is a disciple of Padma Bhushan Dr. Saroja Vaidyanthan, under whose tutelage she learnt dance as a way of life.
Starting the session with a rendition of a Meera Bhajan composed by her teacher, the audience witnessed the beauty of Bharatanatyam, one of the oldest classical dance forms of India, through its devotional component, expression of human emotions, and stylized storytelling. Nehha also used the opportunity to explain concepts in this art form such as the distinction between nritta, or technical dance, the form; nritya, or expressional dance, using facial expressions, highly stylized gestures, postures and natya or dramatic storytelling.
Nehha believes culture has the power to change the world and founded the Sarvam Foundation in 2012 to empower young girls from challenging backgrounds, through dance and yoga. The audience was treated to a performance by the girls of Sarvam Shakti, streamed live from their centre in Gurgaon. Nehha is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, she has performed widely in India and the world. She is a TEDx Curator and has also been a speaker at a few TEDx conferences and joined the audience from her home in Brisbane, Australia.
Image Courtesy : Nehha Bhatnagar
