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Indian Embassy announces Kathak Show

The Indian Embassy in Berlin hosts an unforgettable dance night

June 19th, 2017
Alessia Salzano, News from Berlin
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The Indian presence in Germany is continuing to be intense. The Indian Embassy in Berlin is indeed hosting several dance nights to get the people closer to the Indian culture. The next is scheduled for the 22nd of June from 18:00 to 21:00 p.m.

One of these performances includes the participation of Bakti Deshpander, who was born in a family of artists and hence trained to move on the stage since a very young age. Playing with lights and costumes became a huge aspect of Bakti’s life. For that reason, she decided to take part in additional training with the major experts to enhance her abilities further.

For instance, she assisted Prof. Kamalakar Sontakke at the Afro Asian Games’ opening ceremony and celebrated with over 1500 dancers from across India when she was only 17 years old. Most recently, she worked as an assistant choreographer to Pt. Birju Maharajji for the filmfare award winning song ‘Mohe rang do lal’ from Baajirao Mastani & ‘Jagaave saari Raina’ from Dedh Ishqiya. She has also participated in the world-record-making performance of 1800 Kathak dancers at the World Cultural Festival of 2016.

Combining history with performance, the night at the Embassy in Berlin will cover the most significant stages of Kathak evolution, from its onset passing through all the hurdles of temple age, the Mughal courts, colonialization and modernization, yet standing tall and wholesome today. In fact, the public will have the chance to assist to Bakti’s energy and innovation, since her main purpose is to break the rules of the traditional Bathak approach in favor of a more dynamic one.

The event definitely constitutes a key date for those who wish to explore how cultural diplomacy is implemented, and it proves again that people from all backgrounds can improve mutual respect sharing their traditions in endless ways.

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News from Berlin