Padatik Dance Centre plays a significant role in nurturing young talents in kathak under the training of Chetna Jalan and some other senior exponents. Restless in her own creativity, Jalan has made young dancers execute their innovative choreography based on kathak style. Ritusri Chowdhury, one of the budding choreographers of Padatik and a talented kathak dancer, presented her compositions at Padatik’s Buildwell Theatre on May 26. She began her recital with a number based on the Nazrulgeeti, Sakhi se Hari, portraying the emotion of abhisarika nayika convincingly. However, she needs to develop on the subtle expressions. Debasish Sarkar’s rendition of the song created the proper mood. It was followed by a number based on Tagore’s Je rate mor duarguli, juxtaposed with Aji jharer rate tomar abhisar, recited by the dancer herself. In traditional kathak costume, the dancer tried her best to reflect the inner emotions of the song and poetry. The percussion accompaniment in this number needs special mention. Jayanta Bannerjee’s musical arrangement was smart.

The concluding item of the evening was Vasna (desire), a group choreography, where modern body movements and interesting props were used. Sohini Ganguly’s short kathak recital based on teental was full of confidence and energy.