The Manipuri dance recital in progress. Picture by Prem Singh

New Delhi, Oct. 19: Residents of Delhi were mesmerised by the majestic Manipuri dance recital yesterday.

The occasion was Ananya, a festival of Indian dances that selected only five dances from different regions of the country including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Chau and Kuchipudi.

Organised at the picturesque Purana Qila, the recital began with an invocation to Goddess Usha followed by the Agni Manthan, in which Agni is offered obeisance as the remover of evil and shown in relation to earth, water and sky.

The Vedic and Manipuri traditions were brought together through contemporary choreography, using the male dance forms, especially Thang Ta, a martial art.

?The idea was to blend tradition with modernity,? explained festival director Sanjeev Bhargav, adding, ?Manipuri offers a brilliant scope to show a dance with innovative aspects.?

He said that certain body movements, drum beats and Sanskrit hymns were incorporated into the dance to make it attractive and to captivate the audience.

The performance, which lasted slightly over an hour in a dimly lit ambience, saw the troupe converging at the centre of the stage and dispersing at regular intervals with different formations that kept the audience spellbound till the end of the show in the evening.

Against the backdrop of a circle set on fire, artistes also presented mock fights with swords and spears as part of the programme.

Dance is considered a form of worship and holds an extremely revered and sacrosanct status in Manipuri culture. Manipuri dance is believed to be a divine creation.

According to texts dating back to 33 AD, when the supreme god Lai Guru Sidaba created the earth, seven gods and seven goddesses were given form.

These heavenly beings levelled the uneven surfaces of the earth with their celestial dance which is regarded to be the seminal form of what is now called Manipuri dance.

The programme is an annual event presented by Seher and sponsored by the ministry of tourism and the Delhi government. It was supported by the culture ministry and Food Corporation of India.

Explaining the rationale behind the selection of Manipuri in the festival, Bhargava said the dance offered ?good choreography?.

However, he lamented that it has yet to receive the recognition it deserves like Bharatanatyam and Kathak. ?It was our duty to present and highlight dances about which very little is known,? he said.