Bhubaneswar, Feb. 3: The US consulate general, Hyderabad, and Odisha Tourism are collaborating once again for a mega cultural event after the amazing response to three-dimensional chalk artist Tracy Lee Stum’s visit to the state .
Together they are set to host Fastest Feet in Rhythm, a dance group from the US, on February 8 at Rajarani temple in the city.
The unique event will bring together two dance forms — the Indian classical dance of Kathak and western tap dance.
Well-known artistes Pandit Chitresh Das and American tap dance star Jason Samuels Smith will perform a jugalbandi (friendly contest) of the two art forms during the event.
Fastest Feet in Rhythm is an award winning collaboration between the US-based Kathak master Das and contemporary tap dancer Smith.
The duo first met at the American Dance Festival in 2004, where they were both featured in a performance called Festival of the Feet. Since then, Fastest Feet in Rhythm has toured to over 30 US cities, throughout India and to Australia.
Fastest Feet in Rhythm was selected as the top dance performance of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle and was named among the top ten dance performances of the year by the Boston Globe in 2010.
“This performance features two artistes creating in the moment, cross-culture contemporary expression as much of the performance is based on improvisation between the dancers.
Smith’s dance and rap and Pandit Das’s traditional Kathak and innovative technique he created called Kathak Yoga both rely heavily on improvisation,” said Salil Kader, cultural affairs specialist, US Consulate General, Hyderabad.
Fastest Feet in Rhythm includes three contemporary Jazz musicians, including Theo Hill (Piano), Andrew Atkinson (Jazz drums) and Ryan Berg (Upright bass) all from New York and three Indian classical musicians, including Abhijit Banerjee (tabla), Debashis Sarkar (vocal) and Jayanta Banerjee (sitar).
“Smith is an Emmy Award winner while Pandit Chitresh Das had showcased his brilliance during a cultural festival last year in the city. When the duo come together on stage the viewers will experience unique magic,” said Ashok Tripathy, secretary, state tourism and culture.
