New Delhi: Shreshtha L’Artiste Ballet House presented the Rangapravesham (also known as Mancha Prabesha) of Ms Ann Afreen at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on March 30.
Rangapravesham or Mancha Prabesha or Arangetram is what a young classical dancer is always looking forward to. In other words, for a classical dancer, it is an important stage of her/his life. It marks the beginning of her/his career as a solo performer.
If Rangapravesham is a test, it is always a prestige issue for a young classical dancer to pass the test with flying colours, receiving stamping approval from gurus and rasikas.
And, honestly speaking, Ann Afreen ticked all the boxes of a professional performer. Discerning art connoisseurs who turned up in good number to witness young dancer Ann making her debut in the world of Odissi dance were seen glued to their seats all throughout the programme.
A disciple of late Prabhash Kumar Mohanty and Smt Pushpanjali Mohanty, Ann presented five items.
She commenced her presentation with a Mangalacharan ‘Bhaje Ramam’, set to raga Malika and tala Ektali. It was choreographed by her guru Guru Pushpanjali Mohanty, music composed by Guru Sukanta Kumar Kundu, rhythm composed by Prashanta Mangaraj.
Her next item was ‘Sthayee Nrutya’, a pure dance number based on raga Shankara Bharanam, tala Ektali. The choreographer of the item was Guru Debaprasad Das. She executed it with grace and confidence.
The following item was ‘Pallavi’, another pure dance number, based on raga Shankara Bharanam and tala Ektali and choreographed by Guru Debaprasad Das. Her presentation reminded art lovers of the sculpturesque poses carved on the temple walls in Odisha.
The piece-de-resistance of the recital was the penultimate item of the evening, an abhinaya based on Bha Champu ‘Sakhi Go- Ki Sobha Go Kunje’. While the item was choreographed by her guru Guru Pravash Kumar Mohanty, it was based on raga Desh and tala Triputa. Her lyrical body movements were a treat for both trained and untrained eyes.
She concluded her presentation with a ‘Moksh’, one of the finest choreographies of Guru Debaprasad Das based on raga Bhairavi and tala Ektali.
She was ably accompanied by an excellent team consisting of Prashant Kumar Mangaraj on the Pakhawaj, Sukanta Kumar Nayak on Vocal, Vidushi Pushpanjali Mohanty on the Manjira, Gopinath Swain on the Flute and Dhiraj Kumar Pandey on the Violin.
Ann started learning Odissi from Guru late Pravash Kumar Mohanty at the tender age of 8.
After completing her schooling from Carmel Convent School, one of the top schools in Delhi, Ann entered University of Delhi as an ECA Entrant with a sole reason of keeping her dance alive with her. With a Bachelors in Sociology, Ann ended becoming the Student of the Year 2020 who had won all across universities of Delhi and had been an active participant of art & cultural practices.
She was also the founder of Spic Macay JDMC Chapter and was the head of several societies including Film and Photography, Folk Dance, Indian Classical Dance, English Debate, Edtitorial etc.
Later on, Ann went on securing a seat for herself in M.A. Mass Communication, AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia. India’s top institution for Mass Communication.
She mastered her passion and art of being a Visual Artist and went on making several films inspired by her life. Her latest film being ‘Viral’, a 29-minute feature film.
While pursuing filmmaking, Ann kept on practicing as an Odissi Dancer and performed on several dance festivals such as Odissi International Dance Festival 2022, Delhi International Arts Festival 2022, Khajuraho Dance Festival, Khumbh Cultural Festival, Cultural Parade of Republic Day, Odisha Parba, Bal Kala Utsav, The Art of Living- World Cultural Festival, Culture Program of Parliament House etc.
