HYDERABAD: The dance institute Shankarananda Kalakshetra started by renowned danseuse, Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant, a Padmashri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, is organising a series of programmes called the Continuum Series - Future Presented, a cultural initiative that aims at promoting and showcasing young talent.The series will host an event once in every quarter. Each programme will showcase an hour each of a dedicated young artist in dance and music. Starting this June 2, the first of the series will present Carnatic vocalist Sowmya Sridhar, a disciple of the Hyderabad Sisters, and Bharatanatyam dancer, Krithika Varsha, a disciple of Dr Jayant.Speaking about the initiative, the fountainhead behind it all, Dr Jayant explains, “We’ve always conducted conferences and dance demonstrations. But there is a dirth of space and a platform for the next generation to perform on. That is what Continuum gives them.”Elaborating, she points out that while erstwhile there were many opportunities like government funding, public kacheris, schemes by the Sangeet Natak Akademi that support blooming artists, those opportunities do not exist anymore for the current and future artists.“There are many learners out there, but not many who continue with the art forms because they do not have the opportunities we enjoyed. This series will expose them to a professional audience that can give them positive feedback and constructive criticism and hopefully better opportunities that will encourage them to take their art further,” says Dr Jayant.The artists will be chosen based on their repertoire, though the most important criteria is the candidates promise to keep continuing in the art form. Though the initial participants are from the city, Dr Jayant says based on the response, they hope to expand to the rest of the State and further.“Another aspect of the series is exposing this young talent to a matured audience that might pick up one of them and mentor them. We need to give back and ensure that there is a professional breed artists from the country even in the future,” the danseuse opines.As the series progresses, the kind of art forms will also include more than just the traditional dance and music; there will be space for contemporary and other forms. The focus, Dr Jayant emphasises, is not the art form as such but the next generation.“I don’t want to restrict the kind of performances that will happen because that will be restricting the art form itself and that isn’t fair to an artist,” she expresses.The event which is open to all, is being hosted at Saptaparani and will commence at 6:30 pm. The Continuum series is presented by Shankarananda Kalakshetra in association with Saptaparni and Vijay Nirman Company Private Ltd.
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