“This time, we will focus on the costumes and the dance forms of Kathakali and Mohiniattam. Both these forms are not widely seen in Mumbai,” says Swapnaloka Dasgupta, head of programming at National Centre for the Performing Arts who is bracing for the sixth edition of the Nakshatra dance festival. Known for its wide spectrum of Classical dance performances, this year the festival will feature artistes such as CV Chandrashekhar, Mandakini Trivedi, Daksha Mashruwala and Vaibhav Arekar.

The costume of Narasimha  Pic courtesy/Shivani Gupta

The festival attracts a nexus of creative artistes and scholars in addition to the dancers. Dasgupta makes a case in point by mentioning the forthcoming visit of the BD Somani Institute of Art and Fashion Technology students for the Kathakali and Mohiniattam costumes exhibition. “Kathakali costumes are divided into five major types depending on the characters and are the end product of a journey going back 1,500 years. Wood, cloth, beads, gold foil and coloured stones are the raw materials from which they are crafted to give an effect of power and beauty,” says danseuse Mandakini Trivedi.