Festival of Chhau dances kicks off
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 29, 2014: Under the auspices of Sangeet Natak Akademi, National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, a three-day long Chhau Parva, a Festival of Chhau dances has kick started from today at Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy here.

Inaugurating the festival as Chief Guest, Governor of Manipur V..KDuggal observed that the Sangeet Natak Akaademi is not only a good platform for art and music lovers, but it is also a venture to protect and safeguard the old and traditional dances like the Chhau dances from extinction.

Sangeet Natak Akademi is India's national academy for music, dance and drama, which is the first national academy set up by the Republic of India in 1952.Since its inception, the Akademi has been functioning as an apex body in the field of performing arts in the country, preserving and promoting the vast intangible heritage of India's diverse culture expressed in forms of music, dance and drama.

As a major part of its objective, the Akademi collaborates with the governments and art academicians of different states and Union Territories of the country and also with cultural institutions.

The Akademi carries a part of the responsibility of the state for fostering cultural contacts between various regions in India, and between India and the world.

It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is fully funded by the government for implementation of its schemes and programmes, he explained.

The Governor informed that as part of the three-day visit of the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari to Imphal on April 2, the VVIP would visit the JN Dance Academy on the occasion of its Diamond Jubilee celebration on April 3.The Vice President may also lay the foundation stone of the 241 m long highest railway bridge to be constructed for the Jiribam Tupul railway line during his visit.

Leela Samson, chairman; Shanta Serbjeet Singh, vice-chairman and Helen Acharya, secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi were also present during the inaugural function of the festival.

On the first day of the festival, different types of Chhau dances were performed by various groups.

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