Tagore Dance-dramas and songs choreographed, produced and performed by me:

1. Shyama : Co-choreographed with Laila Hasan for Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA), 1972

2. Tasher Desh : Choreographed for BUET, 19743. Shyama : Choreographed for Chhayanaut, 19844. Mayar Khela : Choreographed for Chhayanaut, 19855. Chondalika : Produced for Shadhona, 1997, choreographed by Sharmila Banerjee6. ‘Nohi Debi Nohi Samannya Nari’: Based on Chitrangada, produced in 1986 and again in

2002 for Shadhona, choreographed by Sharmila Banerjee7. Bhanushingher Padabali: Produced for Shadhona, 2007, choreographed by Samina Hosain

Prema8. ‘Hey Ananta Punya’ : Based on Tagore’s ‘Notir Puja’, choreographed by Warda Rihab9. From 1972 – 1997 choreographed innumerable dances on Tagore’s lyrics, both individually and

also arranged thematically i.e. ‘Ritu-Rongo: Six Seasons’, ‘Borsha Mongal’, ‘Boshonto Utshob’, ‘Nataraj’, ‘Pujarini’, ‘Ogo shono ke bajaye ‘ (based on Tagore lyrics on the flute), etc.

Besides the above, I have performed the lead characters in almost all the dance-dramas of Tagore for the ‘Asramik Shongho’ of Visva-Bharati under the guidance of Purnima Ghosh. I have also performed as Radha in ‘Bhanushingher Padabali’ choreographed by Jitendra Singh under the guidance of Smt.Nilima Sen.

It has been my good fortune to perform under the guidance of Shailajaranjan Majumdar during his visit to Dhaka. I have also performed choreographies of Kelu Nayyar and Muralidharan Nair of Santiniketan, under their direct guidance.

Choreography of Tagorean Dances:

In the tradition promulgated during the early days of dance in Visva-Bharati, all dances choreographed, performed and produced by me have always been a fusion of styles with Manipuri as the main weave of the style. Though, Manipuri and Kathakali were mainly used during Tagore’s time, through the years we have incorporated movements from every style of dance including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohinyattam and Modern Creative Dance styles. I am led to believe that several movements used in Purnima Ghosh’s choreographies, later also used by me, were from Balinese dancing. Recently, a young choreographer we commissioned to direct ‘Notir Puja’, used Thangta (Manipuri Martial Dance) and Raibeshe (Bengali Martial Dance) and other folk forms of dance for her production.

Thoughts on Tagorean Dance:

Robindronritto Dhara, as we have come to recognize the style of dance promulgated in Santiniketan, is the Poet Laureates most dynamic legacy. It is a contemporary and innovative style which leaves much room for creativity. However, high standard of proficiency and knowledge of all the styles being used is essential to avoid inept creations. There is also a need to be sensitive to Tagore’s own aesthetics to be true to his oeuvre.