Artists of Kudiya Tribe, Coorg. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The third edition of The Feet on Earth Festival being held in Hyderabad this weekend invites visitors to participate in a tree walk and storytelling session. The Baobab tree at the venue – Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet – is one of the oldest trees in the country and the festival will attempt to explain how the trees are linked to folk or mythological stories. Organized by dancer Poojita Krishna, the festival is on the theme of trees.
Since its inception, Pujita envisioned The Feet on Earth Festival as a cultural initiative promoting the connection between dance and form, the practitioner, and the earth. “The idea was to bring together art, culture, history and ecology.”
With a Master of Fine Arts degree with a specialization in dance from the University of California, Pujita honed her skills in the Indian classical forms Vilasini Natyam and Kuchipudi and the Western styles of modern, jazz and flamenco.
This year’s festival will feature dance performances by well-known and emerging artists. One of the main attractions will be Urati Kot Pat, an indigenous performance of the Kudiya tribe of Coorg, Karnataka. Hyderabad based Srividya Aneesh will present traditional dancers. Among the mainstream dance presentations, the festival will include Kathak by Aditi Bhagwat from Mumbai and Shilpatanam by Maya Kulkarni and Mesma Belsare from the United States.
The line-up includes contemporary expressions of Kuchipudi and other innovative features like Shalabhanjika Krida, inspired by a traditional game played when the Shaal trees were in full bloom; It will be an interactive performance with audience participation.
Hyderabad-based naturalist and researcher Kobita Das Kolli will lead the tree walk and the session will conclude with an experiential movement performance titled Radish by Kriti Stories. Bhaskar Rao Botcha’s Tree of Life painting will also be displayed at the venue.
Poojita Krishna
Pujita Krishna will have a 45-minute solo performance of dance, drama and dialogue, titled Vriksha Sakhi (Friend of the Tree), inspired by the concept of ‘Dohda’, which she describes as “the magical or mystical longing of a tree in particular Describes as. Which can be accomplished by the touch or presence of a beautiful woman.
It is believed that a woman’s embrace awakens the spirit of the tree, encouraging it to flourish. Poojita explains that this poetic imagery symbolizes the interconnectedness of nature and the divine feminine, where the woman’s touch acts as a catalyst for the tree’s growth, evoking themes of fertility, abundance, and nature’s response to love and beauty. Underlines.
Vriksha Sakhi will present theories about how in ancient lore, Yakshis were revered as supernatural female spirits associated with the essence of the forest, symbolizing both its beauty and its guardianship. “These adorable creatures are immortalized in temple murals, depicted as beautiful women attached to tree branches – known as Shalabhanjikas,” says Poojita. Such stories will be presented through a retelling of the Kannada folk tale, A Flowering Tree.
(Feet on Earth Festival will be held on January 18 and 19 at Hyderabad Public School from 5 pm onwards. Entry is free)
published – January 15, 2025 03:30 PM IST
