As Shweta Prachande began a bharatanatyam piece to Shruthi Ravali Manda’s singing, it marked the beginning of a journey filled with a series of performances for the passengers of an MTC bus plying on the ‘5E’ route.
As part of the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, a group of performers from the city, with the aim of taking the performing arts to public spaces, put up dance, music, theatre and stand-up comedy on the bus going from Vadapalani to Besanat Nagar. “It is vital to take the performing arts to public spaces and for me, it was interesting to perform in a space where the audience is changing. Artistes should be ready to engage with the audience anywhere, irrespective of the performing space, and connect with them,” she said.
The bharatanatyam dancer performed three pieces on the moving bus, the songs for which were sung by Shruthi.
While the previous editions of such performances on a bus were largely centred around music, Vidhya Raghavan, a singer and one of the organisers, said that they decided to bring in other forms too.
As part of the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha, performances have been organised in railway stations in the past.
