A four-day dance drama festival titled ‘Srishti-Meena Bazar Classical Dance Festival’ is set to kick off on the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Segun Bagicha in the capital today. Srishti Cultural Centre, a renowned dance school in the country, has organised the festival for the first time.

BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky will inaugurate the festival at the National Theatre Hall of BSA at 6pm today. Three dance-dramas and one play will be staged during the four-day festival. The festival will end on November 4.

After the inauguration, Rabindranath Tagore’s classic dance drama ‘Tasher Desh’ will be brought to the stage at the National Theatre Hall. Produced by Shadhona, Warda Rihab has directed the production.

‘Tasher Desh’ is one of the Tagore's most famous dance operas, a unique genre he developed that was influenced by Western opera. Tagore was inspired by Alice in Wonderland when he wrote Tasher Desh. It is a satirical portrayal of a society ruled by strict conventions and a veiled criticism of the British Raj. ‘Tasher Desh’ is also a celebration of the human capacity of exercising freewill.

Set in a seemingly naïve context, a heroic stereotype, embodied by a Prince, thirsts for adventure and the challenge of the unknown. He is flung into a land of childlike imagination. Here the rigid metaphor of the cards beautifully encapsulates the sterility of caste, class and regulation. And only the wild, unfettered chaotic nature of the Prince can demolish this arthritic rigidity and compel effective change.

The music of ‘Tasher Desh’ is a stylistic blend of Indian classical music ragas and Western opera unique to Tagore and known as Rabindra Sangeet. Tagore wrote the script and lyrics. He also composed the melodies of the songs and, in keeping with Indian tradition, musicians improvise round the songs during live performances. The lyrics are poetically penned and are rendered in a span of songs from the emotively soulful to spirited and uplifting. Tagore’s songs are the most established genres of Indian music apart from Indian film songs that have been influenced by Western music.

Where: BSA, Segun Bagicha

When: Inauguration: 6pm, today