Music and dance has always been an integral part of celebration of the Kashish International Queer Film Festival which was held at the Liberty Cinema. It was interesting to watch classical, folk, contemporary and modern dances and music being performed at the opening and closing ceremony of the tenth year of the festival.
One of the most impressive performers of the festival was Kathak exponent Ayan Banerjee from Kolkatta. Ayan was initially trained under Sundip Mullick and later has been priveleged to seek guidance from the renowned Saswati Sen, disciple of the veteran Kathak meastro Pandit Birju Maharaj. Ayan has performed for various festivals both in India and abroad and is also a performing artist of Anusree's Drutam Ideas Lab in Mumbai.
Ayan Banerjee is also a performer with a difference and believes in creative innovations, he describes his performance as "traditional art form with a contemporary presentation", that was relevant to "Swa-Agnae" (The Fire Within), poetic version rendered by Sudita Dhruva and Vikrant Pednekar, which was performed and appreciated by the packed audience. Incorporating the most important element of the "pancha-bhutas" - the fire. the fire that liberates, transforms and purifies the soul, was performed with stylized, complex and rhythmic movements that creates a fine spectacle and also a lasting impression on the spectators. The highlight of his performance is his complete involvement, his passion and command over the technique. A fine combination of both substance and structure.
The other performance that created a fine impact on the audience was the.the popular Lavni, performed by members of Anil Vasudevan's "Bin Baicha Tamasha:. Besides the Dancing Queens, playback singer Rekha Bardwaj thrilled the audience with some hit Bollywood numbers.