Dance Studio, with the aim of adding a brick to the almost non-existent Nepali dance scape. The studio specialises in Kathak dance, a classical dance form that originated in India; Kathak is a term derived from the Sanskrit Katha, which translates to telling a story. The duo’s goal was to popularise the narration of tales through dance, a task the organisation has taken to heart. “What we strive for is to present an art form that works as a confluence of dance and the fine arts, and one that gives ample room for storytelling and music,” says Namrata KC. Not long after the formation of Aesthetic Dance Studio, the duo ventured into hosting a dance workshop Kathakanksha that ran for a month at the Rastriya Nachghar in the Capital, and featured a total of 20 aspiring dancers and artists. Following that, the duo directed a musical Swan Lake collaborating with actor Najir Hussein. Aesthetic Dance Studio, still in its infancy, has now come up with another project this time a play, titled Jyanmaya which is currently being staged at the Mandala Theatre in the Capital. The play is a dramatisation of the peerless Sharu-Bhakta’s epic of the same name. Speaking about the conception of the play, KC, who directed the play, said, “Poetry has always fascinated me. We wanted to stage a drama and were mulling over the sources. Then one day, while we were discussing Jyanmaya in a coffee shop, Anup Baral approached us and said that this would be the apt source, which only fueled our excitement. We confirmed that Jyanmaya, which is a long tragic poem in verse about the rustic life in western Nepal, would be the one.” The team then went on to provide a month-long course that also involved rehearsal of the play featuring a dozen artists, dancers and non-dancers, who are featured in the play. Jyanmaya takes off with a series of deftly choreographed sequences which tickles the audience’s fancy and keeps them baited for what lies in store. A unique amalgam of poetry, music and dance, the play tells a simple story with the use of expression and a minimal use of dialogues. Whatever dialogue it uses, it derives from the epic poem itself.