Even the lockdown could not put down the spirit of these wonderful performers as they celebrate the vibrant art called dance

We are in different, difficult and unaccustomed times. It would have been the norm to celebrate International Dance Day with performances and seminars and the entire day would have been exciting and invigorating for not just us artists and teachers but also to students.

This year, in the changed circumstances, we are celebrating from home, connecting with our creative friends and colleagues, indulging ourselves in creative work while rededicating ourselves to the cause of art of dance.

All this with an earnest prayer that we should all come out of the present critical times safe and healthy as also a fervent hope that art and culture should not be relegated to the background in the face of changing economy.

Music and dance would be the best way to energise people and bring them out of helplessness and despair during and after the lockdown. In these critical and testing times, we need to draw strength from our rich and healthy cultural heritage.

- Alekhya Punjala, Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer

We are doing a 5-day Instagram live event on @natyarambha at 7pm IST called #WithMe with senior dance gurus, like Kiran Subramanyam, Geeta Chandran, Anita Ratnam.

Yesterday was Anupama Kylash and today is Ramaa Bharadvaj, with themes like laya, abhinaya, movement etc. I have always believed that each day is for dance! And I would think we artists, are really lucky to have that art, in this difficult times.

Passion gives us great reservoirs of strength. And that is what we need to look for and find now. This International Dance Day it's about finding the intangible mental and spiritual strengths that dance can give us.

-Ananda Shankar Jayant, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer

My institute Natya Tarangini Raja Radha Reddy Performing Arts Center, Hyderabad, is organising a 3-day Webinar curated by Yamini Reddy at 5-6 pm on April 27, 28 and 29.

Every year I do this series to celebrate the International Dance Day so that more and more people can enjoy workshop and discussions on several topics surrounding it.

This year due to the lockdown, I am doing this as a webinar online, which is a new challenge for me.

- Yamini Reddy, Kuchipudi dancer

This Lockdown period may be a good time for dancers to read up on the theory of the dance form they practice, and work on understanding the nuances of texts and literature.

- Anupama Kylash, Kuchipudi and Vilasini Natyam exponent

I am connecting with my students online. Today we are going to come up with an adaption of mythological presentation of killing of Bandasura by goddess Lalita.

One such asura of Kaliyuga is Coronavirus and to protect and garner courage to conquer it we pray to goddess Lalita.

This visual depicts the invocation of Lalita Sahasranamam to fight this war against Covid-19.

- Rajeswari Sainath, Bharatanatyam dancer