A five-day festival on Indian classical dance forms would be held in Chennai from February 25 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Kalakshetra founder Rukmini Devi.

The event, ‘Remembering Rukmini Devi’, to be organised by the Kalakshetra Foundation, would have performances in seven different classical dance forms from across the country.

The programme includes Bharatanaytam performances by Ananda Shankar Jayant, Srinidhi Chidambaram and Geeta Chandran, a Nangiar Koothu performance by Kapila Venu, a Mohiniattam by Pallavi Krishnan, a Kathak dance by Parwati Dutta, an Odissi performance by Sharmila Biswas and a Kathakali dance of Sita Swayamvaram by Sadanam Bhasi.

The festival this year has even greater significance as it would be held as part of the 75th year celebrations of the founding of the institution.

“The year 2012 being a leap year, it provides an opportunity to celebrate Ms Rukmini Devi’s actual birthday as she was born on February 29, 1904,” says Kalakshetra.

“In this 75th year since our founding, we felt it would be most appropriate to capture Rukmini Devi’s span of interest and appreciation for art and culture through a programme that was as varied, diverse and rich as possible.”

On Rukmni’s birth anniversary and final day of the festival on February 29, there would be a Bharatanatyam choreography on the Kalakshetra founder by the dance duo of M V Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi.