A blend of dance, music and storytelling. That is what ‘Akhilam Madhuram’ promises you. Presented by Alapadma Arts, a cultural initiative, it features Parvathi Akhilesh, Annapoorna Pradeep and Janaki Hari, showcasing Bharatanatyam, music and storytelling respectively.

“Not all may be able to connect with a traditional dance form like Bharatanatyam. Some of them may find it difficult to understand what the artiste is trying to convey. We thought the easiest way to make it work would be to bring in storytelling, since we wanted children also to be part of this experience,” says Malini Mahesh, founder of Alapadma who conceptualised ‘Akhilam Madhuram’.

Since Vishu is a few days away, the production will feature significant episodes from the life of Lord Krishna, who is worshipped on the festival day.

The trio has taken well-known stories about Him, starting with the growing up years at Gokulam, the mischiefs and pranks, leading up to his role as the Supreme God.

The transition between story and dance was not smooth initially, says Parvathi. “Bharatanatyam and music go together. We had to bring storytelling into that and it took some time for us to figure out how to seamlessly blend the three,” she says.

Janaki says that the production has elements from different tales on Krishna but will ultimately be presented as a single story. “We start with a story and it will slowly move on to dance and this will continue. Since we have taken familiar stories about Krishna, it will be easy for the audience to interpret,” she says.

‘Akhilam Madhuram’ will be staged at Bharat Bhavan on April 12 at 10.30am. For tickets, contact 8861099016