Mangalore, June 21, 2013: Two contrasting set of dancers are scheduled to perform in the city this weekend; but, both performances pay tribute to the ethos of a three-decade-old dance school.

The 30^th anniversary celebrations of the Sanathana Natyalaya, a dance school in the city, will feature a one-hour Bharatanatyam performance – that catalogues tales of Hindu mythology – by Alexandra Szoke, a Hungarian and social anthropologist.

It was only 15 months ago on a study trip to the coast, that she contacted the school for classes.

“In just one-and-a-half years, she has done what takes people five to six years to do,” said Srilatha Naik, a dance teacher at the school. Having asked for a performance before she leaves the country on June-end, the school responded positively by handing over a performance on Saturday at 6 p.m. on the dance school premises in Shree Devi College, Ballalbagh. This will be Ms. Szoke’s first performance in the dance medium.

Meanwhile, Sanathana Natyalaya will organize dance performances by three students — Raksha Bhaskar, Chaithra S. and Anjana T.V., all with more than seven years of Bharatanatyam training at the dance school — at the Town Hall starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The event, which is the sixth such dance performance marking three decades, will be presided by former president of the Karnataka Sahitya Parishat Harikrishna Punaroor.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, dance guru Sharadamuni Shekar said 20 children, who learn Bharatanatyam at the dance school, will also perform.