New Delhi, Jul 17 (IANS): Maharashtra's folk music and Lavani dance form will be under the spotlight at a two-day festival of Indian classical music at the India Habitat Centre (IHC) here from Saturday.

The 11th edition of IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan, which focuses on bringing back into public memory performance arts fast vanishing from modern lifestyle spaces, involves an expert talk and a theatrical production.

On the first day, sociology professor Urmila Bhirdikar will deliver a talk on "The Emergence of Folk through Classicisation of Music: The Case of Lavani and Other Genres in Maharashtra".

Using archival recordings and images, it will seek to provide an informed narrative on the making of early modern theatre, the gramophone industry and the new trends in the theory and pedagogy of music in the Marathi region.

For the second day, 'Sangeet Bari', an interactive theatrical presentation on Lavani, a traditional form of dance and music from Maharashtra with a rich heritage of several centuries, is scheduled.

The show will combine narratives of the Lavani woman, the musicians, the customer and the narrator, and includes live performances of old traditional Lavani, which are either unknown or forgotten.

The 90-minute Hindi-Marathi show is written by Bhushan Korgaonkar and directed by Savitri Medhatul.

"Although Lavani is gaining popularity since last few years, its portrayal in popular media is limited to being just a traditional item number. The rich heritage of Lavani is slowly dying and will soon be completely forgotten," a statement by IHC said.

Entry to both programmes is free.