Bhubaneswar: The International Odissi Dance Festival, jointly organised by the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, continued to captivate audiences on its second evening at Rabindra Mandap, with a series of evocative performances celebrating the classical dance form.
The five-day festival, which commenced on December 26, will conclude on December 30. The highlight of the evening was a spellbinding Odissi recital by eminent dancer Nandini Ghosal, whose presentation of excerpts from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda left the audience enthralled. Through her refined abhinaya, expressive hasta mudras and graceful movements, she vividly portrayed the intense emotions of Shree Radha. Her nuanced depiction of Krishna, Radha and Chandravali drew prolonged applause from art lovers and connoisseurs.
The programme opened with a group presentation of Mangalacharan – “Gurubrahma, Guruvishnu, Gurudevo Maheshwara” by artistes of the Adrita Dance Group. This was followed by solo abhinaya “Srita Kamala Kucha Mandala” by Sudiksha Panda, “Kirabani Pallavi” by Sai Smruti, and “Shankarabharana Pallavi” presented as a duet by Rashmita Maharana and Sabitri Mohapatra. Other notable performances included “Navadurga” by Gayatri Sethi, “Jaya Jaya Jagannatha Nilagiripati” by Pritimayee Bas and Barsha Das, “Durga Tandava” by Deepika Priyadarshini, and “Dashavatara” by the artistes of Nrutyayan.
During the afternoon session, artistes of Nehru Colony Odissi Ashram presented “Shiva Stuti” and “Madhura Basanta”. This segment also featured engaging solo and duet performances, including “Dekhiba Para Asare Prana Sangini” by Abhipsa Pati, “Bilahari Pallavi” by Basishtha Jena and Ayush Gunaprabha, “Mohana Pallavi” by Manasi Madhusmita Padhi, “Ardhanarishwara” by Lakshmipriya Sahu and Satya Suryanshu, “Kundalika” by Deepyoy Sarkar, and “Dasha Mahavidya” by artistes of Dashavatara Natyashala.
The evening session featured an evocative rendition of the Ashtapadi “Kuru Yadu Nandana” from Gita Govinda by eminent dancer Prabhat Kumar Swain. Other performances included solo and duet presentations by Yogita Basin and Bharda Bhaishampayan, Jagatjit Das, Brinda Chadha, Srujani Nayak and Shrutishree Swain, and Arunima Acharya and Bani Ray. The session concluded with a vibrant group Odissi performance by the artistes of Aradhana Dance Foundation.
The second evening was graced by Secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Dr Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, Dr Balaji Sinoy, eminent Odissi dancer Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, noted danseuse Deepti Mishra, and Administrative Officer of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, Suchismita Mantri, among others.
Around 350 dancers are participating in this year’s International Odissi Dance Festival, including about 15 international artistes. Participants from Odisha, West Bengal, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, along with dancers from countries such as the USA, France, Germany, Australia and Malaysia, are taking part in the festival.
An art exhibition based on Odissi dance, a popular “Ama Odissi” selfie stand, and Odissi-themed sand art installations have also been arranged at the venue, drawing enthusiastic participation from the youth and visitors.