|
| Artistes perform at the Mukteswar Dance Festival in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 17: The three-day Mukteswar Dance Festival concluded on Monday evening after an array of Odissi performances were presented by artistes.
The ancient Mukteswar temple, known for its sculptural beauty and spiritual ambience, was bedecked with colourful lights to play the perfect host to the festival that celebrated Odissi dance by featuring solo, duet and group dance pieces.
The inaugural evening started off with a soulful recitation of Shiva Vandana by the students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Senior Odissi dancer Aloka Kanungo started off with an invocatory piece and then presented a pure dance composition with vivid footwork — a pallavi set to raga Kamodi — the music for which was composed by Guru Ramahari Das. An abhinaya by Aloka depicted the childhood mischief of Lord Krishna wherein the dancer presented fluent expressions.
The duet by Pravat Swain and Arupa Gayatri Panda of Odisha Dance Akademi was beautifully co-ordinated.
Artistes of Art Vision, Bhubaneswar, presented Ileana Citaristi’s vivid choreography Manabhanjana.
Vocalist Sangeeta Panda created waves on the second evening with her troupe during the musical opening. Rahul Acharya performed a solo show with his abhinaya on Mina nayana, captivating the viewers that included city-based aficionados as well as tourists from different countries.
A few commendable performances followed this recital. The duet by Chittaranjan Acharya and Asmita Kar Mohapatra was poetic while the group performance by the artistes from Rudrakhsya was magical with aesthetic choreography by Bichitrananda Swain.
The closing day saw another series of impressive performances. Known for her beautiful performances, Madhusmita Mohanty once again cast a spell on the audience by depicting the tale of Sita with an effortless ease, be it graceful postures or emotive expressions.
A recital by New Delhi based Odissi dancer Jyoti Srivastav and her troupe was also appreciated by the audience.
“I’m glad to have been here to witness some remarkable performances. The noted as well as young dancers were impressive,” said Angela, a visitor. The festival was organised by state department of culture and tourism.
| 
