Artistes of Nrityagram Dance Ensemble perform at an event in Bangalore. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Aug.13: Odissi artistes from the state will host a concert for art lovers in Bangalore this weekend.

“The event is called Naman, which means salutation. The festival intends to pay tributes to great gurus for their contributions towards making the dance form popular among the masses,” said Madhulita Mohapatra, artistic director of Nrityantar, a Bangalore-based dance institution, which is organising the festival.

Kavita Dwibedi

Dancers from different ‘gharanas’ or schools will present their choreographies at the event.

Odissi guru Gangadhar Pradhan inaugurated Naman in 2010. With time, it has become one of the renowned Odissi dance events in the city, said Mohapatra.

Leena Mohanty

A recipient of Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar award from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, Leena Mohanty from Bhubaneswar is set to enthral the crowd at the concert.

“Artistes from the internationally acclaimed Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from Bangalore, regarded as one of the foremost dance companies in India, will also perform at the event,” said Mohapatra.

The list of participants also includes Kavita Dwibedi, daughter and disciple of Odissi maestro Guru Harekrishna Behera.

The performances will be preceded by an engaging panel discussion in the afternoon with senior gurus, dancers, scholars, dance enthusiasts, aspirants and experts on the theme — “Odissi outside Odisha: dancing in cultural diversity to pluralism”.