Dancers perform at the Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 14: Folk, classical and martial dances culminated on one stage at the Dhauli Kalinga Mahotsav, which concluded at the foothills of the Buddhist peace pagoda of Dhauli on Friday.

With the pious monument in the backdrop, dances that express spirituality and other emotions of the human soul captivated connoisseurs at the five-day festival.

The inaugural day featured an Odissi group recital by artistes of the Odisha Dance Academy. Bara masa tera jata, meaning 13 major festivals in 12 months celebrated by the Odia community, featured significant rituals and festivities of the Jagannath temple and Odia families. The choreography was impressive when it came to synchronisation and formations by the artistes. The dancers were agile and swift. However, cheers of Holi hai and tabla notes here and there could have been done without.

Samudra Centre for Indian Contemporary Performing Arts from Trivandrum showcased Kalaripayattu in their composition Jalam on the same evening. Certain movements and novel concepts in aesthetics were striking but the choreography was slow at the beginning. The audience seemed to enjoy the acrobatics of the artistes that they appreciated with applause.

Gotipua dance by Nakshyatra Gurukul was breathtaking for its human formations by the young dancers who presented the Bandha nrutya on the second evening. Kathak by Vikram Iyengar and his troupe was appealing. Vikram is a disciple of veteran danseuse Rani Karnaa who resides in Bhubaneswar. His troupe Ranan from Calcutta charmed the viewers with an engaging dance item, followed by theatrical items. Another highlight of the second evening was the Santali Danta from Rairangpur. This tribal dance was choreographed for the event by promising artiste Dushmanta Basa. The dance showcased various interesting martial art articles while the drumbeats were vigorous.