Apoorva Malladi of USA and (right) Enakshi Singha of Canada perform Bharatnatyam and Odissi, respectively, at Cuttack Mahotsav. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 8: Curtains finally came down on Cuttack Mahotsav, the weeklong festival of classical dance and music, on Wednesday evening here.

Eminent dancers from various parts of the country and abroad enthralled the audiences with some scintillating performance including Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam on the concluding evening.

Over 300 artistes from 16 countries had taken part in the fifth Cuttack Mahotsav organised by Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangha at Kala Vikash Kendra. “It is a matter of pride for us that a lot of individuals and institutions are working hard to promote the classical dance forms especially in the millennium city,” said Umesh Prusty, an audience member.

The organisers said that the Cuttack Mahotsav has emerged as one of the major dance and music festival in the state.

“The Cuttack Mahotsav is one biggest festival in the country as it covers all the eight styles of Indian Classical dance. Besides, the cultural programme has also been successful in promoting unity in diversity,” said Secretary Kartik Rath.

Rath also said that the event also aims at promoting the rich guru-sishya parampara and provides a right platform to the artists to show case their talent.

Besides, such kind of festivals will certainly help the youngsters to know more about the Indian classical dance and other folk dances, which are on the verge of extinction, Rath added.

Earlier, an Odissi performance by Enakhi Sinha from Canada was the centre of attraction on Tuesday evening. The artist depicted the calmness of Lord Vishnu through her dance item, which she dedicated to her guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Ratikant Mohapatra and Sarmila Viswas.

Besides Odissi, the audiences also appreciated a Kathali performance by Arpita Ray from Calcutta yesterday. In her performance, the artiste showcased the beauty of a woman.