Saroja Vaidyanathan and her troupe from New Delhi perform Bharatnatyam at Kala Vikash Kendra on Thursday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 3: A dance ballet Shiva Skandam based on Maha Shiva Puranam and Kalidasa’s Kumar Sambhavam was the centre of attraction on the inaugural day of the 5th Cuttack Mahotsav here.

Organised at Kala Vikash Kendra on Thursday, the dance drama in Bharatnatyam style was staged by the artistes of Sri Krupa Dance Foundation, USA. The 80-minute dance ballet written and set to music by Ashok Subramaniam was showcased in four episodes.

The dance drama began with the artistes depicting the devotion of Parvati for Lord Shiv, who is in intense penance in the Himalayas. The audience was mesmerised by the fast-paced and rhythmic dance performance by the artistes of the group.

The second episode began with Lord Bramha’s solution to distract Lord Shiv with the help of Manmatha, who tries to entice the lord.

Lord Shiv opens his third eye and burns Manmatha to ashes.

The group of 10 dancers displayed unique synchronisation and received warm adulation from the audiences present at the event.

“The dance drama was beautifully presented by the artistes, who showcased wonderful co-ordination. Also, the subject, a mythological tale was well chosen as it still holds significance among the devotees,” said Sudhakar Swain, an audience member.

Earlier, another Bharatnatyam dance performance by Padma Bhusan Saroja Vaidyanathan and her troupe from New Delhi was also appreciated on the opening day of the Cuttack Mahotsav. The artistes of the troupe began with Angikan Bhubanama and later performed abhinaya based on Shiv astaka.

“It was a great feeling to perform in Cuttack as the audiences have high regards for the artistes,” said guru Saroja Vaidyanathan.

Vaidyanathan said that a lot of artistes were now experimenting with the traditional classical dance forms including Bharatnatyam, which is certainly a welcome step.

The Cuttack Mahotsav is being organised by Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangha with an objective to revive and restore the aesthetic heritage and enhance the Guru-Shishya Parampara.

More than 500 performing artiste including eminent and promising dancers, vocalists from India and other countries such as USA, Canada, Russia, UK and France will be taking part in the festival that will conclude on January 8.