Students of the Odisha Dance Academy perform at their annual dance festival, Nrutyambada, at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 29: Young Odissi talents made the best use of the platform given to them at Nrutyambada, the annual dance festival of Odisha Dance Academy.

The two-day festival, where kids and teenagers showed immense potential of turning into fine dancers, attracted dance enthusiasts of the city.

The well-known dance institute established by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan celebrated the 28th year of the annual festival at Rabindra Mandap, which was bustling with dance lovers on both the days.

On the first day, it was the kids who dominated the stage with their performances.

The little Odissi artistes danced on compositions such as Shreetakamala and Aame sabu bhabishyata.

But the most applauded performance was the Sambalpuri rendition, Labangalata. Not only were the music and lyrics fascinating, the artistes — aged between 10 and 13 — were impressive.

The expressions and blend of grace and poise of the lead dancer Sanskruti earned loud cheers, whistles and shouts of “once more” from the audience.

“The lead dancer was striking in her movements as well as facial expressions. The theme of the song was about girls growing up, getting married and leaving their friends and family. But the little dancer was immaculate in depicting the song through her dance,” said Kedar Mishra, a dance enthusiast.

Among other performances of the first day was an abhinaya — Mohana murati chhai lo — by young dancers Shreepunya and Ananya.

The concluding day began with a perfect entertainer — Kanchi Abhijana — based on an episode from Odisha’s history. Composed originally by legendary musician Akshay Mohanty, the piece was depicted well by a group of dancers with each of them leaving an impact on the viewers. Aruna Mohanty choreographed the sequence.

The artistes of Odisha Dance Academy then presented Odissi dance dramas and pure dance renditions as well as Sambalpuri repertoires.

“Nrutyambada is not only our annual festival but also a platform for young dancers. We are delighted with the response of the audience for our programme,” said Aruna Mohanty, organiser of the event.