Bhubaneswar, March 18: This 19-year-old Odissi dancer set the perfect tune at the inaugural evening of the 22nd Guru Pankaj Utsav that began at Rabindra Mandap in the city today.
Prachi Hota's solo recitals won appreciation of dance lovers for her sense of rhythm and significant movements. She began with an invocatory piece dedicated to Lord Vishnu that depicted his varying moods and divine attributes.
Her swift and agile movements smoothly transitioned into feminine moves as she showcased Pallavi, a pure dance item. Involving a lot of footwork and facial expressions, the recital began at a slow pace followed by a culminating crescendo.
Prachi is a disciple of Hare Krishna Behera, who popularised Odissi in Delhi. She trained under Y. Asha Kumari after the death of Behera and has performed across the country.
"There is no greater pleasure than performing in your state as this is the place that gave birth to the classical dance form. My aim is to carry forward the legacy of Odissi dance legends, and I feel that other young dancers also feel the same," said the young danseuse.
Prachi, who began learning Odissi at the age of three, said that she would definitely take up Odissi as her career.
The evening also saw performances by dancers such as Sasmita Panda, Srabanti Bhattacharya and Pitambar Biswal.
Yesterday, the Odissi event was hosted by the department of culture and the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre to mark the 97th birth anniversary of Guru Pankaj Charan Das here.
Eminent Odissi danseuse Minati Mishra, a disciple of Das, said: "It is high time that government came forward to gather the direct disciples of the guru and record the recitals to make sure that the original essence of the dance form is archived for future."
A group of four dancers - Suhag Nalini Das, Sanchita Bhattacharya, Tapaswini Panda and Meenakshi Beehra - gave solo performances at the event. Floral tributes were also paid to the statue of the dancer on the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya campus.
The prestigious Mahari Award for 2016 will be given to noted Odissi danseuse, researcher and choreographer Sharmila Mukherjee.
