Odissi dancer Lingaraj Pradhan.Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, April 4: When he appears on stage wearing ankle bells, his swift movements and precision in techniques blended with emotive expressions, leaves the viewers spellbound. Off stage, the bright young Odissi dancer Lingaraj Pradhan is a humble artiste who finds harmony in his craft.

Performing on stage since 10, Lingaraj has blossomed into a seasoned dancer over the years and has even won the coveted Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2009 from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi. Today he keeps busy touring around the world performing Odissi and when in Bhubaneswar, he continues to be groomed by his guru, choreographer Bichitrananda Swain.

Hailing from a small village, Lingaraj’s family was strongly opposed to his pursuit of Odissi dance. “My cousin who is a school teacher in the village, encouraged me to train in Odissi for which he took great pains and sent me to Bhubaneswar. He even funded my dance coaching,” said the young dancer.

Lingaraj joined Guru Gangadhar Pradhan’s Odisha Dance Academy where guru Swain, the then principal of the institution, taught him the nuances of the classical dance. The youngster also enrolled at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and graduated in the Masters of Odissi dance.

At present, Lingaraj is the principal and lead dancer of Swain’s Odissi institute Rudrakshya. He has also earned a national scholarship for dance and teaches and performs at many centres across the globe. “I have been lucky to have got an opportunity to perform at many major and prestigious national dance festivals. Some of the memorable performances outside India are those at the Lincoln Centre in New York and Kennedy Centre in Washington besides in France, Germany, Japan and Canada,” said the dancer.

“Once I tie the ankle bells, I feel a spiritual force inside me and then the performance just comes naturally,” said Lingaraj. He is also taking training in Odissi percussion instrument, mardala under the guidance of noted gurus, Banamali Moharana and Dhaneswar Swain.

“I wish to follow the footsteps of the great gurus and wish to be a complete artiste. But most importantly, I wish to remain a humble learner,” he said.