Artistes perform a the Ekamra Nrutya Mahotsav at Jayadev Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 24: Dancing bells narrated different stories on stage when prolific artistes presented their recitals on the concluding evening of the 9th Ekamra dance festival on Thursday.

The concert held at Jayadev Bhavan also witnessed a pulsating symphony of Odissi instrumental that enchanted aficionados of music in the city.

A brilliant performance by Bharatnatyam dancer Arupa Lahiri regaled the viewers as the danseuse showcased effortless expressions and quick movements.

Lahiri, who is a disciple of legendary Chennai based dancer Chitra Vishwesaran, performed on a varnam — a song from the Carnatic music repertoire set on adi talam.

The dancer presented complex movements with ease and impressively described a tale of divine love through expressive facial gestures.

Lahiri, who is also trained in Kalaripayattu martial dance form of Kerala, portrayed the intricate positions of hands and the body beautifully.

“I’m glad to be presenting a recital in the land of Lord Jagannath. This land has produced many exponents in dance and music. So the appreciation of the audience was a special feeling,” she said.

Delhi based Odissi dancer Kavita Dwivedi caught the attention of viewers through her soul-stirring abhinaya. She presented a rendition of the celebrated mythological tale of a courtesan Pingala.

Through articulate facial expressions and graceful movements, Dwivedi illustrated the episode in Pingala’s life that invoked devotion in her and led her to a path of spirituality from that of pleasure.

The sequence titled Pingala Samarpanam was appreciated widely by the audience.

“It was a wonderful tale that showed how a small incident can let any person achieve enlightenment. The danseuse recounted the story wonderfully,” said Prabhanalini Mohapatra, a viewer.

The other highlight of the concert was a musical presentation staged by well-known musician Dhaneswar Swain and his troupe. They presented a sonata Badya Madhuri that was a confluence of various musical instruments playing Odissi style of music.

Organised by the dance institute Surabhi, the three-day festival also saw the presentation of Surabhi Samman to Kavita Dwivedi while dancer Jyoti Srivastav was presented the award on Tuesday evening.

Present on the occasion were dancers Rani Karnaa (Kathak exponent) and Odissi guru Aruna Mohanty.