Picture by Ashwinee Pati
Bhubaneswar: Odissi artistes from across the world have assembled here to celebrate the spirit of the dance form at an international event that began at Bhanja Kala Mandap here from Monday.
The five-day international dance festival will witness performances of dancers from countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Ukraine.
The largest contingent has come from the US.
Odissi exponent Poushali Mukherjee will be honoured with the Odissi International Lifetime Achievement Award during the festival for her pioneering contribution to the dance form.
It will also feature acclaimed young dancers Madhusmita Mohanty, Lingaraj Pradhan, and Rajashree Praharaj, all three being recipients of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Prativa Puraskar.
Similarly, several well-known dance troupes such as the Odisha Dance Academy and the Rudrakshya Foundation from Bhubaneswar, the Urvasi Odissi Ensemble and i-Gurukul from the USA, the Nrityantar Academy from Bangalore and Kalpodip from Bengal will perform at the event.
Nanae Kezuka, who has come from Japan to perform at the event, has been a professional performer for the past 10 years.
"I began by learning Bharatnatyam, but was fascinated by the traditional aspects of the dance form. I felt it was very unique," she said.
The festival not only encourages the dancers to discover the cultural roots of the dance form, but also intends to promote cultural tourism and foster friendship among people of various countries and cultures.