Bhubaneswar, Sept. 22: Dance enthusiasts are learning the basic and finer techniques of classical dance form Kathak at a five-day workshop being conducted by eminent dancer Rajendra Gangani in the city.

Conducted by Spic Macay as part of their Virasat series where students get a taste of the cultural heritage of the state, the workshop, which started on Monday, is being organised at the SAI International School.

Students from KIIT University, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM-B), Loyola School and also the host school are taking part in it.

The workshop began with the guru giving the students an overview of the history and origin of the dance form. Instructions on how to invoke the Lord before the beginning of a dance were also showcased.

He is training the students on the finer aspects of facial expressions, hand gestures and body movements that are typical to the dance form.

For the amateur participants, the workshop is culturally fulfilling.

"Though I will not take up performing arts as a profession, I love to dance. So, the workshop helped me enrich my knowledge on a classical dance from of the country that is so popular. I can learn Odissi anytime here, but rarely I would get to know about a form that is not practised here," said a participant from XIM-B.

Classes are held for three hours daily. On the concluding day, the participants will showcase their productions.

Spic Macay will organise a number of events under the Virasat banner shortly. A wide variety of folk, classical dance and music workshops, cinema screenings, heritage walks, handicraft workshops, theatre programmes will be conducted for school and college students.

"Active involvement would inevitably encourage the students' mind and this would eventually give a fillip to the art forms. Through the workshops they would experience the richness of cultural heritage of the country and be an active participant in its preservation," said Babita Mishra, state coordinator of Spic Macay.