Artistes perform Odissi at the Ekamra Dance Festival in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 23: Magical expressions and intricate footwork were the highlights of the first two days of Ekamra Dance Festival held at Jayadev Bhavan.

Organised by the Surabhi dance institute, the festival featured gifted dancers on the opening day, whereas it was the students of Surabhi who regaled the audience on the second day of the festival.

Depicting touching tales of Lord Krishna through her effortless abhinaya sequence, New Delhi based Odissi danseuse Jyoti Srivastav cast a spell on the viewers on the inaugural day. Transforming the mood of her act from romantic to melancholy, Srivastav won the hearts of the connoisseurs through her impressive repertoire.

While her performance was widely appreciated, the Kathak rendition by Sohini Debnath from Calcutta left the audience in awe. Presenting a vivid repertoire that included a vibrant Shiva vandana as well as an enthralling tarana, Debnath captivated the viewers’ attention with her striking chakkars and rhythmic footwork. She also went on to perform an expressional sequence on Tagore’s composition Shrabana gagana, which was a perfect tribute to the monsoon.

One of her most remarkable renditions was the Brindaban rasa that brilliantly showcased the tales of Lord Krishna and his followers.

“The Odissi recital was touching while the Kathak performance was enthralling. The stage was set on fire by these gifted dancers,” said Ankita Tripathy, a viewer.

Well-known dancers such as Minati Pradhan and Rajashree Biswas also staged Odissi renditions on Tuesday, the opening day of the festival.

On Wednesday, disciples of Guru Pitambar Biswal of the Surabhi dance institute presented an array of elaborate sequences. The performance started off with Harihar Sabda as the invocatory piece that extolled the dancing deities Nataraj and Krishna. The artistes then went on to perform a pallavi with innovative formations and patterns. The pallavi was based on raga kalavati, the music for which was composed by Guru Ramahari Das. The choreography was the creation of Guru Biswal. The young dancers received rave response for their depiction of goddess Kali’s various forms on a Bhadrakali Ashtakam.

“The wonderful response of the viewers has thrilled us. We had practiced the various formations repeatedly to give our best on stage,” said an artiste of the group. The annual festival, held for three-days, is in its ninth edition this year.