Kuchipudi exponent Manju Barggavee performs in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: Kuchipudi exponent Manju Barggavee danced her way into the hearts of the audience at the Guru Debaprasad Award Festival that concluded on yesterday at Rabindra Mandap in the city.

Her recitals began with the popular dance-drama Bhama Kalapam, which was about Satyabhama, the charming, but jealous wife of the Lord Krishna.

Soaked in devotion, the expressive features of her eyes and lissom movements of her hands artfully described Satyabhama’s search for Krishna and her final surrender to the will of the Lord.

The second recital on Gita Govinda’s ashtapadi Sanchara dadhara sudha madhuradhwani recounts Radha’s memories of the Raasleela and her moments of happiness with Krishna.

Her aesthetic body movements coupled with intricate footwork evoked an apt picture of the divine activities of Radha and Krishna.

Jayadev’s written description of Krishna’s leela found perfect visual lexis in her choreography.

The last performance was on a kirtanam, songs composed by old saints, which spoke of the love tale of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. Her enactment of the tale was nothing less than a fairytale, as she moved from one corner of the stage to the other with ease and charm.

The performance was an enchanting experience for the audience. “I loved her features. Her grace and energy was equally admirable,” said Subhasmita Parida, a member of the audience.

Barggavee and three other classical dancers were conferred with the Guru Debaprasad Award for this year. While Barggavee received the award for her contribution in the field of Kuchipudi, Jayant Kastuar received it for Kathak. Bijaylaxmi Mohanty and Jatin Goswami received the awards for Odissi and Sattriya dance respectively.

The three-day festival featured performances by noted dancers and musicians from across the country, including flautist Ronu Majumdar and singer A. Maheswar Rao among others.

The festival, which is in its 8th edition this year, is conducted by dance institute Tridhara in memory of Odissi exponent Guru Debaprasad Das.