Students of Nrityashala perform Odissi at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 4: Odissi dancers Ashok and Bandita Ghosal organised an evening of classical and folk dance to celebrate the ninth year of their brainchild, Nrityashala.

Angikam, as the evening’s cultural event was titled, put forward the best compositions of Ashok and Bandita.

The couple showcased their choreographies that were a blend of traditions and experimentations.

However, it was not Ashok-Bandita, but their students who were the main attraction of the evening. Young dancers of all age groups, dressed in beautiful Odissi dance costumes, performed amid huge applause. The couple’s dedication and devotion to teach the right footwork to their students was quite evident from the compositions that were staged at the concert.

Mangalacharan, paying homage to Lord Ganesha and seeking his blessings for an evil-free and benevolent humanity, set the tone for the evening. The next dance rendition to follow was the Batu Nritya. In that, too, the students excelled with flying colours in co-ordinating their footwork and keeping the postures in sync with the taal.

Shiva Stutee, another Odissi rendition, was followed by Batu Nritya. Shiva Stutee praised the power and charisma of Lord Shiv. The control of body movement, a must in these dance forms, was managed well by the young talents. Nritya Abhinaya or enactment through dance was featured in Sangini Re Chaha Benupani, describing the romantic episodes of Radha-Krishna. It was a light and playful dance replete with expressions and emotions.

Setting a change to the mood was a vibrant Sambalpuri folk dance. Despite limited steps and postures, the energy and vigour with which the folk dance was performed, had won huge applause.

The evening concluded with Shri Jayadev, a Nritya Natika (dance drama). Himansu Shekhar Swain’s music compositions and Gopal Chandra Panda’s vocal recital added more colours to the beautiful choreographies of Ashok and Bandita Ghosal and Subhranshu Nayak.

“It was great to see small children performing so well on so intricate dance items. It shows that we all still love and respect our culture and tradition despite the heavy influence of western culture,” said Malabika Gosain, a viewer.