Bhubaneswar, July 23: Odissi dance will captivate art aficionados in Bangalore this weekend.

A group of Odissi dancers from Bhubaneswar will host a national-level dance event that will feature only the classical dance of the state at the ADA Rangamandira of the silicon valley of India on July 28.

The programme, Naman, hosted by Nrityantar, a Bangalore-based Odissi dance institution founded by dancers from Bhubaneswar, will bring together and showcase varied styles and schools of Odissi dance.

“We have been hosting the festival since 2010. After a modest beginning in the first year, the festival has now grown as one of the most awaited of all events on the city’s cultural calendar. With an array of fine artistes, we promise to enthral all Odissi lovers here,” said Madhulita Mohapatra, Odissi danseuse and the organiser of the festival.

Naman, literally meaning salutation, is a tribute to the guru, said Mohapatra. “We were lucky that our revered guru Gangadhar Pradhan was present during the inaugural year. For us, guru is the visible embodiment of God. The festival pays tributes to our great gurus for their invaluable contributions to the growth and popularisation of our ancient art forms,” she said.

The concert will witness Odissi in various forms and genres — be it pure technical aspects and movements on pallavis or expressive gestures during abhinaya.

“Pavithra Reddy from the Nrityagram dance village; Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee and Rahul Acharya will perform at the show. Odissi dance couple, Ramesh Chandra Jena and Madhusmita Mohanty, will present a duet,” said Mohapatra.