Chitra Viswesaran and her group perform Bharatnatyam at the Samrachana festival in Bhubaneswar. The three-day dance festival concluded on Monday. Organised by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi under the aegis of state tourism department, the festival saw classical dance recitals choreographed by eminent exponents of the art forms. Delhi-based dance troupe Pallavi performed Odissi recitals based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poems. Chennai-based troupe Chidambaram Dance Company, choreographed by Visweswaran, performed Bharatnatyam. The festival began with the Odissi recital by dancers of Pallavi, a New Delhi-based troupe trained by Odissi danseuse Kiran Seghal. The choreography was based on three poems of Rabindranath Tagore — Bashi, Ekla Chalo and Shrabanero Gaganero Gaaey. The presentation was titled Divya Namaskar. On Sunday, a seminar was held at Utkal Sangeet Mahavidhyalaya, where the exponents and the dancers discussed the techniques and elements used in their productions. The festival closed with an Odissi recital choreographed by Mumbai-based Jhelum Paranjape and troupe and Kathak recital by Rajashree Shikre and group.

Text: Pratyush Patra, Telegraph picture