Bhubaneswar, Sept. 26: The Devdasi dance festival that started on Monday evening at the Rabindra Mandap auditorium showcased beautiful recitals by young dancers.

The concert, which celebrates the Indian dance forms that have evolved at the sanctum sanctorum of temples, entered its seventh edition this year.

On the opening day, Pratima Mohanty from Puri inaugurated the festival in a traditional way with a Mahari recital.

The dancer gave the audience a treat of the ancient dance form of the Jagannath temple in Puri. Mohanty portrayed delicate movements through which she depicted the various services to Lord Jagannath that are performed as rituals.

Decked with flowers and ornaments from head to toe, she brought alive the memories of Devadasis or temple dancers.

New Delhi-based Gauri Diwakar, a disciple of the doyen of Kathak Pandit Birju Maharaj and the charming danseuse Aditi Mangaldas, presented a pure dance recital as well as an abhinaya.

Hailing Lord Shiv by depicting his diverse manifestations and moods, the dancer performed with accurate movements and articulation of hands and feet. She followed with a piece that depicted the ecstasy of a woman who recalls intimate moments with her lover.

“I had earlier performed at Dhauli festival in Odisha and this time too I loved dancing here since people understand and appreciate classical dance in this state,” said Diwakar.

About the recital she said: “I feel if a poet can present the physical intimacy of lovers so beautifully, then it can be depicted through dance by implementing aesthetic moves while keeping intact the traditional grammar of Kathak.”

Russian Odissi dancer Irina Komissarova, who is being trained by Odissi exponent Sujata Mohapatra, presented Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s choreography on Ardhanariswara – the union of Lord Shiv and Goddess Shakti. The dancer showed rhythmic and pulsating movements that earned her appreciation from the crowd.

Guwahati girl Kakoli Pathak’s Sattriya was enjoyable as she displayed the rituals of worship with agile moves in her dance.

The most striking recital of the evening was by Chennai based Bharatnatyam artiste Meenakshi Srinivasan. Her effortless expressions and intense involvement in her performance won the hearts of the viewers who showered applauses in interludes during the recital.

Meenakshi brilliantly interwove pure dance, which she gave a touch of animated expressions, with the storytelling abhinaya that depicted the emotions of a devotee charmed by her lord.

On Tuesday evening, there were a number of captivating repertoires. Five different forms of classical and temple ritual dance were presented by five dancers.

Veteran dancer Yashoda Thakur showcased Vilasini Natyam from Andhra Pradesh in which the attire is simple, but there are a gamut of expressions and movements.

Odissi dancer Rajashree Prahraj performed a 40-minute sequence of Sita Harana, which was originally choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and co-ordinated by Ratikanta Mohapatra.

The young dancer’s moves were not only vigorous and graceful, but she also brought out array of emotions while playing the characters of Ram, Laxman, Sita, Ravan, Maarich and Jatayu.

The 22-year-old Pranamya Suri presented swift movements and her facial gestures transformed with ease during her different recitals.

There were also impressive performances rendered by Mohiniattam artiste Kalamandalam Nimmi and Manipuri dancer Debanjali Biswas on the second day of the three-day festival.