Artistes of KDA dance troupe perform in Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Rourkela, June 9: A dance competition organised to identify hidden talents of the city and provide them platform to showcase their skills culminated last day.

The competition had the unique feature, as the competitors portrayed various heart-touching themes through their performances. Organised by the Pratibha Kala Kendra, the contest also saw other events such as song, classical and folk dance and drawing in which the kids as well as youths of all groups took part.

A member of the organising group said the three-day annual event was the brainchild of a young girl, Narmada Nayak, who learnt dance by watching others and later formed the Narmada Dance Group to provide training to poor and downtrodden kids in the city.

“During summer vacation for the last nine years, we have been organising this event. The Narmada Dance Group provides training, and later, the contest is held in which talents from various parts of the city take part,” said chairman of the Pratibha Kala Kendra Suchitra Jena.

This year, the talents showcased their skills on a platform and riveted the spectators, who had gathered in a large number.

One dance group, Triveni Kala Kendra, showcased the struggle of Indian people to get freedom from the British with the help of non-violence through their dance movements. Another troupe, Bee-Boys, showed the need of energy conservation in today’s world and how to save energy and prevent power theft through their boogie moves.

Another group KDA portrayed robotic moves through their dance forms. The dancers painting themselves with reflective bands of black and white colours enthralled the audience. The spectators were mesmerised by the moves of the young artistes, who were declared first in the group dance competition.

“This has been a good platform for talents like us, and we are happy to showcase our skills. We get confidence by taking part in such events and hope to make it big in life,” said Pooja, a competitor.

Similarly, many people also praised the young girl, Narmada, who has been trying to bring the best out of talents, who get unnoticed and lost without getting a chance.

“We get a chance to hone our skills and spend time in productive works during summer vacation. This is a wonderful experience and opportunity,” said a participant.