Bhubaneswar, July 19: Around 200 dancers, dance scholars and exponents of various dance forms from India and abroad are set to perform in the fourth edition of India International Dance Festival scheduled in the city from July 20 to 23.

"We look forward to bringing together tribal, folk, classical, martial and contemporary dance forms on a common platform. The aim is to strengthen bonds among countries and cultures through dance, apart from highlighting Bhubaneswar as a city of culture and promoting cultural tourism in Odisha," said festival director Shyamhari Chakra.

The dance forms, which will be highlighted at the festival this year, are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam and Sattriya. Dancers and dance researchers from Argentina, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Middle East and USA are taking part in the festival along with many other artistes from all over the country.

Apart from dance performances, the festival will have seminars, screening of films and documentaries on dance, exhibition of books, journals, brochures, DVDs and photographs on dance besides visit to cultural institutions such as the Odisha State Museum, Tribal Museum, Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, temples and heritage sites in and around Bhubaneswar, Konark and Puri.

"We will have a talent search programme during the morning for dancers under the age of 20. The lecture demonstrations, seminars and talks will be hosted in the afternoon and the performances will be held in the evening," Chakra said.

Samskritiki, a 27-year-old cultural society of Odisha that has been hosting the Odissi International Dance Festival in Bhubanreswar since 2010, is organising the festival at Bhanja Kala Mandap.

The festival will start at 2pm and continue till 9pm.

The festival, which was started in Bhubaneswar in 2015, later became a multi-city event as it was hosted in Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi and in the Northeast as well.