Bhubaneswar, April 11: Odissi dance festival Margi saw an ensemble of some of the finest recitals on mythology, epics and different moods of nature. The two-day event, held at Rabindra Mandap, concluded on Tuesday evening.

Dance aficionados were treated to a two-hour Odissi recital on the concluding day, performed and choreographed by some of the best dancers in the country. The evening began with Delhi-based dancer Kavita Dwivedi’s recital of the eight emotions such as sringar, bhibascha, roudra, adbhuta, bhaya, veera, hasya and karuna as seen through the eyes of Goddess Parvati.

After Kavita’s performance, Ramesh Chandra Jena and his wife Madhusmita Mohanty presented a duet. The couple’s finely tuned steps, expressions and mudras, looking almost like mirror images, appeared elegant on stage. The duo performed nabarasa, depicting the nine different emotions of Ram and Sita from nine segments of the Ramayan. Danseuse Aruna Mohanty choreographed the 30-minute act.

“Both Ramesh and I have been performing together for 25 years. We have performed all over the world. But performing in Odisha, our home and the birth place of Odissi, is always special,” said Madhusmita.

The last performance was a recital by the Gunjan Dance Academy from Cuttack. The group dance, choreographed by dancer Meera Das, featured seven dancers. They began with a peacock dance, pronouncing the onset of monsoon. Next was the rainfall, followed by an Odissi, showcasing the rainbow colours in the sky.

The troupe concluded with a Shanti mantra, praying for salvation. Earlier, the inaugural day saw Sangeeta Das performing a Mangalacharan and Pallabi. Next was Shri Jayadev, a duet presented by Bandita Ghosal and Ashok Ghosal, and after that a group dance by the Rudrakshya Foundation on Dasavatar.

“I had a great time on both the days. It is difficult to say which was the best performance as all the numbers were either performed or choreographed by those, who are experts in this field,” said Swetalina Panda, a viewer.