International Odissi Dance Festival at Bhubaneswar
Photos courtesy: Odisha Tourism
January 14, 2013
Organised by GKCM Odissi Research Centre under the aegis of Department
of Tourism & Culture, Government of Odisha, the International Odissi
Dance Festival (Dec 23 – 29, 2012) got off to a colourful start
showcasing varied aspects of Odissi repertoire through legendary,
established and senior dancers of repute who enthralled the audience
with their splendid performances. Eminent dancers like Sonal Mansingh
from New Delhi, Aloka Kanungo from Kolkata, Gayatri Chand from
Bhubaneswar, Nityananda Das and Bijay Kumar Dash from Bhubaneswar, Meera
Das from Cuttack, Nandita Behera from USA, Swapnarani Sinha and group
from Angul, Mahagami group from Aurangabad were attractions on the
inaugural evening of Dec 23, 2012. The duet Odissi dance presented by
differently abled Odissi dancer Nityananda Das with Bijaya Kumar Dash
was very emotive and heart-touching. The Department of Tourism &
Culture, Government of Odisha brought into the city an amalgam of
colour, rhythm and vibrancy amply manifested in Toshali National Crafts
Mela and International Odissi Dance Festival to the joy of art
connoisseurs.
Aloka Kanungo
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Sonal Mansingh
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Nityananda Das & Bijay Kumar Dash
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Gayatri Chand
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Dec 24: The 2nd day witnessed a day-long program of Odissi dance with a
special feature of foreign Odissi dancers in the morning session. The
prominent dancers who gave brilliant presentations on different aspects
of Odissi dance were Yukie Sato from Japan, Eleonora Ukhanova and
Angelina Ukhanova from Russia (duet), Vinod Kevin Bachan from West
Indies, Eiko Shinohara from Japan, Elena Knyazeva from Russia, Gargi
Chhattopadhyay from USA. The afternoon program showcased solo, duet and
group presentations by Nrityantara group from Bangalore, Bidya Das from
Cuttack, Panchanan Bhuyan from New Delhi, Maria Laura Valdez from Peru,
Bimbadhara Das and Sanjukta Das from Bhubaneswar (duet), Bijayalaxmi
Satpathy from Bhubaneswar, Shagun Bhutani from New Delhi.
The evening’s program began with Kalabati Pallavi and abhinaya Tore
sarana gali re Murali by acclaimed dancer Kumkum Mohanty who captivated
the audience by her enchanting abhinaya. That was followed by Navarasa,
the depiction of nine sentiments through the different episodes from
Ramayana by Shipra Meherotra from US. Gourishankar Dash and Ayushi
Mishra from Dhenkanal presented Mahakali Stutee. Dr. Ileana Citaristi’s
Abhinaya Saranam depicting woman empowerment taking episodes from
different religions was splendid. The duet presentation of
Shankarabarana Pallavi by Uday Shetty and Soumya Shetty from Bengaluru
spoke for the artistry and elegance of the artistes. Udra (group) from
Bhubaneswar presented Panchamatrika exhibiting the glory of the five
Mother Goddesses. The concluding item was Tala Madhurya by Rudraksha
(group) from Bhubaneswar in which pure dance sequences with fluid
movements, intricate footwork and sculpturesque poses were perfectly
interwoven to create beautiful patterns much to the joy of audience who
enjoyed the program till the end. The music was composed by Guru Ramhari
Das, rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and dance choreographed by Guru
Bichitrananda Swain.
Yukie Sato
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Dec 25: The 3rd day of the biggest Odissi ensemble witnessed a beautiful
blend of rhythm, movement and music representing the three styles of
Odissi. The afternoon session featured some good performances by the
artistes of Bharati Nrutya Mandir (group, Bhubaneswar), Kaveri Behera
(New Delhi), Kalyani Sahoo and Tulika Patnaik (duet, Bhubaneswar),
Purnashree Rout (Chhatisgarh) and Diya Sen (New Delhi).
Renowned dancer Madhavi Mudgal from New Delhi made an impact with her
grace and fluid movement in pure dance number and abhinaya depicting the
manifestations of nature in the advent of spring season. The other
presentation like Draupadi from Panchakanya by Suhaganalini Das,
ashtapadi Priye charu shile by Rahul Acharya exhibiting perfect
synchronization in Panchabhuta, five elements of nature with melodious
musical compositions by Guru Ramhari Das and dance choreographed by Guru
Aruna Mohanty, the emotive Shivastaka by Guru Gajendra Panda were
enchanting and engrossing. In group presentation, the artistes of
Mokshya led by Sujata Mishra presented Sthayee, a pure dance followed by
abhinaya Laja re aarigali, a typical Odiya song. The concluding group
presentation was Narayani Pallavi followed by abhinaya Aaha mo nanda
kule Govinda expressing the bliss and excitement of King Nanda on
getting blessed by Krishna. Choreographed by Kumkum Mohanty, the
abhinaya enthralled the audience.
Guru Gajendra Panda
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Rahul Acharya
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Bharati Nrutya Mandir
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Purnashree Rout
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Kaveri Behera
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Leema Bhol
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Dec 26: The 4th evening’s performance began with Delhi based established
Odissi dancer Kumkum Lal who performed the asthapadi Yamihe kamiha
saranam, expressing the anxiety of a bedecked Radha waiting beyond the
agreed time. Sikata Das from Chennai presented a composition of poet
Banamali, Tore sarana gali re Murali, the popular Odiya Janana written
by Bhaktakavi Dinakrshuna Das. Jagabandhupari jane samnata was displayed
with great devotion and emotion by Guru Niranjan Rout. The glorious
incidents in Ramachandra’s life were depicted beautifully in the duet
performed by Shashwati Garai Ghosh and Priyanki Gupta from Kolkata.
Veteran dancer Daksha Mashruwala from Mumbai had unique presentation of
Mahari song Banshi teji hela. Noted dancer Madhusmita Mohanty with
her subtle, graceful movements and emotional expressions depicting the
love of a man for his newly married wife in Barabadhu written by Dr.
Mayadhara Mansingh engrossed the audience. The group composition of
Odissi Nrutya Mandal from Cuttack exhibited the different incarnations
of Lord Krishna. Guru Gangadhar Foundation had the traditional
presentation of Shankarabarana Pallavi in pure dance and Dasavatara in
abhinaya. Earlier, the afternoon session featured solo, duet and group
presentation by Triveni (group) from Cuttack, Nirod Dehuri from
Bhubaneswar, Shivani Kanungo from USA, Aishwariya Singhdev and Sanjay
Kumar Behera from Bhubaneswar, Prasant Kumar Behera from Bhubaneswar,
Amanda Geroy from USA and Puspita Mishra from Bhubaneswar. The festival
left an impressive mark in the minds of art lovers of the city through
the splendid performances of the Odissi dancers from across the State
and outside.
Nirod Dehuri
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Amanda Geroy
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Prashant Behera
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Shivani Kanungo
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Triveni
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Dec 27: The 5th day of the festival witnessed some memorable
performances by young, established and legendary dancers in its two
sessions. The afternoon session featured group, duet, solo performances
by Sagarika Kala Niketan (group) from Paradeep, Lucky Pratistha Mohanty
from Raipur, Sagarika Mohanty from Paradeep, Lopamudra Jena and Puspa
Panda (duet) from Cuttack, Coleena Shakti from USA and Y Asha Kumari
from New Delhi.
The evening session started with Krusna mangala charana and Mamiyam
chalita bilokya from Gita Govinda by eminent Guru Durgacharan Ranbir who
mesmerized the audience by his superb performance. This year’s Central
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award winner Sharmila Biswas presented pure dance
Swarabilasa set to raag Charukesi to the appreciation of the audience.
Popular Janana ahe nila saila presented by Guru Manoranjan Pradhan
captivated the audience. The young duo Bijan Pallai and Rudra Prasad
Swain of Orissa Dance Akademi beautifully narrated the Krishna Gatha
with perfect synchronization. Known for her elegant and graceful
movements, Kavita Diwedi regaled the audience with her abhinaya on the
compositions of poet Banamali. USA based Odissi dancer Jyoti Rout
presented episode on Hanuman while eminent Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena had a
very emotive presentation of Gita Govinda. In group presentation
Nrutyangana presented Panchadevi Namastute eulogizing the glory of five
Mother Goddesses and Nrutyasala on Shree Jayadev. Earlier in the day, a
seminar on Odissi dance was organized at Rabindra Mandap which was
attended by eminent dancers and scholars like Dr. Priyambada Mohanty
Hejmadi, Dr. Minati Mishra and Kumkum Mohanty along with many popular
Odissi dancers.
Lopamudra Jena & Puspa Panda
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Coleena Shakti
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Y Asha Kumari | 
Bijan Pallai and Rudra Prasad Swain
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Sagarika Kala Niketan
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Dec 28: The 6th day showcased some brilliant performances by Chinmoyee
Classics (group) from Bhubaneswar, Taisia Schpulnikova from Russia,
differently abled dancer Mithilesh Pattnaik from Bhubaneswar, Supriya
Nayak and Madhyama Segal (duet) from New Delhi, Mitali D’Souza from
Mumbai, Bindu Juneja and Kalyani Phagre from Bhopal, and Lipsa Dash from
New Delhi in the afternoon session.
In the evening session, eminent dancer and scholar Dr. Minati Mishra
presented abhinaya Mamiyam chalitya bilokya from Gita Govinda with a
proportionate blending of bhava and rasa. The septuagenarian artiste
delighted the audience with her splendid performance. The next
presentation was by Ranjana Gauhar, who performed abhinaya on Meera
bhajan narrating the different manifestations of rainy season and the
imagination of Meera in quest of Krishna. Then another promising male
Odissi dancer Yudhistir Nayak performed abhinaya Pratinayak depicting
different characters in different ages portraying the devilish and
divinity in man. The presentation was a beautiful blend of nayaka beda
based on the music composition of Guru Ramhari Das, rhythm composition
by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Bijay Barik and dance choreography by Guru
Aruna Mohanty. In duet, the young talented duo Soumya Bose and
Minakshirani Pradhan presented Siva Stutee followed by an abhinaya
Kahiniki bedana deuchha mote Madana by Kolkata based dancer Nandini
Ghoshal. Prativa Panda, a leading dancer of Guru Debaprasad style,
presented abhinaya Mohane deli chahin go written by poet Banamali
exhibiting Radha’s shyness and excitement to meet Krishna with sensuous
charm. Next was a group presentation sa re ga ma pa dha ni based on the
intricacies of music in relation to dance co-relating different episodes
of mythology by Ginwa under the direction of Guru Somanath Pradhan. The
concluding group presentation was abhinaya Barsa yuge yuge presented by
the student of Utkal University of Culture. The dance was choreographed
by Guru Naba Kishore Mishra to the music composition of Sukanta Kumar
Kundu.
Taisia Schpulnikova
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Bindu Juneja & Kalyani Phagre
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Chinmoyee Classics |
Ranjana Gauhar
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Minati Mishra
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Soumya Bose & Minakshirani Pradhan
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Supriya Nayak & Madhyama Segal
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Dec 29: There was tremendous response on the concluding day of the
weeklong International Odissi Dance Festival. The afternoon session
featured Dibyashree Panda from Bhubaneswar, Baishali Kolaya and Arpita
Venkatesh from Kolkata, Sharanya Mukhopadhyay from USA, Moonmoon
Chakrabarty from Cuttack, Rajiv Bhattacharya from Kolkata and Kanduri
Charan Behera from Bhubaneswar who presented some brilliant performances
much to the appreciation of Odissi lovers.
The evening program started with eminent Odissi dancer Kiran Segal who
presented an abhinaya Rashe harimiha bihita bilasam from Gita Govinda
followed by an Odiya song Bata chhada sughata nagara written by poet
Banamali. The next presentation was an abhinaya Nirjharare swapna bhanga
depicting the experience of an awakened soul and its liberation based
on Rabindra Sangeet by Reela Hota from New Delhi. Pranati Mohanty from
Angul performed ashtapadi Kuru yadu nandana from Gita Govinda followed
by the duet performance of Minati Mahapatra and Anindita Parida who
presented Sivashtakam eulogizing the different aspects of Shiva and then
Kalavati Pallavi set to taal triputa. Dance was choreographed by Dr.
Ileana Citaristi and music by Guru Banamali Moharana and Guru Ghanashyam
Panda. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra gave a brilliant performance depicting
the episode of Sita’s marriage and killing of demon duo Khara-Dushan
from Tulasidas Ramayana set to Ragamalika and Talamalika. The music was
composed by Pradeep Das and dance was choreographed by Ratikant
Mohapatra. Established dancer from Kolkata, Rina Jena performed an
abhinaya Brajaku chara aasichhi written by poet Banamali. The artistes
of Suravi group of Bhubaneswar under the direction of Guru Pitambara
Biswal presented Harihara Sabda depicting the glory of Lord Shiva and
Vishnu. The concluding group presentation was by the students of Utkal
Sangeet Mahavidyalaya who presented Sambhavami yuge yuge depicting the
ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu set to raag Kalyani and taal jhampa,
regaling the audience with their splendid performance. Earlier in the
evening, this year’s Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Bismilla Khan Award
winners Odissi dancer Sonali Mohapatra and flautist Srinivas Satapathy
were felicitated.
Baishali Kolay & Arpita Venkatesh
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Sharanya Mukhopadhyay
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Dibyashree Panda
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Kanduri Charan Behera
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