International Odissi Dance Festival: Nandini Ghosal mesmerises audience

Bhubaneswar: The International Odissi Dance Festival, organised by the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, continued to enthral audiences on its second evening at Rabindra Mandap.

The five-day festival, which began on 26th December, will conclude on 30th December. The highlight of the second evening was the captivating performance by eminent Odissi dancer Nandini Ghosal, whose presentation of excerpts from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda left the audience spellbound.

Through her graceful movements, expressive abhinaya and hasta mudras, Nandini Ghosal vividly portrayed the intense emotions of Shree Radha. Her nuanced depiction of the characters of Krishna, Radha and Chandravali was widely appreciated, drawing prolonged applause from art lovers and connoisseurs alike.

The programme began with a group presentation of Mangalacharan – “Gurubrahma, Guruvishnu, Gurudevo Maheshwara” by artistes of Adrita Dance Group. This was followed by solo abhinaya “Srita Kamala Kucha Mandala” by Sudiksha Panda, “Kirabani Pallavi” by Sai Smruti and “Shankarabharana Pallavi” presented as a duet by Rashmita Maharana and Sabitri Mohapatra. Other notable performances included “Navadurga” by Gayatri Sethi, “Jaya Jaya Jagannatha Nilagiripati” by Pritimayee Bas and Barsha Das, “Durga Tandava” by Deepika Priyadarshini and “Dashavatara” by the artistes of Nrutyayan.

In the afternoon session, artistes of Nehru Colony Odissi Ashram presented “Shiva Stuti and Madhura Basanta”. This was followed by solo and duet performances including “Dekhiba Para Asare Prana Sangini” by Abhipsa Pati, “Bilahari Pallavi” by Basishtha Jena and Ayush Gunaprabha, “Mohana Pallavi” by Manasi Madhusmita Padhi, “Ardhanarishwara” by Lakshmipriya Sahu and Satya Suryanshu, “Kundalika” by Deepyoy Sarkar and “Dasha Mahavidya” by the artistes of Shri Dashavatara Natyashala.

The evening session also featured an evocative rendition of the Ashtapadi “Kuru Yadu Nandana” from Gita Govinda by eminent dancer Prabhat Kumar Swain. Other performances included duet and solo presentations by Yogita Basin and Bharda Bhaishampayan, Jagatjit Das, Brinda Chadha, Srujani Nayak and Shrutishree Swain, Arunima Acharya and Bani Ray.

The session concluded with a group Odissi performance by the artistes of Aradhana Dance Foundation.

The second evening was graced by Secretary, Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, Dr. Balaji Sinoy, eminent Odissi dancer Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, noted danseuse Smt. Deepti Mishra and Administrative Officer of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre Smt. Suchismita Mantri, among others.

It is noteworthy that around 350 dancers are participating in this year’s International Odissi Dance Festival, including about 15 international artistes.

Participants from Odisha, West Bengal, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, along with dancers from countries such as the USA, France, Germany, Australia and Malaysia, are taking part in this international dance festival.

An art exhibition based on Odissi dance, “Ama Odissi” selfie stand and Odissi-themed sand art installations have also been arranged, attracting considerable attention from the youth.