The third and fourth days of the ongoing International Odishi Dance Festival on Saturday and Sunday witnessed some of the sterling presentations that belonged to the legacy left by late Guru Gangadhar Pradhan through his Bhubaneswar-based world famous Orissa Dance Academy (ODA).
These memorable presentations were made by four city-based Odishi institutions – ODA, now under direction of distinguished danseuse Guru Aruna Mohanty, Rudrakshya Foundation of Guru Bichitrananda Swain who is known world-wide for his path-breaking choreographies besides grooming the best of male dancers, emerging potential choreographer Pravat Kumar Swain who heads his Nrutya Naibedya Odishi institution and Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Prativa award winner Lingaraj Pradhan who heads the department of Odishi dance at Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.
Incidentally, all these famed institutions and gurus, both seniors and emerging, were groomed by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan who passed away early in life a decade ago but created a benchmark for quality teaching and tradition in Odissi like legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra whose Srjan dance institution also continues to craft out quality dance and dancers.
Pravat Kumar Swain, disciple of Guru Aruna Mohanty, is emerging faster as a highly promising dancer, choreographer and trainer among the young generation. Hidimba, that he choreographed and danced, was outstanding in concept and treatment. His young disciple Maitree Maheswari, who enacted Pravat’s choreography of an expressional number Shyamanagar He with incredible maturity and appeal, proved how the young trainer has an eye for talent and vision in grooming the talent.
Rudraprasad Swain, another young disciple of Guru Aruna Mohanty, danced into the hearts of the audience with a very captivating presentation of Aswasthama, a character from The Mahabharat. In all aspects of a dance production — concept, script, choreography, direction, music, stage craft and dancing — this peerless presentation would continue to live on longer in the memory of the spectators.
Continuing with the trend of starting the evening sessions daily with a star dancer, the festival presented New Delhi based Kavita Dwibedy and Vishnu Tattwa Das from USA on Saturday and Sunday respectively who were the biggest crowd-pullers.
