Solo, duet and group Odishi dance recitals are the uniqueness of the Margi Utsav that kicked off at the Rabindra Mandap here on Wednesday.
The inaugural evening began with Guru Manoranjan Pradhan who presented a mangalacharan Nilambuja Kamala Shyamalanga based on raga malika and tala malike. The following item was his abhinaya Dhira Samire…
While both items were choreographed by legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the mangalacharan described lord Ram and the abhinaya depicted how Radha waits for Krishna and how a Sakhi tells her how handsome Krishna is. The performer was excellent in facial expressions and body movements.
Next came Bandita Ghosal, wife of Guru Ashok Ghosal who runs Nrutyashala, the host institution. She presented an abhinaya Mun Je Jani Jani Karichi Mana… Her essaying the characters of Radha and Krishna was just wonderful with lyrical body movements. The item was choreographed by Ashok Ghosal.
The following item was a duet recital by Saroj Kumar Sahoo and Subhadra Das, disciples of Ashok Ghosal, about the unusual birth of Ganesh, his fight with his father lord Shiva, severance of his
head and fixation of an elephant calf head. Both the young dancers were equally good in body movements
while lacked in facial expressions. They danced to
the choreography of Ashok Ghosal.
The concluding item was a group presentation by students of Shree Radha Kalakunja, an institute run by guru Manoranjan Pradhan. They told the story behind the place known as Manila Patna. Good execution, use of stage
space and body language of each dancer hooked the connoisseurs to their seats.