The three-day Odishi Dance Festival at the magnificent Mukteswar Temple here ended with spellbinding performances by renowned artists of national and international repute showcasing the varied items of the Odishi repertoire. It was as if the dancing damsels coming alive out of the 10th-century AD monument, the Mukteswar Temple, one of the most refined and beautiful temples of Odisha.
The evening’s programme negan after lighting of the lamp by Dr Pariyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, Director of Tourism MR Patnaik and eminent musician Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
The opening programme was the Chorus in honour of lord Shiva eulogising the glory of the lord presented by eminent music director Guru Keshaba Chandra Rout and his group.
Renowned Odishi danseuse Jhelum Paranjape started her performance with Shiva Upasana Stotra followed by Abhinaya Dhira Sameere astapadi from Geeta Govinda. The dance was choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composition by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra. Her intricate foot movements, well-articulated through symbolic gestures, evoked a spirit of spirituality and universal bliss depicting a perfect synchronisation of aesthetics and artistic elegance.
In duet, the talented couple Guru Manoranjan Pradhan and Minati Pradhan presented an invocation to lord Shiva Nagendra Haraya. In this piece, the devotee offers humble salutations to lord Maheswar, who wears a garland of serpents and has three eyes and whose body is smeared with ash. The couple’s second items was Jatayu Sambada - Hey banagiri, he latagiri mo kanta gale mruga mari. Every movement of the couple spoke of their talent, perseverance, artistic perception, technical virtuosity improvisation of Odishi nuances with aesthetics and emotions.
The concluding item was a Group Odishi presentation by Srjan, Bhubaneswar. There first presentation was Bande Mataram, a tribute to Bharat Mata, followed by performances of Hansadhawani Pallavi and Ardhanariswara. The dancers from the Srjan institutions displayed their highly refined sensibility, intricacy of structures and movements much to the appreciation by the audience.
The festival till the concluding day witnessed 7,877 domestic and 99 foreign viewers. The programme was compered by Dr Mrutyunjaya Rath and Sonali Mishra.