With the famed stone arch of the 10th-century sculptural marvel of Mukteswar Temple serving as its perfect backdrop, the stage is set for the three-day annual Mukteswar Odishi Dance Festival in the city from Saturday.
Brainchild of bureaucrat and scholar Subas Pani, a former Chief Secretary of Odisha, the festival was conceptualised and launched in 1984 to promote cultural and heritage tourism following the State Government’s launch of the ambitious annual Konark Dance Festival five years earlier.
While the Konark festival features all Indian classical dance styles, the Mukteswar festival is exclusive with Odishi.
The event, mounted on the sprawling green lawns between the Mukteswar and Parsurameswar Temples, features solo, duet and group presentations every evening spanning over two hours. Each evening commences with a chorus led by a reputed musician of the State as an offering to lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the temples. The three music troupes this year will be led by Krushna Chandra Ray, Sangita Panda and Sukanta Kundu, respectively.
The festival this year will be opened by internationally-acclaimed dancer Sujata Mohapatra, a distinguished disciple and daughter-in-law of legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She will stage her guru’s classic choreography Ramayana. It will be followed by duet presentation by the dancing couple Pabitra Pradhan and Sridutta Bhol from the city’s famed Odisha Dance Academy. New Delhi-based Natya Ballet Centre will have the final group presentation in the inaugural evening.
The second evening on Sunday will feature a solo by Pankaj Kumar Pradhan from Odisha Dance Academy followed by a duet by Bhubaneswar-based Sachikant Pradhan-Swagatika Sahoo to conclude with group presentation by Bengaluru-based Sanjali Centre for Odissi led by its founder-director SharmilaMukharjee.
The concluding evening on Monday will have young and acclaimed Saswati Garai Ghosh from Kolkata, disciple of fabulous choreographer Guru Sharmila Biswas followed by duet presentation by Arati Kar-Subhalakshmi Padhi from the Utkal Dance Research Academy of the city while the final concert of the festival will be a group presentation by Dhenkanal-based Nrutyangana Odishi Institute of Subas Swain.
The festival will be telecast on the Doordarshan and will also be webcast, the hosts informed.