For the very first time, a pan-European Odishi
Dance Festival will be held spread across two largest European cities.
The four-day Europe Odishi Festival will begin on May 21 at the iconic
Garbattela Theatre in Rome, the cultural capital of Europe.
The festival being held by the Europe-based GCP Performing Arts
Centre in association with Odisha-based OYSS will be held at two of
Europe’s largest cities and cultural nerve centres, the Italian capital city
of Rome and Spanish capital city of Madrid.
The festival is being organized under the leadership of UN Diplomat
Baisali Mohanty who founded the Oxford Odishi Centre at Oxford
University in 2015 and heads the GCP Performing Arts Centre.
Well-known Italian dance exponent Silvia Vona who is the Europe
Coordinator of GCP Performing Arts is the co-convenor of the festival.
The Indian Embassy in Italy and Spain are supporting partner for the
festival.
The festival is scheduled to be attended by several European leaders,
Parliamentarians, celebrities and diplomats.
All dance choreographies have been composed on the festival theme 'Art
for Peace’ with an underlying message of global peace.
It will feature live performance by renowned Odishi dancers from both
India and Europe including Padma Shri Ileana Citaristi, Guru Rina Jana
(Kolkata), Ganga Devi Sheth, Dr Elana Catalano (London), Lipsa
Satpathy, Silvia Vona, Baisali Mohanty, Karine Leblanc (France),
Shilpa Bertuletti and their troupes.
Apart from live dance performances, the festival will also include live
Odishi workshops and exhibition on the history of Odishi dance and
Odisha.