In view of the ensuing Nabakalebar festival, the annual Konarak Festival has something different for this year. Besides classical dances, two new dance forms, including Mahari and Gotipua, would be showcased during the five-day cultural extravaganza beginning from December 1, informed Culture Secretary Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee at a Press meet here on Tuesday.
“With the recommendations of the selection committee, we have included Gotipua and Mahari dances in the Konark Festival. As the Odishi dance was originated from Gotipua and Mahari dances, we have decided to present these two old dance forms in the festival,” said Dr Padhee.
like every year, the dance festival, hosted by the State Tourism and Culture department, will be held at an open-air theatre at Konark. Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda will inaugurate it.
Students of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and the Utkal University of Culture here will present Odishi dances on the first day. Veteran Kathak danseuse Padmashri Shovana Narayan would also present a Kathak performance on the day. Besides, other classical dance forms like Kuchipudi, Odishi, Sattriya classical dance of Assam and Bharat Natyam, etc, would be presented by several eminent artists. The Indian Council of Cultural Relation (IICR) has approved to sponsor a Bhutan traditional dance performance during the event on December 5, he added.
Coinciding with the dance festival, an International Sand Art Festival would also be held at the Chandrabhaga beach for five days. The sand art festival would have various themes like climates change, disability and the Nabakalebar festival, etc, the Secretary added.
Three international sand artists from Canada, Bulgaria and Russia would participate in the sand art festival this year. That apart, nearly 30 sand artists from across the country, including Sudarshan Patnaik and Manmohan Mohapatra, would participate in it.