A three-day solo dance festival, Udayaraga, which aimed at encouraging young talented dancers, concluded with quite a measure of success here on Friday.
In the valedictory evening, a Mumbai-based Kuchipudi dancer Amrita lahiri opened the stage with Shiva Tarangam. Based on the Raga Malika, her dance showcased the story of the descent of the Ganga including the dance of lord Shiva. She also performed on a brass Thali (plate), which is a typical Kuchipudi style. Her striking performance, eye expression and balance on Thali enthralled the audience.
The second performance by Amrita was based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poem Esho Shyamolo Shundoro, a song on rain, where Tagore uses the metaphor of the dry earth thirsting for a shower. The dance, based on Raga Desh, was choreographed by Amrita herself.
This was followed by an Odishi rendered by Bhubaneswar-based dancer Bijan Kumar Palai. He performed on Rudra Mangala, which describes the three forms of lord Shiva, i.e., Rudra, Mahakala and Nataraja. The dance was choreographed by Guru Aruna Mohanty.
The concluding evening also witnessed a Kathak dance performance by New Delhi’s Gauri Diwakar. The inaugural and second evenings had witnessed Odishi dances by Bengaluru-based Prativa Reddy and New Delhi’s Gitanjali Acharya, a Kuchipudi by Shreelakshmy Govardhan of Kerala, among other performances. The programme was organised by the Odisha Dance Academy at the Jayadev Bhavan.