Scintillating Odissi dance recital, folk dances mark the 4th evening of 25th Vedvyas Sangeet Nrutyotsav
By Sukanta Kumar Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Nov 5: The magic of mesmerizing Odissi dance recital and the popular Natua Folk Dance of Purulia created an ambiance of celebration filled with rhythmic beats and melodious tunes in the 4th evening of the 25th edition of the enthralling Vedvyas Sangeet Nrutyotsav-2022. Notably the 5-day dance and music extravaganza is organized under the aegis of Bhanja Kala Kendra at the open air auditorium in the Steel City Rourkela.
The classical dance segment of the evening began with an exquisite and fascinating group Odissi dance performance by renowned Odissi Exponent and Sangeet Natak Award winner Sangeeta Das and her group from Puducherry. In the impressive dance recital ‘Parikshit Mukti’, a story from Mahabharata on King parikhita who was known for his righteousness, Sangeeta looked posed and maintained her meditative element through both her expression and fleet footwork. Her serene eyes and the simplicity of approach were vividly visible in her enchanting performance. The other Odissi Dance recitals included ‘JagannathaStakam’, consisting of eight verses specially glorifying the Lord of Universe – Lord Jagannath uttered from the mouth of Sri Chaitanya 500 years back and ‘Ashadhasya Pratham Divase’ depicting a beautiful story of a girl, first rain of Ashadha and a peacock .
An enthralling Natua Folk Dance was presented by artistes from Purulia (West Bengal). The martial dance displayed vigorous, physical feats to the beating of drums by spirited men with chalk painted bodies. The cultural programme commenced with a riveting Tabla concert presented by Guru Sri Padmanabha Nayak and artistes of Bhanja Kala Kendra.
Mr. Nikunja Kishore Swain, Business Head, Gaja Engineering, Hyderabad graced the occasion as the Chief Guest while Mr. Kaushal Kishore, Business Unit Head of NSPCL, Rourkela was the Guest of Honour. Mr. Sasanka Pattnaik and Ms. Koyena Dastidar anchored the show.
