Bhubaneswar: Eminent Odissi dancer Mamata Satpathy’s Shree Dasabatar Natyashala, one of the premier Odissi dance institutions in Odisha, presented ‘Nrutya Barnali’ at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar on June 23, turning the auditorium into a confluence of rhythm, grace, and emotion.
Shree Dasabatar Natyashala was established in 2004 by Mamata to propagate Odissi dance and give a platform to budding artistes and since then the ‘Nrutya Barnali’ festival has been organizing. Mamata, who began her journey at the age of seven, has created a niche for herself. She is a graded artiste of Doordarshan and has participated at several prestigious festivals in India and abroad and won many awards and accolades.
The evening witnessed the presence of guests like eminent Odissi dancer Padma Shri recipient Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, editor of Banichitra Bhaskar Jena and Abhijit Singh who inaugurated the evening session by lighting the auspicious lamp.
On this occasion, Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, writer Smt Subhashree Pattanayak, senior gynaecologist and social worker Dr Prakash Chandra Mishra were awarded ‘Natyashala Samman’ and Divyang artiste Smita Soumya Swain with ‘Nrutya Barnali Samman’.
The cultural evening got off to a fine start with the artistes of Shree Dasabatar Natyashala presenting ‘Devi Stutee’, choreographed by Guru Niranjan Rout, music composed by K Ramarao Patra and directed by Guru Mamata Satpathy.
The well-trained dancers (Gangotri Maharana, Adyasha Panda, Abhipsa Pattanayak, Ananya Das, Beauty Swain, Pritipriyadarshini, Swapana Smrutirekha, Sushree Sagarika Kundu and Smrutishreya Sahoo) delineated the devine aspects of goddesses like Dhumabati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, Chhinnamasta, Kamala and Bhairavi. The dancers’ neat formations and synchronized movements added visual finesse to the devotional piece.
The second item of the evening was a solo Odissi dance recital by young dancer Biswabhushan Champatiray, a disciple of Guru Niranjan Rout. His presentation ‘Bada Mayabi Jiba Nuhen Kahari’, instantly stroke a chord with the art lovers for its neat presentation. In this presentation, visualized on a poem written by Yoshabant Das, choreographed by Guru Prof Nabakishore Mishra, music composed by Suramani Ramesh Chandra Das and directed by Guru Niranjan Rout, Champatiray very neatly traced the journey of life from womb to old age, drawing a thunderous applause.
He currently mentors aspiring dancers through his institution ‘Nikwan’ with branches in Bhubaneswar, Talcher, and Dhenkanal.
The mood turned lyrical with Vidisha Basumallik and Rohini Samal, both are disciples of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, presenting a scintillating Odissi duet recital.
While both the dancers are graded artistes of Doordarshan and holders of senior scholarships, Vidisha is doing her Master in Sociology at KIIT and Rohini is pursuing her Master in Micro Biology at OUAT.
They presented ‘Rageshree Pallavi’, choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music composed by Guru Sukant Kumar Kunduand rhythm composed by Guru Niranjan Patra. In this pure dance item, their clarity of mudras and refined stances elevated the audiences’ artistic enjoyment to a high level.
A welcome musical interlude followed as Aditya Mohanty, a special youth who is presently working as a Yoga teacher at a special school, charmed the music lovers with playing ‘Dhire Dhire Chaal Re Samaya’ on the Keyboard.
Carrying forward the classical spirit, Meenakshi Chakraborty, a disciple of Biswabhushan Champatiray, presented ‘Basant Pallavi’, choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra.
The item showcased her earnest attempt at interpreting the maestro’s intricate choreography.
The art connoisseurs were next treated with a group Odissi dance recital ‘Radha Rani Sange Nache’, set to Raga Bakulabharan and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, music composed by Guru Ramhari Das directed by Mamata Satpathy.
The dancers (Swastka Sahu, Pratyasha Rout, Anwesha Priyadarshini, Ipsa Mohanty, Aditi Ashpruha Pattanayak, Shreyashree Biswal, Adyasha Panda, Ananya Priyadarshini Dash) left the art lovers glued to their seats with their neat presentation.
The evening’s most heartwarming surprise came when eight mothers of students took to the stage, presenting a lively Sambalpuri folk dance. Their spirited performance earned loud cheers and reminded everyone that age and responsibility are no bar to passion.
The spirited moms included Sumitra Chhotray, Priyanka Patra, Monalisha Swain, Arundhati Mansingh, Tapaswini Swain, Kalyani Nayak, Rinkilata Das, and Rama Devi.
Bringing down the curatin on the evening, about 40 dancers of the host institution presented a folk dance ‘Asichi Pahili Raja’, leaving the audience beaming with festive joy.
The anchor of the evening was Sagar Kumar.
Earlier in the day, the afternoon session saw participation from about 100 artistes, reflecting the institution’s commitment to inclusivity and talent promotion. The session was graced by writer Tanaya Das Goswami, Odissi dancer Namita Ray, and film artiste Hitesha Bag.
With performances steeped in tradition and brimming with talent, ‘Nrutya Barnali’ once again proved why it continues to be a cherished celebration of dance, discipline, and devotion.
