Bhubaneswar: The curtains came down on the two-day 7th Lasya Labanya Dance Festival, organised by Biswanath Sangeetalaya, at Utkal Rangamanch in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
The concluding evening treated art lovers to captivating solo Odissi dance recitals by Vidushi Sujata Mohapatra and promising dancer Aarya Nande (Chhattisgarh), along with mesmerising group presentations by the artistes of Gunjan Dance Academy, Cuttack and Sanchari Ensample, Bhubaneswar.
Founded in 1999 by Guru Prafulla Kumar Ray at Bachhada, a nondescript village under Basudevpur constituency in Bhadrak district, Biswanath Sangeetalaya had a humble beginning. Named after Guru Prafulla Kumar Ray’s father, the sapling has grown into a flourishing tree with spreading its branches in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Under the stewardship of president Guru Prafulla Kumar Ray and secretary Guru Dr Dipti Routray, the institution has nurtured a generation of talented dancers who have performed at various prestigious state-level and national-level festivals, bringing glory to the institution.
The evening began with the auspicious lighting the lamp ceremony attended by dignitaries including Rtn Yagyansis Mohapatra, CSNA awardee Odissi dancer and cine artiste Smt Sangeeta Dash, eminent Odissi dancer and cine artiste Smt Prativa Panda. The host institution’s president Guru Prafulla Kumar Ray and secretary Dr Dipti Routray were also present on the dais. While Er Umashankar Pattanayak, chief adviser to Biswanath Sangeetalaya, delivered a vote of thanks, the festival’s director Pradeep Ray took care of every detail from behind the curtains.
The evening then proceeded with a felicitation ceremony. Guru Prafulla Ray Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Guru Sunil Singhmahanta, ex-principal of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, recognising his contribution to the art world.
The cultural evening got off to a fine start with world-acclaimed Odissi exponent Guru Sujata Mohapatra, who is celebrated for her flawless body movements, facial expressions, perfection and emotive depth.
The ace disciple and daughter-in-law of Padmavibhushan recipient legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra commenced her recital with an invocation to Lord Jagannath, followed by a stunning presentation of ‘Jugmadwanda Pallavi’, set to Raga Bageshree and Tala Ektali, choreographed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and music composed by Pandit Damodar Hota. Her dance, marked by fluid body movements and precision, unfolded like a blossoming pallavi on the stage, leaving the art lovers enchanted.
She followed it up with an evocative abhinaya ‘Braja Ku Chora’, choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra with music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra. The song is about mother Yoshada cajoling and even terrorising little Krishna to go to sleep or else the thief who has come to Braja will take him away.
Witnessing her play the parts of Yoshada and Krishna and transitioning from one character to another was seamless is a sheer delight for both trained and untrained eyes. The abhinaya was so meticulously presented that this reviewer, and most viewers, at no point felt the absence of Krishna and Yoshada on the stage.
She was ably supported by the live orchestra-Rajesh Kumar Lenka (Voval), Ekalabya Muduli (Mardala), Guru Ramesh Chandra Das (Violin) and Guru Prashuram Das (Flute).
Keeping the mood of the evening, six well-trained artistes of Gujan Dance Academy, Cuttack, established by Guru Smt Meera Das, took the stage with ‘Moods of Rhythm’, conceptualized and choreographed by Guru Meera Das, music and rhythm composed by Mardala exponent Guru Dhaneswar Swain. A pure dance item, here styles and patterns of Odissi Mardala is beautifully explored. What made the presentation a treat for senses was the artistes’ energetic body movements.
They followed it with ‘Sarva Mangalam’, a graceful portrayal of human being’s eternal quest for peace, choreographed by Guru Smt Meera Das, music composed by Kshiti Prakash Mohapatra and rhythm by Soumya Ranjan Nayak. The performers-Bidya Biswajita, Priyanka Jena, Swapna Dutta, Bhagyashree Aich, Swarnamayee Behera and Sreekruti Das-drew applause for their immaculate synchronization and space management in both items.
The third item of the evening was a solo Odissi dance recital by Ms Aarya Nande from Chhattisgarh.
A disciple of Guru Dr Gajendra Panda and recipient of many accolades including this year’s Guru Debaprasad Yuva Prativa Award, Nande presented ‘Durga Tandav’, based on Raga Patadeep and Tala Ektali and Tripata and choreographed by her guru. The item is dedicated to Goddess Durga and it was delight to watch Nande portray the goddess’s might, grace and ferocity with ease. Her performance rich in swiftness and perfection left the audience moved and appreciative.
The evening drew to close with a scintillating group Odissi recital by the artistes of Sanchari Ensemble, founded by young and talented dancer Rudraprasad Swain. They presented ‘Nayika’, choreographed and directed by Rudraprasad Swain, music by Agnimitra Behera and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain.
In this item, based on a poem written by Smt Manorama Choudhury, the divine love between Radha and Krishna is explored. The dancers-Ranjita Priyadarshini Pani, Subhasini Mallick, Preeti Pragyan Das, Suvashree Suchismita Mallick, Elinamanjari Mallick and Ankita Bhoi-brought the poetic narrative to life with their charm and elegance.
The eloquent anchoring by Bijay Malla, who provided insightful information before each piece and the evocative light design by Debi Prasad Mishra added colour to an already memorable evening.
