Bhubaneswar: The seventh edition of National Dance Festival, organised by Nrutyanipuna Odissi Dance Institution, was held at Jayadev Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on October 1, bringing together an array of India’s classical and folk dance traditions.
Spread over two sessions-afternoon and evening sessions- the festival featured an impressive lineup of classical and folk dance forms, including Odissi, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Sattriya, patriotic dances, devotional presentations and Sambalpuri folk dance, presented by over 50 artistes.
The evening witnessed the presence of distinguished guests including former Rajya Sabha member Smt. Sarojini Hembram, renowned vocalist Guru Sri Bhagirathi Nayak, noted Odia film actor Choudhury Jayaprakash Das, Bhakta Prahallad Charan Patnaik, Sri Kedar Mishra, and acclaimed singer Rupak Kumar Parida who inaugurated the festival by lighting the auspicious lamp. The institution’s founder Guru Smt. Pratima Mishra and director Dr Priyanka Mishra, her daughter and disciple, Guru Smt Priyanka Mishra also shared the dais.
The evening then proceeded to the felicitation ceremony. The institution felicitated two accomplished Odissi dancers and gurus with the “Nrutyanipuna Nrutyashiromani Samman.” The recipients were Guru Narayan Pandey of Puri and Bipanchi Das of Bhubaneswar for their significant contributions to the world of dance. The evening also witnessed renowned lyricist Kalicharan Mishra being felicitated with “Sangeet Kalashree Samman”, in recognition of his contribution and excellence in the field of music.
Adding another feather to the institution’s cap, its first souvenir was formally unveiled by the chief guest.
The cultural evening got off to a fine start with a solo Odissi recital by eminent Odissi dancer Dr. Priyanka Mishra, who is also the director of Nrutyanipuna.
She presented “Lakshmi Nrusingha Stotram”, choreographed by Guru Dr Gajendra Panda, music composed by Guru Gopal Chandra Panda and rhythm by Guru Dhaneswar Swain. With her precise movements, expressive abhinaya and commanding stage presence, she cast a magical spell on the audience.
The following item was an abhinaya “Chandana Charchita”, presented by Guru Narayan Pandey.
Choreographed by Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the piece explored Krishna’s playful dalliance with damsels in Vrindavan. It revealed his abhinaya talent he learnt from several gurus including Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
The spotlight was then shifted to another solo Odissi presentation by Bipanchi Das, daughter of legendary Odissi maestro Guru Debaprasad Das. She presented “Kubja”.
Choreographed by the artiste herself, music composed by Matruprasad Das, rhythm composed by Guru Dhanerswar Swain and lyrics by Dr (Er) Srinivas Ghatuary, the piece the transformation of Kubja, the cursed hunchback woman, into a beautiful woman by Lord Krishna, whom she longs to unite with in divine love. Bipanchi’s deft portrayal of both Krishna and Kubja drew warm appreciation from the audience.
Guest artistes from different parts of the country added further colour and variety to the evening.
Noted Bharatanatyam exponent vidushi Supriya Karthikeyan from Bengaluru and her daughter Kruthika presented ‘Varnam’.
Choreographed by the artiste herself, with song composed by Guru Lalgudi Jayaraman, set to Ragam Chaarukesi and Talam Adi, the piece displayed the mother-daughter duo’s remarkable command over technique and left the art lovers thoroughly captivated with their polished and graceful presentation.
Next, renowned Sattriya dancer Shivangi Rattna Barua from Assam performed a solo Sattriya presentation.
Sattriya is a classical dance form originated in Assam and got recognition as a classical dance form of India by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000.
A graded artiste of Doordarshan and an empaneled artiste of the EZCC, Shivangi is a disciple of SNA awardee Guru Ramkrishna Talukdar and Guru Smt. Rumi Talukdar and is also pursuing her advanced training under Padmabhushan Nrityacharya Jatin.
She opened her recital with ‘Nadubhongi Ramdani’, choreographed by SNA awardee Guru Ramkrishna Talukdar. Deeply rooted in the Sattriya tradition, the piece is a vibrant technical prelude showcasing posture, footwork, rhythmic control and the dancer’s command over the form. The term Nad signifies resonance, while Bhangi refers to rhythmic postures and body bends.
She followed it up with ‘Bane Banamali’, choreographed by Padmabhushan Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami, with soulful vocals by Shri Dhrubajyoti Barua and Smt. Krantika Sandilya. The presentation brought alive the divine charm of Lord Krishna, or Banamali, in the idyllic, flower-blooming groves of Vrindavan. The performance portrays Krishna’s playful role as the beloved child of Yashoda and the guardian of the herds—adorned in a garland of wild flowers, waist bells, and anklets, walking with the majestic stride of an elephant.
With clarity in footwork, fluid body movements and expressive abhinaya, she held the rasikas completely in her thrall.
The audience was then treated to a mother-daughter duet, but this time an Odissi recital by Poulomi Mukherjee and her daughter Ithena from Kolkata.
They presented ‘Jaya Mahesha Jata Juta…”, set to Raga Ragamalika and Tala Talamalika, choreographed and rhythm composed by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra and music by Debashis Sarkar.
Right from the opening movements, the dancers captivated the audience with their refined technique and graceful execution, creating a vivid iconographical image of Lord Shiva and his attributes. It was a visual treat, indeed.
The penultimate item came as a pleasant surprise for the art connoisseurs. A Kolkata-based Kathak exponent, Guru Smt. Soma Sebak, who is about to turn 60, left the audience mesmersised with her astonishing energy and stamina.
Her remarkable performance featuring 54 spins earned thunderous applause, which continued long after she had left the stage. The globe-trotter Kathak guru presented an array of Bols, Tehai, Chakkar,Tatkars and Drut Footwork, before concluding her recital with a Sufi dance on ghazal sung by Mitali Singh.
The festival concluded on a vibrant note with a captivating Sambalpuri duet on the immensely popular “Rangabati” song, performed by Guru Smt Pratima Mishra and her daughter Dr Priyanka Mishra.
The afternoon session was attended by Odissi exponent and poet Tilaka Sri Arttatrana Satapathy as the guest of honour and Pandit Satya Narayan Das and Sri Kalicharan Mishra were among the other distinguished guests who lit the ceremonial lamp.
The session’s opening performance was a patriotic duet presented by dancers of Nrutyanipuna Odissi Dance Institution, followed by a group Odissi presentation of Sthayee by the institution’s dancers.
This was followed by solo Odissi performances by the institution’s Anushka, Archita, Ashriya, Nikshita, Chinmayee, Lishna, Snehasree, Anwita, Anshita and Akankshya. Each performance received generous applause. Adding colour to the session, artists from Bengaluru’s Natyapriya Nrutya Kalaniketan presented two Bharatanatyam items.
Next, the art lovers were treated to group Odissi dance presentations by the dancers from Nrutyakshyin Odissi Dance Institution, Bhubaneswar. The programme was compered by Dr. (Engineer) Srinivas Ghatuari.
The festival was brought to a successful close through the tireless efforts of Smt. Pratima Mishra, founder of Nrutyanipuna, along with the wholehearted cooperation of the institution’s office-bearers, parents and supporters.
The organisers also expressed their gratitude to all the sponsors whose generous support helped make the festival a success.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Priyanka Mishra.
