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Music, dance fest from December 26

BHUBANESWAR: Apparently motivated by the Third International Odissi Festival hosted here by an U.S.-based cultural forum exactly a year ago, the State government plans to launch an annual international Odissi dance and music festival in the Capital. Being organised by the State-owned Odissi Research Centre with the financial assistance of the Department of Culture, it would be a five-day affair this year commencing December 26.

Slated to be organised at the Utkal Mandap open-air auditorium in the heart of the city, the event would showcase Odissi dancers in solo, duet and groups. For Odissi music, there would not be any group presentations. The show would also include Odissi mardal, the percussion instrument that accompanied the dance recitals. Sources in the Department of Culture said that a budget of Rs.10 lakhs was earmarked to host the festival.

The department had received applications from more than one hundred dancers from all over the country and a selection committee was short-listing it. Several eminent Odissi dancers of the likes of Sonal Mansingh were also being invited to perform, it was learnt. While performances would be staged during evenings, a number of seminars on Odissi dance, music and mardal would be organised during daytime. The indoor auditorium of the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya adjacent to the Utkal Mandap was chosen as the venue for the deliberations. Even though the government named it as an international festival, city-based artistes were not even aware of the event. When contacted, almost all prominent Odissi dancers said they were not aware of such an event. “An international festival needs planning. How can the government plan it without any information to dancers and publicity?” they questioned.

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