By Kedar Mishra
It is always an ecstatic confusion to watch dance recitals on the backdrop of an ancient architectural marvel. You do not exactly know who is more beautiful: The frozen dancers on the temple walls or the kinetic dance displayed on a modern stage!
The Mukteswar Dance Festival, an annual Odissi affair organised by Odihsa Tourism in the premises of the magnificent Mukteswar group of temples is one of the most prestigious dance events in India where the best of Odissi performers present their choreographic wizardry. Held every year from January 14 to January 16, the festival is a window to the ancient and experimental art works of Odissi and offers the audiences an excellent opportunity to look at the architectural brilliance of Kalinga school of arts.
The festival is designed to showcase a musical chorus in the beginning, a solo, a duet and a group presentation of Odisi dance for three days. This year, the festival menu was dominated by young and upcoming Odissi dancers. In solo Surupa Sen from Nrityagram in Bengaluru and Lingaraj Pradhan and Jahnabi Behera from Bhubaneswar; In duet Rajib Bhattacharya and Subikash Mukherjee from Kolkota, Lipsa Satapathy and Y. Asha Kumari from New Delhi and Tapan Kumar Sahu and Bidya Biswajita from Bhubaneswar; and in group Nritya Naivedya of Bhubaneswar, Gurukul of Kolkota and Gunjan Dance Academy of Cuttack presented their choreographic pieces.
As far the solo is concerned, I have to leave Surupa Sen’s performance from my list of critical evaluation as I missed her show in the first evening. Earlier, I had seen her as a brilliant performer and indeed it is my loss to miss her recital in Mukteswar. Lingaraj Pradhan and Jahnabi Behera, both Bismillah Khan Award winners and offshoots of the Guru Gangadhar Pradhan school came up with extraordinary lyricism of their bodies. As always, Pradhan was vibrant and energetic in his dance movements. Tremendous energy was on display in his Ananda Bhairabi Pallavi and Rudrashtakam but he needs to focus a little more to execute the philosophical nuances of Rudrashtakam in dance. Behera began with Jaganaathashtakam, blended with Khamaj Pallavi and she concluded her recital by performing Mahisha Mardini Stotram. In the first few minutes Jahnabi’s swings were a bit over stretched, but as the dance picked momentum she balanced her body and brought the perfect poetic grace to depict the Bhavas.
In duets, Rajib Bhattacharya and Subikash Mukherjee presented Bhagabat Geeta, a known choreography of Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra. It was a plain, linear and sans-nuances narrative, but choreographed neatly. The static face of Bhattacharya needs a little bit of mobility. The dancers must understand that perfection of the body is not all about Odissi; they must go beyond their body. Lipsa Satapathy and Y. Asha Kumari, came up as a brilliant dance pair, perfectly complementing each other throughout the dance. Asha Kumari’s body language was perfectly balanced. She displayed aesthetically controlled body movements both in Pallavi and Nava Rasa. On the other hand, a gracious Satapathy was rich with a face, which could tell hundreds of tales at one go.
Tapan Kumar Sahu and Bidya Biswajita – youngest of them all – registered their promises to be the dancers of future. Sahu was highly vibrant and Biswajita tremendously expressive.
In group shows, the tried and tested Gunjan Dance Academy led by veteran dancer and choreographer Meera Das stood out as the show stealer of the festival. The all-girl troupe was perfectly gelled to the ideas and musicality of its choreographic patterns. The group presented Desh Pallavi, Shiva Panchakshara Stotram and Moksha but their Desh Pallavi can be called a real Pallavi, bloomed petal by petal, from slow pace to the medium and then to the fast pace. Pallavi is literally a process of flower blooming, but what most of the choreographers do is, they begin with an explosion and end up with big bang. Desh Pallavi by Gunjan Dance Academy was a real bloom, a perfect beauty.
The young and dynamic Pravat Swain’s Nritya Naivedya displayed perfection and energy in equal measure, but they have to develop a bit of discipline on stage.
I have no comment to make on very senior dancer and choreographer Sutapa Talukdar of Gurukul, except one word: “Disastrous”.
