BENGALURU: The city’s Odissi dance festival, Naman, is back with its 10th edition this year, which will take place on Sunday, August 11. Odissi dance institution Nrityantar will be presenting the festival, which will feature three thematic dance ballets by leading Odissi ensembles.
When translated, Naman means salutation, which is a tribute to the Guru, the visible embodiment of God. Through this event, the institute aims to showcase varied styles and schools of Odissi dance. For example, Nrityantar Dance Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Madhulita Mohapatra, will present their newest offering: A dance ballet adapted from the popular tragic tale of the immortal love of Mirza and Sahiba, titled Satyam Prema Amaram.
The Odisha Dance Academy from Bhubaneswar, will stage their dance production titled Amazing Odisha. The production will cover numerous episodes of the historical glory and artistic excellence of Odisha, through major art forms of the state like Odissi, Mahari, Gotipua, Chhau, Sambalpuri and Geetinatya.
City-based troupe Sanjali Ensemble will also stage their production Sookshma, which is based on the Kannada folktale ‘A Flowering Tree’ by A K Ramanujan.
The dance talks about a woman who is blessed with the ability to transform into a flowering tree, her selflessness and her ability to give. The programme, which will begin at 5pm at ADA Rangamandira, JC Road, Bengaluru, will also be attended by senior gurus, dancers, art scholars and dignitaries from the art world.