CUTTACK: Dancers of repute from around 10 countries are set to show off their passion for India's own classical dance forms as the Millennium City is ready to usher in the New Year with a unique celebration of dance and music.
The Cuttack Mahotsav - International Dance and Music Festival and National Dance and Music Competition will kick off on January 2, bringing dancers, vocalists, instrumentalists, choreographers and critics from India as well as countries like USA, Canada, Russia, Italy, France, Brazil, UK, Germany, Slovakia, Japan and Australia on stage.
The festival will cover eight forms of Indian classical dance from Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Kathakali, Manipuri to Sattriya. The vivid colours, expressions, grace and dignity of the dance forms will be accentuated by more than 500 performers both eminent and promising.
International performers like Elena Catalano from Italy, Andrea Albergaria from Brazil, Chloe Romero from France and Yuki Sato from Japan will perform Odissi while Priya Narayan from US and Hiten Mistry from UK will present Bharatanatyam during the week-long festival. Alicia Kuchlova from Slovakia will intersperse her Indian classical dance with Egyptian dance.
Exponents and eminent performers from India like Ileana Citaristi's Group for Odissi, Bharatanatyam artistes Dr Padmini Krishnan and Dr Draupadi Praveen from Kerala, Kathak dansuese Dr Mitul Sengupta from Kolkata and Mohiniattam danseuse Saji Menon from Mumbai will also participate, said secretary Prof Kartik Chandra Rath.
The music festival will feature classical music like Carnatic, Hindustani, Odissi, Thumri-Dadra along with instrumental renditions.
"The objective is to present Indian classical dance and music in a proper perspective and popularise them among the younger generation which is moving away from our rich traditions and cultural heritage. It also seeks to provide the young performers a stage where they can showcase their talent and learn from the maestros," Prof Rath said. The festival will be entirely documented and digitised for preservation as well as providing resources to the researchers of today and tomorrow, he added.