4th Meera Dance Festival organized by Nrutyayan concludes, audience enthralled by Bharatanatyam dance by Kirti Ramgopal

Bhubaneswar: The 4th annual classical dance festival of classical dance institution Nrutyayan, Meera Dance Festival, organized by Padma Shri awardee Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir, was held over two days at the local Rabindra Mandap.

The closing ceremony was graced by Smt. Suchishmita Manish, OCS-1, Deputy Director, (Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture), Government of Odisha, Smt. Anuradha Mishra (ADG, National Academy of Customs, Central Excise and Narcotics) and Shri Arun Kumar Behera, honorable
Guests.

Meera Dance Festival has been a regular fixture in the cultural calendar of Odisha has become a part of the programme. While Odissi is its main focus, the festival also showcases other Indian classical dance forms. The aim is to promote dialogue between India’s diverse classical traditions and to promote and propagate Odissi. This year’s festival saw Odissi dancer Aloka Kanungo being awarded the “Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Lifetime Achievement Award” and Bangalore’s eminent Kuchipudi dancer Abhijit Das being awarded the “Guru Durga Charan Ranbir Youth Talent Award”.

The second and concluding evening began with a duet Odissi dance by the Guru’s senior disciples, Dr. Dipti Routray and Mrs. Sasmita Mohanty. This was followed by a solo Bharatanatyam dance performance by the renowned Bharatanatyam dancer from Bangalore, Karnataka, Ms. Kirti Ramgopal, which mesmerized the audience. The third performance featured dances The couple Shri Ashok Ghoshal and Mrs. Bandita Ghoshal performed a duet Odissi dance.

Finally, the Mira Dance Festival concluded with a group Odissi dance performance by Ustad Bismilla Khan Yuva Pratibha Awardee Shri Parvat Kumar Swain and his Nrutya Naivedya Institute. The audience and students present at the festival, including invited guests, were entertained by two evenings of extraordinary classical dance performances by renowned artists of the country. The two-day festival was conducted by Biswajit Dhalayarsingh. At the end of the program, the treasurer of the institution, Dhirendranath Patnaik, proposed the vote of thanks.