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Odissi, Mohiniyattam enthral people

KONARK: Enchanting presentation of India’s two wonderful dance styles – Odissi and Mohiniyattam – at the third evening of the ongoing Konark national festival of Indian classical dances was a delight for the huge turnout of connoisseurs here on Saturday.

The 18-member troupe of Odissi dancers led by eminent dancer and former chief of the state-owned Odissi Research Centre, Kumkum Mohanty, set the mood of the evening with their impressive presentation of Kumkum’s new choreographic composition Taal Manjari.

It was an attempt to express the intricate rhythmic patterns of the percussion through the language of dance – footwork, hand gestures and body movements – as done in parans in Kathak style.

It was followed by solo recital of expressional dance – Srupanakha – by the dancer-choreographer.

However, it was the dance ballet Devi depicting the meeting of the seven deities of Orissa - Harachandi, Bhagabati, Cuttack Chandi, Charchika, Samaleswari, Sarala and Bimala – at the temple of Lord Jagannath.

The dance ballat smesmerised with its music, rhythm and movements synthesising the typical music and dance patterns of the respective regions that the deities come from.

Aptly as the name suggests, Mohiniyattam – the dance of the enchantress – presented by the budding and brilliant dancers of the well-known Kerala Kalamandalam was intensely enchanting and sublime.

The troupe’s peerless performance commenced with the customary prayer to Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati followed by a 25-minute short but brilliant presentation of the story of the Ramayan in keerthnam, one of the famous compositions of poet Swati Tirunal.

As a befitting tribute to Orissa’s 12th century saint-poet Jayadev, the troupe staged Chandana charchita navakalebara.

It was one of the astapadis from the immortal Geet Govind and concluded conventionally with a thillana that explores movement dynamics of the dancers.

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