The Odissi family from across the world united once again at their annual festival Odissi International which began Tuesday at the Bhanja Kala Mandap in the city. Odissi artistes from across the world will gather, perform and interact at the event. This year the festival is dedicated to Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena.
From the five year old Shrinika to the senior most dancers like Minati Mishra, Kumkum Mohanty, Ratna Roy and the star dancers like Sujata Mohapatra, Aruna Mohanty and so on will be seen performing in the city. Showcasing nearly 300 Odissi dancers and delegates from 17 countries, the 7th annual international Odissi dance festival will continue from December 20 to 24 daily from 10 am to 10 pm. The event is being hosted by 27 year old cultural organization Samskritiki in collaboration with various Odissi dance institutes of the world.
“The objective of the festival is to unite the ever growing global Odissi family in the land of Odissi once every year and to encourage the dancers to discover the cultural roots of the dance tradition. It further aims at promoting cultural tourism and fostering friendship among people of different countries and cultures through this annual union and celebration in the Land of Odissi,” said organizer Shyamhari Chakra
The countries being represented in Odissi International this year include Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malayasia, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and USA apart from India.