7th Odissi dance festival, NAMAN 2016 to be held on August 7 at Bengaluru
Bangalore’s very own Odissi dance festival, NAMAN, is back with its 7th edition. City-based premier Odissi institution, Nrityantar will hold its 7th Odissi dance festival, NAMAN 2016 on Sunday, August 7, 2016 at ADA Rangamandira, J C Road, Bengaluru.
Evening of lilting tunes and lyrical movements will celebrate the perfect communion of grace, elegance, melody, rhythm and expression, as the finest Odissi dancers will take stage to transport audiences to the enchanted world of beauty & bliss, at this year’s edition of the popular Odissi dance festival, NAMAN 2016, to be held on Sunday, August 7, 2016 at ADA Rangamandira auditorium, J C Road. This is one event, most Bengaluru art lovers eagerly wait for, as it offers sumptuous array of the most exquisite performances by leading artistes from the Odissi world.
NAMAN is a humble initiative to bring together and showcase varied styles & schools of Odissi dance. Since its modest beginning in the year 2010, the festival has now grown as the most awaited of all events on the city’s rich cultural calendar. ‘Naman’, literally meaning ‘salutation’, is a tribute to the Guru, the visible embodiment of God. The festival pays rich tributes to great gurus of Odissi dance for their invaluable contributions in the growth & popularisation of this extremely elegant art form. It is an event where audiences not only get the opportunity to experience beauty, richness & nuances of different styles & schools of Odissi dance by its finest exponents, they also enjoy and appreciate contributions & works of the great gurus & pioneers. In its previous editions, NAMAN has featured many well-known artistes like Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Smt. Sangeeta Dash, Guru Aruna Mohanty, Guru Bijayini Satapathy, and Guru Madhavi Mudgal among others. With the exciting line-up of artistes, the festival promises enthral audiences again.
Odissi dance is an epitome of fluid grace, lyrical beauty, sculptural sensuality and deep spirituality with curvaceous movements, sculptured poses and impeccable rhythm. With soft, lyrical and graceful movements set to lilting tunes and resonating beats of the mardala, dancers promise to transport viewers to the enchanted delight of spiritual ecstasy and divine bliss. Young talented, Niladri Mohanty hailing from Odisha is rated as one of foremost male Odissi dancers of his generation. He will mesmerise with vigour & energy of his dance combined with lyrical grace. Guru Smt. Meera Das is one of the finest Odissi dancers of present times. An epitome of perfection in poise, grace, movement & expression, she is going to spellbind everyone with the diversity & versatility of her art & her powerful abhinaya. Under her guidance & direction, her critically acclaimed Gunjan Dance Ensemble from Cuttack, will surely enthrall with their captivating moves, powerful imagery, exceptional synchronicity & seamless symmetry. USA based Kaustavi Sarkar is an extraordinarily gifted dancer, educator & dance-scholar. She is a researcher at Ohio State University and teaches Odissi dance there. She will delight viewers with grace, control, poise & precision of her art.
The performances will start on time at 5:30 pm with Niladri Mohanty, followed by Guru Smt. Meera Das & her Gunjan Dance Ensemble and Kaustavi Sarkar. Many senior gurus, dancers and dignitaries for the art world will grace the festival with their distinguished presence.