Odissi's lyrical fluidity charms Capital

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Praising the greatness of the Ganga — it all started from here. And flowing like water gracefully, four Odissi dancers from India took the auditorium of Moksh on June 8 on a ride that was absolutely fluid. In the next one and half hours, the aura of classical and traditional infused with the feel of beauty being

continued.

Thanks to Odissi exponent Madhavi Mudgal and her troupe — Arushi Mudgal, Shalakha Rai and Shobha Bisht — who brought to life the tradition of Odisha through Odissi, which is one of the oldest and eight classical dance forms of India, at ‘Parampara Vistaar’.

Organised by the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), the Odissi dancers from India allured every single spectator present in the venue with their splendid performances.

Ganga Staban by the four dancers started the evening followed by a solo dance recital Nataraj by the Odissi exponent herself Madhavi Mudgal. Then there were solos, duets and ‘abhinay’ which is expressional piece like Geet Govind.

Mesmerised by their performance was Anita Tamrakar from Lagankhel in the crowd. As a student of Bharatanatyam, she felt that she should come and witness Odissi. She shared, “I have watched Odissi performance before but then it was performed by students. But this one is beautiful performed by professionals,” adding that “the expressions, footwork and mudra were great about their

performances.”

No doubt Mudgal was great with her expression and effortless dancing, but the other three were also exceptionally good. From their strong footwork to sculpturesque poise to expressive expressions, everything was praiseworthy. And the Odissi repertoire were indeed spot on with formations and synchronisation in group performances while the ghunguru that the dancers wore added to the classical music played in the

background.

Watching the four dancing so beautifully, everyone was in awe. Their performance were lyrical, feminine and exquisite. And it was this quality of this art that that motivated ICC to have Mudgal and her trope perform Odissi in Nepal.

On the other hand, enthusiasts like Tamrakar watched the performances in anticipation despite sweating hot at the venue. And, Arushi shared her performing experience as “it was wonderful even with the fact that there was no proper stage. It is a great experience for all of us.”