Konark Festival in Odisha: Odissi, Kathak fare on first evening

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Dec 1, 2014 at 10:22 PM Updated On : Dec 1, 2014 at 10:25 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Konark, Dec 1:

The five-day long Annual Konark Festival 2014, an important event in the cultural calendar of Odisha, got off to a spectacular start at the open air auditorium here this evening with the majestic Sun Temple at the back drop.

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A Kathak performace by Shobhna Narayan and her troupe on the opening evening of the five-day Konark Dance Festival on Monday (Pic: Biswaranjan Mishra) — A Kathak performace by Shobhna Narayan and her troupe on the opening evening of the five-day Konark Dance Festival on Monday
(Pic: Biswaranjan Mishra)

The first item of the evening was Odissi dance drama “Nabakalebara” presented by students of the GKCM Odissi Research Centre and Utkal University of culture. The dancers captivated the audience with their graceful movements and evocative expressions with their dance drama depicting the story of how the temple of Lord Jagannath came into being.

The Odissi performance was followed by a Kathak presentation “Bhaba Chakra” choreographed by the legendary Sobhna Narayan and performed by her disciples. It represented the cyclic existence associated with the wheels of the chariot, the abiding symbol of the Sun Temple in Konark.