International Odissi Festival 2011: Lingaraj Pradhan and Amulya Balabantaray perform Dasavatara
Director: Bichitrananda Swain
Duration: 00:19:30; Aspect Ratio: 1.778:1; Hue: 28.967; Saturation: 0.395; Lightness: 0.058; Volume: 0.123
Summary: The 4th International Odissi Dance Festival in 2011 was held from December 23 to 30, 2011, at Rabindra Mandap Bhubaneswar. The festival was preceded by an attempt to create a world record by having around 550 dancers perform together at Kalinga Stadium. It saw the participation of most major Odissi ensembles in Orissa and a few from outside the state. With performances for over twelve hours each day, the festival featured several hundred performers in solo, duet and group works over eight days. In its scale, the festival offered a bird's eye view of the landscape of contemporary Odissi and its ever-changing nature. It foregrounded new trends in choreography, music and costuming. The seminars during the festival sparked lively debates on issues and concerns in Odissi. One such concern, voiced repeatedly, questioned the definition of tradition within the space of the dance form and the limits it could be stretched to. This raised parallel questions about innovation and experimentation in Odissi - a debate that found itself mirrored in the performances during the festival.
Lingaraj Pradhan is a senior dancer and teacher at Rudrakshya in Bhubaneswar. He has been trained under Bichitrananda Swain since the age of 15, besides being under the direct supervision of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. He has completed an M. Mus in Odissi from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and has been a recipient of the national scholarship from the government. He studied Mardala under the tutelage of Guru Sri Banamali Moharana, Guru Sri Gangadhar Pradhan and is continuing under Guru Shree Dhaneswar Swain.
Amulya Balabantaray started his initial training as a gotipua dancer under the able guidance of Bijay Kumar Sahoo. He was carefully nurtured under the direct supervision of Guru Gangadhar Pradhan at Orissa Dance Academy. Currently he is one of the upcoming artistes of Rudrakshya, being trained under the guidance of Guru Bichitrananda Swain. He is the recipient of a senior national scholarship in Odissi. Amulya has performed at many major dance festivals of India like Konark Dance Festival, Odissi Festival, Mamallapuram Festival, Natyanjali Festival, Odissi Sandhya,Megha Utsav, Mukteswar Dance Festival, etc. He also had the privilege of performing at the 2nd International Odissi Festival, 2003, USA. He has also performed at the major cities of USA in 2003.
Here, they perform Dasavatara, the first verses of the Gita Govinda, where Jayadeva eulogises the ten avatars of Vishnu.
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