Milita Utsav, a three day International Dance Festival was organised by Debnrutyam Studio from 20 to 22nd July at Seva Sadan auditorium, Malleswaram, Bangalore. It was exciting to watch different classical dance styles and contemporary dance troupe from Columbia to perform on the same platform.
This was the second year of the festival, which was organised by Debasish Pattnaik, one of the finest Odissi exponents from Rourkela (now settled down in Bangalore) with hardly any support from the Corporate sector.
The first day witnessed the exquisite debut Odissi performance by Debasish’s disciple Meghna Mishra. Meghana commenced the performance with the invocatory Mangalacharan, seeking the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Besides the Basant Pallavi that exposed the pure dance movements along with the typical “tribangis”, this number revealed Meghna’s command over rhythm and technique. The Oriya number depicted the “Viraha” of Radha. However, the piece-de-resistance of the evening was Ashta Shambo that incorporated 8 shlokas that portrayed the magnificence and glory of Lord Shiva. If Meghna continues to dance with the same amount of zeal and passion, she can definitely aspire to be among the main ranks of dancers.
The second day commenced with the Kathak performance by Russian dancer Polina and Pankaj Rawat. While their sincerity was noteworthy, their performance was partially pleasing. Pankaj is the disciple of the veteran mentor Munnalal Shukla.
Padmashri Ranjana Gauhar revealed her mastery over “abhinaya” in the ashtapadi “Dheer Sameere Yamuna Teere” that portrays the romantic relation of Radha and Krishna. Kevin Vinod Bachan from West Indies is the disciple of Guru Ranjana, his rendering of the Swati Tirunal composition “Visweswara Darshan” was praiseworthy.
Sujay Shanbag and Rekha Satish rendered an excellent Kuchipudi performance. Featuring Lord Shiva and the advent of the river Ganga was dramatised and performed with technical quality. Both make a fine team.
The last day featured the commendable performance by Debasish and his students, they performed the Kafi Pallavi and Ardha Narishwar along with the Russian dancer Elena creating a fine impact. Besides the elegant Mohiniattam performance by Dr. Neena Prasad, the grand finale in Kathak style was performed by Hari and Chetana, the dynamic duo.
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Photo Credit: Supplied by Debnrutyam Studio
