Mesmerizing Odissi dance program at the HTGC
Chicago IL: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago and Utkalaa Dance Academy jointly presented Orissa Dance Academy’s “Gatha Odissi – a journey from the temple to the stage” featuring brilliant performances by artists from the state of Orissa on Saturday, May 18 at the Sama Rathi Auditorium of the temple. A capacity filled crowd of more than 300 people enjoyed watching the vibrant dances, specially designed lighting effects and the audio with melodic songs. The evening began with a prayer by priest Murali Kidambi and was followed by Usha Pariti, the Fine Arts chair and the temple’s vice president Mr. Bhima Reddy, who both welcomed the audiences to the evening’s program. Later, Madhavi Adivi and Ipsita Mahapatra introduced all the artists to the audience. It was Ipsita Mahapatra of Utkalaa Dance Academy, Chicago who was instrumental in bringing this amazing program to the temple. The ballet program started with Kanch Pallavi, a dance composition by Aruna Mohanty, that depicted the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath (Rath Yathtra) in the traditional Odissi style. Aruna Mohanty explained that most of the traditions in Odisha (Orissa) are connected with the temple and the Lord Jagannath and that the basic dances that were offered […]
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