Konark: The open-air auditorium with magnificent black pagoda at the backdrop is all set to enthral the dance connoisseurs on the occasion of 30th edition of Konark Festival-2019 here in Puri district.
The auditorium and the surrounding have been bedecked with lights and colourful decorative canopies hanging from trees. Elaborate preparations starting from stage decoration to sitting arrangements are on their last stage for this five-day-long extravaganza starting December 1.
At the same time, the International Sand Art Festival at Golden Sand beach of Chandrabhaga will also be a treat for the visitors expected from different parts of the nation and abroad.
It’s a festival where the art lovers get a rare opportunity to witness reputed artistes performing their best productions. Each evening is divided into two segments and while Odissi dance is performed every evening, one of the rest classical dances is paired with it.
Governor Ganeshi Lal is scheduled to attend the inaugural evening as the chief guest. This year, the inaugural performance is an Odissi dance recital, performed by the artistes of Srjan, a Bhubaneswar based dance institute. The second item is a Kathak dance and it will be performed by guru Shama Bhate and group from Pune.
The first item of the second evening will be a Balinese dance item performed by Balinese dance group from Indonesia. The following item will be an Odissi dance recital by Kolkata based Aloka Kanungo and group.
Swapnarani Sinha and her group from Angul will present an Odissi dance recital in the third evening. The second performer will be a Mohiniyattam recital by Jayaprabha Menon and group from New Delhi.
Raja and Radha Reddy from New Delhi will open the fourth evening with a Kuchipudi performance. The second performer will be Bhubaneswar based guru Gajendra Panda and his group. The concluding evening will have a Bharatnatyam performance by Vaibhav Arekar and group and an Odissi performance by GKCM Odissi Research Centre of Bhubaneswar.
The objective behind this annual congregation of dancers, dance critics and art connoisseurs is to promote Konark, as well as Odisha as a tourist destination.
Like every year, a fair is also being put up at Konark helipad ground. Food courts, handicrafts exhibition, swings and a book fair at the Konark urban haat are expected to add colour to the five-day-long cultural extravaganza.
PNN