Recently, Kolkata witnessed two vibrant performances—a solo dance by Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and recipient of Tagore Scholarship Aloka Kanungo at the Kalaakar Festival at Gyan Manch on 17th August followed by another on 26th August at Sisir Manch by her students.

Organised by the Jailal Academy of Music in the memory of Nrityacharya Pandit Ramgopal Mishra, Kalakar Festival was a beautiful amalgamation of both music and dance. Veteran percussionist Pt Sanjay Mukherjee and his students Koustabh Dhar and Koustav Chanda displayed their super mastery on taal and laya. Sitarist Kalyanjit Das rendered tabla accompaniment while Rohen Bose gave a neat and eloquent performance.

Kalaakar festival was inaugurated with an eloquent and graceful Kathak performance by Sudha Samriti Art Centre. Choreographed by Guru Rama Prosad Chattopadhyay, the group’s well-synchronised impressive execution of toda, tukuda, chakradar, Paran et al., was a visual delight. However, Ujjaini Chattopadhyay stood out in the group for her excellent tayari.

Aloka Kanungo is indeed a rare combination of stage presence and talent. She was the first recipient and the only Odissi dancer to receive the Siromoni Award in 1986. But she has maintained, despite advancing age, her grace and mobility. She presented an Odiya abhinaya, “Mo Krushna Pari”,  choreographed by her, where Josoda tries to feed infant Krishna and is trying every trick to succeed. Aloka as the epitome of grace gave a memorable performance.

Shinjan Nrityalaya presented Nrityanjali-2 at Sisir Manch on 26th August. As it was on Janmastami, they presented Raas and Makhon chori. Tiny tots Aaradhya Goswami, Sanvika Pal, Srija Nandy, Srijita Nandy, Shalini Sarkar, Janhavi Biswas, Sobhini Roy, and Snehadrita impressed the audience with their simplicity and enthusiasm. Yaajnaseni Sarkar as Krishna and Swaralipi Roy as Radha, along with Sagrika Mohanty and Arjama Kundu, were adept in their performances.

The best dance rendition came from Nivedita Daw Dutta and Paulami Chakraborty. Nibedita’s perfection and Paulamis’s expression charmed all. Jayita Ganguly and Srijita Bhattacharya, two brilliant dancers, presented Dasavatar. Anwesa Dutta, Samadrita Basu, Manisha Parua, Sumon Mandol, and Shiuli Mohapatra performed Dasavatar.

In sum, it was a memorable evening. All the dancers were at their best; their graceful movements reflected their vigorous training, which showcased their innate potentiality. Exponents of Odissi dance have a great future ensured by Aloka Kunago’s grooming and shaping dance talents of the future generation to perpetuate Odissi dance culture.

The writer is an independent contributor