Odisha: Mukteswar Dance Festival 2023 begins today in capital city Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Mukteswar Dance Festival 2023 being organised by Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy on behalf of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department has begun today. The festival will last for three days and will be held in the compounds of Mukteswar Temple, built in the 10th century. The main motive of this festival is to promote and popularise Odissi dance. Various forms of the classical dance including solo, duet, and group performances by dancers from within the country as well as outside will present on this stage.

The guests on the evening of inauguration of Mukteswar Dance Festival 2023 included minister Ashok Chandra Panda, chief secretary of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department Satyabrata Sahoo, director of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department Ranjan Kumar Das, Chairman of Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy Aruna Mohanty, and Secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy Prabodh Kumar Rath.

The festival began with “Shiv Vandana- Om Namah Shivaya” performed by Mahendra Kumar Acharya and his group. A solo performance by prolific Odissi dancer Sarita Mishra followed the first performance. This performance was followed with a duet by Gayatri Ranbir and Sourav Mohanty. The last performance of the evening was a group performance by students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.

The program of Mukteswar Dance Festival 2023 was managed by Dr. Shrinivas Ghatuari and Sanghati Pani. Various members of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy were also helping to ensure a smooth management during the programs.

People from various foreign countries along with localites were present during the inauguration evening. The live telecast of the program was being done on D.D. Bharati. Updates were also provided on social media handles of the Odia Language, Literature, and Culture department.