Konark Festival and Sand Art Festival conclude

The annual Konark Dance Festival and International Sand Art Festival, held in Konark, concluded recently. Both festival venues were visited by many tourists following Covid-19 safety guidelines.

The 31st Konark Dance Festival, organised at the open-air auditorium with the magnificent Konark Sun Temple in the backdrop, offered treat after treat to the audience through various classical dance performances by artistes from different parts of the country.The 9th International Sand Art Festival was held at the Chandrabhaga beach saw participation by 70 artists from across the country. Both events were organised by Odisha Tourism.
The first evening of Konark Dance Festival saw an Odissi performance by artistes of the Bhubaneswar-based Orissa Dance Academy followed by a Bharatanatyam recital by Chennai-based Sreedevi Nrithyalaya. The second evening witnessed a Manipuri dance recital by Kolkata-based Manipuri Nartanalaya and Odissi by Bengaluru-based by Sanjali Ensemble. The third evening started with an Odissi performance by Bengaluru-based Nrityantara, which was followed by Kuchipudi by a Chennai-based troupe. The fourth evening started with a Kathak ballet by Kolkata-based Vikram Iyengar and group, followed by Odissi by a Bhubaneswar-based troupe. The GKCM Odissi Research Centre presented an Odissi performance on the fifth evening and a New-Delhi-based troupe staged the concluding Kathak recital.
“It was wonderful performing here at Konark. Despite the restrictions and the pandemic, the love of the people here for classical dance is really what every performer loves,” said Sheela Unikrishnan, a Bharatnatyam dance guru.
“I have performed at many places, but the pride and satisfaction I get performing here is unmatchable,” said Madhulita Mohapatra, a Bangalore-based Odissi guru.
The 9th International Sand Art festival was also a good crowd puller. “The participants created various sand sculptures as per the themes assigned to them every day. We followed all the pandemic related guidelines. Every year, this event attracts a huge number of tourists. We hope the situation will be normal from next year,” said Sudarsan Pattnaik, sand artist and organiser.