Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. International Kathak and Odissi dancer Aanchal Pandey and her disciples enthralled everyone with their spectacular presentation of Kathak and folk dance at the inaugural ceremony of Lingaraj Mahotsav 2024 held in Bhubaneswar. In the beginning of the program, after Ganesha Vandana, Shuddha Kathak, semi classical dance, folk dances of different states of India like Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, South India, Orissa, Maharashtra were shown which was highly appreciated by the audience. Artists from abroad as well as music and culture lovers from across the country participated in this festival.
Purvi Chandra, Angel Sao, Uditi Kaushik, Ananya Sao, Shruti Dewangan, Ruchi Dewangan, all the daughters of Bilaspur city were honored by participating in this festival. The artistes said that there was a beautiful joy in dancing in front of Lord Shiva because when we entered the stage there was a temple of Lord Lingaraja in front of them and there was something different in their own power while dancing in front of the Lord of Nitya. , which was a wonderful moment in her life. For this, she expresses her gratitude to Aanchal Pandey’s Odissi Guru, Guru Gajendra Panda and the selection committee of the festival, who gave her the opportunity to participate in this festival.
Aanchal Pandey has now started Nritya Dhara Dance Foundation with the aim of sharing the subtleties of art and the qualities directly from the gharanas and traditions among the budding artists and giving them a strong platform. The budding artists in the foundation are trying to move ahead by learning the nuances of art. Aanchal says that through the foundation she is trying to bring alive our culture, classical music and extinct dance. He says that if the child has talent then it will definitely be visible. We should try to preserve our cultural heritage. Our children have a keenness to learn and they are gradually becoming proficient in Kathak, ODC along with folk dance and classical dance.
