This Time, Malaysian Artists To Spread Their Magic At Konark Dance Festival

This Time, Malaysian Artists To Spread Their Magic At Konark Dance Festival

One of the most awaited dance festivals in the cultural calendar of the country, Konark Festival is all set to begin from December 1st in the backdrop of the Konark Sun Temple along with the ‘International Sand Art Festival’ at Chandrabhaga beach.

Tourism Department Director Nitin Bhanudas Jawale announced this on Wednesday at a press meet in Panthanivas. He further said, “The budget of the five-day dance festival will be Rs. one crore while for the sand art, it will be Rs. 20 lakh. Ten highly acclaimed dance groups from India and abroad have confirmed their participation for this year’s festival. Two groups from Malaysia too will be joining the fest this year including ‘The Temple of Fine Arts’ who would be performing Bharatnatyam and ‘The Sutra Foundation’ led by maestro Ramli Ibrahim who would be performing Odissi. This year, we are also expecting more footfall as the craze for the festival is increasing with every year.”

Since 1989, the Konark dance festival has been attracting tourist, dance and music lovers to the sandy shores of Konark every year. It is an initiative which brings champions of all classical and traditional dance forms together to display their skill and mastery.

This year, people can witness Odissi by Dona Ganguly & group from Kolkata, Kathak by Nirupama Rajendra & group, Kuchipudi by Vanashree Rao & group, Manipuri by Bimbabati & group, Odissi by Kaishiki Mumbai, Mohiniattam by Kanak Rele & group, Odissi by GKCM Odissi Research Centre and also enchanting performances by Nupur Dance Academy in the five-day cultural extravaganza.

Simultaneously, the International Sand Art Festival will be an added attraction for art lovers. This year too, Sudarsan Patnaik has been selected as the Brand Ambassador of the festival. There will be 41 stalls with eight international sand artists of repute from France, Germany, Ghana, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Russia, Canada, and Mexico. That apart, a total of 62 national sand artists will be participating in the festival, the various categories being solo, duo, women and differently abled sand artists.

While the first prize winner will get a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, those bagging the second and third positions will get Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 respectively. That apart, trophies will be given to all women and differently abled artists.

Like the previous year, four counters will also be opened, one each for India Tourism, First Aid, Fire Service and Police Control.