“I am very thankful to my Guruji for his blessings as I am performing at Konark Festival for the second time and exposing the global audience to Odissi Classical Dance” said the renowned Odissi Danseuse Dona Ganguly.
In a conversation with OdishaLIVE on the sidelines of the Konark Festival 2017 organised by Odisha Tourism she mentioned “It is a wonderful experience and Konark Festival is the biggest platform to showcase the marvel of Odissi tradition. Whenever an artist trains, she or he dreams of performing at high profile events such as Konark and Khajuraho festivals and it gives us immense pleasure to be here.”
She performed at the Konark Festival 2017 along with students from her dance school Diksha Manjari. After the magnificent performance at the World Heritage Site of Konark, she said “we started our performance with the Surya Vandana and whenever there is talk of Odissi, the Chakra of Konark Sun Temple automatically comes to people’s minds.”
“Being an Odissi dancer myself, it is a dream come true to perform at Konark Festival.” She further adds.
Dona recounted the experience of performing at the moonlit stage of Konark as being immaculate and divine. She opined “as you perform on the stage with a full moon above, you feel such pleasure that cannot be explained in words.”
She further called upon the Tourism Dept. of the state to utilise the treasures of Odisha like the Jagannath Temple, the sea, architectural heritage and Sand sculptures among others and hold more such festivals and fairs. It would be great to come again and perform in Odisha. “It is a fantastic feeling performing at such top class stages” she signed off.
