The Covid-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on the art world. Live performances are progressively returning to the stage after a gap of 2 years with Covid restrictions being eased in some regions of the country.
Vaishali Kala Kendra one of the leading dance institutes was formed to promote Odissi dance/vocal music in India from its original place at Noida. The institute is dedicated to propagate Odissi dance in the city where the awareness and popularity of this dance are now quite noticeable. The Kendra is focused on its mission to see Odissi at the crescent of international fame and glory.
Carrying forward the teachings of great Guru Shrinath Raut Ji, Vaishali Kala Kendra, for more than two decades has organized Guru Pranam Utsav. Vaishali Kala Kendra celebrated World Dance Day on 29th April 2022 at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi in the memory and honor of the late Guru Shrinath Raut who dedicated his life proliferating the importance of Odissi as a cultural dance form.
This event featured performances by dancers of various generations who came together to celebrate dancing.
Odissi recitals by Vaishali Kala Kendra disciples included performances by young budding dancers, upcoming dancers and senior performers such as Shaily Chatterjee, Rahul Varshney, Kaori Naka and others.
Event also included a Kathak presentation by Divyanshi Pasricha, Gauri Dubey, and Pranavi Bansal. The Chief guests for the event were Padma Shree Nalini and Padma Shree Kamalini Awasthi. The artistic director of the event was done by Dr. Jyoti Shrivastava and emceed by Isha Das.
Programmes organized were
1. Odissi presentation by disciplines of Vaishali Kala Kendra.
2. Kathak by Divyanshi Pasricha, Gauri Dubey and Pranavi Bansal.
Artistic director of the event Dr. Jyoti Shrivastava in a candid conversation said, “The COVID-19 pandemic, as we all know, has had a tremendous impact on the art world. Live performances are progressively returning to the stage, with Covid restrictions being eased in some regions of the country. Definitely we are getting chance to connect with our audience directly. So this is really a moment to cherish for me.”