The full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade was held at Kartavya Path in New Delhi on Monday.
According to sources, Odisha artistes will present Odissi, Sahi Jata and Jhumara dance on Republic Day. The dance performance has been choreographed by Odissi exponent Kabita Dwivedi.
In a candid conversation with OTV, Kabita said, “This year’s theme is Nari Shakti (Women empowerment). Women represent Goddess Lakhmi, Saraswati and Durga. We are going to showcase that through our dance recital. I am lucky that Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Defence chose me to do the choreography of the classical segment. Danseuses from different Odisha-based dance institutions like Nrutyan, Biswanath Sangeetalay and Adruta Nrutya Home have come to be a part of the Republic Day celebrations.”
“It’s a matter of pride to perform before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. So, we are very proud of that,” said an artiste being trained by Dwivedi for the R-Day.
“We are excited to perform before the esteemed audience. At the same time, we are a little nervous. But we are proud to represent our state’s rich culture and heritage before a large gathering,” said another danseuse.
“We have tried day and night to perform here. It’s like dream came true for me. It will be our first performance in the nation capital”, said another artiste.
It is learnt that this is for the first time that the President of Egypt has been invited as Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations.
Reported by Sibananda Rout, OTV