Odissi dancers enter Guinness

BHUBANESWAR: Nearly a month after 555 Odissi dancers presented a spectacular dance event attempting to create a world record, the Guinness World Records has confirmed it as a record. In a letter to the CEO of US-based Indian Performing Arts Promotion (IPAP) Pratap Das, the records manager (fast track) of Guinness World Records Limited Kristian Teufel has confirmed the approval of the attempt as the current world record.Das on Sunday informed the Secretary of Tourism and Culture department Ashok Tripathy about the confirmation. The Odissi feat and the subsequent International Odissi Festival was Tripathy’s brainchild.  Tripathy said official handing over of the Guinness World Records certificate would be done after the panchayat elections.In the biggest congregation of Odissi dancers, 555 dancers from across India and abroad matched steps to perform the complete five-phase repertoire of classical Odissi for 28 minutes for the feat on December 24. The dancers started with “Mangalacharan,” followed by “Batu,” “Pallavi,” “Abhinay” and “Mokshya.”Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra, who was one of the choreographers of the sequence, said they had organised the event as per the terms and conditions set by the Guinness World Records and recordings of the attempt were sent to the authorities concerned for approval. The concept of the attempt was developed by Ramhari Das, Durga Charan Ranbir, Aruna Mohanty and Sangita Gosain. The Odissi feat marked the beginning of the eight-day Odissi Festival, jointly organised by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, IPAP and State Government’s Tourism and Culture department. It was the most ambitious cultural event taken up by the department so far. The event attracted more than 1,000 dancers, including 200 from abroad, who performed solo, duet and group Odissi presentations at different venues in the city.“It is a proud moment for all of us. Each and every Odia would feel proud of this moment in history,” said Guru Ratikant. Last year, in a similar event in Hyderabad, about 2,800 Kuchipudi dancers had danced their way to the Guinness  World Records with a 20-minute performance.