Every year from 2003 to 2010, in the month of February, Art Vision, in collaboration with Orissa Tourism , organised the Kalinga Mahotsav, a festival exclusively dedicated to martial dances. The Festival has taken place at the footstep of the Dhauli stupa, the Japanese Buddist Temple situated on a hill at the outskirts of modern Bhubaneswar. This is the place where Emperor Ashok is believed to have fought the last battle of the great Kalinga war before surrendering the sword and embracing Buddism.
From the year 2011 the festival has been shifted to the month of December and is taking place at the foothill of Dhauli in collaboration of Odisha Dance Academy and Odisha Tourism.
The
10th Kalinga Mahotsav was organized by Orissa Tourism in collaboration with Art Vision and Orissa Dance Academi at Dhauli hill on the 13th and 14th of December 2011. The participating groups were:
| 13th December |
Dewandaru Dance Company from Japan directed by Rianto presenting Shadowing the Body inspired by the shapes and Martial Arts movements, characters and motifs found in traditional Javanese shadow puppets and Martial arts. The work discovers freedom within the very constraints of the puppet and Silat (Indonesia Martial arts)movements. It includes opposite qualities of movement like alus (lasya - refined) and keras (tandava – vigorous)
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| 14th December |
Mayurbhanji Chhau Dance from Rairangpur, directed by Trilochan Mohanty
Sapphire Creations from Kolkata, directed by Sudarshan Chakravarty, performing PANCHA-PRANA, a contemporary choreography based martial art movements, western ballet and classical Indian dances.
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| Huyen Lallong Tang-Ta Cultural Associatios, from Manipur, directed by Gourakishor Sharma, presenting traditional items of Manipur martial art Thang-Ta. |