Vaijayanthimala casts a spell on audience

BHUBANESWAR: Septuagenarian danseuse Vaijayanthimala Bali took the audience to a new high with her Bharatnatyam recital at the 18th Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award festival here. The sculptural poses, supple torso movements and flowing arms gesture were simply age-defying.
"My dedication and commitment to the dance form speaks by itself. I still bring out some time to practice dance every day," said Bali, yesteryear's Bollywood heartthrob.After setting the stage on fire with her four scintillating performances, Bali said, "She could fulfill the wishes of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, who had once asked me to perform in Odisha. But I could not visit when he was alive. But now I can perform in the land of great dancers. I am overwhelmed by the reception and standing ovation by audience here."
The evening started with an invocatory piece to Ganesh followed by Kirtanam by Bali where a poet was seeking blessings of Nataraj. In the next performance Varnam, Bali elegantly displayed the intricate nuances of pure dance sequences with Abhinaya and the final item was Tarangini showing Krishna dancing in playful dalliance with the gopies.
The veteran dancer and actor advised youngsters that, "There is no short cut to success. They must be dedicated to whatever they are doing in their life lives and success will follow through." Basking in the happiness of grand-motherhood, Bali said, "It is the most beautiful feeling of the world."