Visakhapatnam hosted the 18th Vysakhi Nrityotsav, an all-dance festival organised by the Nataraj Music and Dance Academy at the Kalabharathi Auditorium over the weekend. The festival brought together performers representing different Indian dance traditions across three consecutive evenings.

The programme included a Kuchipudi Rangapravesham by Shloka Pakala on Friday. Saturday featured Manipuri performances by Padma Shri awardee Darshana Jhaveri and her troupe, Kathak by Hari Reddy and his troupe, along with an animal-mask dance presented by an Odisha troupe led by Dhanu Bisai.

 

The festival concluded on Sunday with Bharatanatyam performances by Vasundhara Doraswamy and her troupe, followed by Rajasthani folk performances led by Afsaan Gujaravat. Darshana Jhaveri received the Vysakhi Bharata Nritya Bhushan award, while Vasundhara Doraswamy was honoured with the Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan Excellence award. Pavitra Krishna Bhat and Afsaan Gujaravat received the Yuva Puraskar awards.