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Felicitation to Kuchipudi dance exponent Bhagavatula Yajna Narayana Sarma and dance performances by students of Hamsadhvani Kuchipudi Natyalaya formed part of the World Dance Day-2010 celebrated jointly by The Hindu and the city-based Element School of Visual Arts on Thursday.

The sprawling auditorium of Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao Government College for Music and Dance at Durgapuram was the venue for the colourful event that began with ‘Vinayaka Koutam' by Yamini and Manojna, which was followed by ‘Pushpanjali' by Surekha, Chaitanya and Geeta Purnima.

The pleasant evening weather felicitated the connoisseurs of classical dance to enjoy the performances of dance students of various ages. Expressing happiness over the felicitation, Mr. Yajna Narayana Sarma, the septuagenarian who won accolades from people of the rank of President of India and Ambassadors for his stunning performances, said that he was amused by the performances of the youngsters.

“I must thank the management of The Hindu for felicitating me on this occasion. I consider it a big honour,” he said, in a humble tone.

Performance for Annamacharya's kriti ‘Kattedura Vaikunthamu' by Mahati and Likhita and for Tyagaraya kriti ‘Paluke Bangaramaye' by Lasya and Sashank were well received by the audience with a loud applause.