The celebrated Indian classical dancer, Anita Babu and her group of Odissi dancers will perform at the National Theatre as part of a three nation tour to mark India’s 70th independence anniversary.

The performance, slated for August 14 and 15 forms part of a three nation tour by the group, an official of the Indian High Commission in Accra said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

It named the other countries to be visited as Burkina Faso and Togo where the group was scheduled to perform in Lome, Togo on August 10 and Burkina Faso on August 12.

The last stage of the tour in Ghana will end with a final performance at Tema on August 16, according to the statement.

A senior Odissi dancer, Babu is a teacher and choreographer in Delhi and has been performing for close to three decades in addition to teaching the Odissi dance for the last 15 years at her own School,  Odissi Natya Sala in New Delhi.

The Rex Karmaveer Global Fellowship (RKGF), a global non profit mission dedicated to share ideas that encourage proactive action recently honoured her with an award.  

This fellowship recognises people who have the courage of conviction to think differently, walk a path less trodden and to act on alternative and innovative ideas to make a difference.

Odissi which used to be (Orissi) dance is an Indian classical dance from the Eastern state of Odissa, and has a long, yet broken tradition. Although a dance in Odissa may be traced back to more than 2000 years, it was brought to near extinction during the colonial period.

Odissa, which is an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, is known for its tribal cultures and its many ancient Hindu temples.

The capital, Bhubaneswar, is home to hundreds of temples, notably the intricately-carved Mukteshvara. The Lingaraj Temple complex, dating to the 11th century, is set around the sacred Bindusagar Lake.

The Odisha State Museum is focused on the area’s history and environment.