Bhubaneswar: Sambalpuri folk music and folk dance have a special place in the hearts of the people of Odisha. From Rangabati to Rasarkeli and Dhalkhaai Re, Sambalpuri music has always been the genre that makes one get up and dance to its beats. It is an incredible and astounding sight when one finds foreigners matching steps to these songs.

Odisha Sun Times stumbled upon one such video on YouTube where four Russian dancers bedecked in quintessential Sambalpuri sarees with the local headgear and even alata smeared on their feet are entertaining the audience at X-Dance Festival in Skopje, Macedonia.

The performers are Mariya Shmelyova, Polina Lavrushkina, Julia and Ekaterina from the dance troupes of Elena Knyazeva and Polina called Odissi with Elena Knyazeva and Srishti, respectively. Elena is also the dance composer of this production while the choreography is by Ecolabya Moduli.

Watch video here: