Bhubaneswar, Nov 25 (IANS): The stage is set for an eight-day unique art festival in the Odisha capital commencing Sunday.

The Art Connection festival is being organised by Mudra Foundation-a non-profit organisation launched in 2009 to share art and creativity with all sections of society, especially the underprivileged.

The festival will be held at different locations of the city.

The special attractions will be dance performances, workshops and exhibitions by traditional, contemporary and performing art professionals, Masako Ono, the foundation's trustee, told IANS.

"Some dancers from abroad have already arrived here to perform. They include from Japan and Europe," said Ono, an accclaimed Japanese Odissi dancer.

Apart from dancers, photo, video and film professionals will also demonstrate their creativity.

"We are also organising workshops in different orphanages and deaf and mute schools in the state," she said.

The Art Connection is an introductory festival of interaction between artistes in Odisha and Tokyo ahead of the upcoming Odisha Biennale (ODIENNALE) which will be held in Bhubaneswar in October 2013, she said.

Odisha Biennale aims to bring together tribal, folk, classical and contemporary art forms and artists from all over the world under one roof.

"During the event, we aim to highlight Odisha as a dynamic hub for current ideas and an open society that encourages freedom of expression and debate, as well as sponsoring significant and lasting benefits for the area and its inhabitants, socially, economically and culturally," she said.