Atma's Musings~: Odissi Dance Workshop by SPIC MACAY

My link with Odissi Dance dates back to 2001. As a child of 6 years old, I was initiated into learning one of the most graceful, yet difficult forms of Indian Classical Dance~ Odissi Dance. The origins of Odissi dance can be traced back to Bharat Muni's Natyashastra. In the ancient period, it was known as the 'Temple dance form' practised by Maharis or Devadasis (Devotees of the Lord) in the holy temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri. Gotipuas (young boys dressed as girls) also performed a form of Odissi dance diversifying it to include acrobatic moves. These were performed to entertain people during festive occasions near temples. The modern form of Odissi dance, as we see today, was revived in the 1940's and 1950's by four stalwart Gurus namely, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Deba Prasad Das and Guru Raghunath Dutta. Guru Mayadhar Raut played an important role in bringing the status of an Indian classical dance to Odissi.

Introducing the graceful Odissi Dance:

Traditional Odissi dance repertoire starts with Mangalacharan. The dancer performs on a shloka (hymn), in praise of a God or Goddess, invoking blessings from the Lord. This is followed by Pushpanjali pradan (offering of flowers) and Bhumi Pranam (seeking blessings from Mother Earth).

The next sequential step in an Odissi performance is Batu Nrutya or Sthayee.This is a fast, pure dance (nritta) performed on rhythmic music, in the honor of Shiva. Sthayee is followed by Pallavi which often includes graceful, and lyrical movements of the body, concluding with a fast tempo at the end. Pallavi is composed on different ragas of Hindustani Classcial Music.

The pure dance form of Nritta is followed by Nritya. Abhinaya forms the main part of nritya. Abhinaya is a slow, expressional and suithing dance form in which the dancer conveys a story to the audience using mudras (hand gestures), bhavas and rasas (moods and emotions), eye, neck and body movements. Abhinayas touch the pinnacle of Odissi dance's grace, liveliness and sensuality. These are enacted on songs or poems. The most famous Abhinayas are based on stutis like Dashavatara Stotram (hymn depicting the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu), or those based on Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. The lifestory of Krishna or his enamoured love with Radha are the themes predominant in Abhinaya.

Natya or dance drama follows the nritya. Natyas are usually performed on Hindu mythologies, epics and eminent dramas. Mokshya forms the concluding item of the recital. Mokshya means spiritual liberation. This dance form attempts to convey a sense of spiritual release and liberation of the soul with the ultimate Lord. This purely aesthetic form of dance concludes with a fast paced dance climax.

The Odissi Dance Workshop by SPIC MACAY :

SPIC MACAY (to which I introduced you all in my earlier post), along with organising classical concerts and events in educational institutes, also organises workshop demonstrations in schools. This is a step at initiating school children towards Indian culture, music and dance, a step that aims to enkindle the fire amidst children in their formative years.

I had the good fortune of attending my first SPIC MACAY workshop only last month. The workshop was conducted by the graceful Smt. Sanchita Bannerjee. Smt. Sanchita Bannerjee is an eminent Odissi dancer who started her initial training in Kolkata, at an early age. Later Smt. Banerjee mastered the dance form by learning from the maestro himself, Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Smt. Bannerjee is now under the tutelage of Guru Sujata Mohapatra and practices the dance form in Delhi.

I attended 2 of the 7 schools where the workshops were conducted. The experience of reliving my memories with Odissi dance was unmatched. Smt Bannerjee started the workshop by invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesh with Ganesha Mangalacharan. This was followed by Abinaya on an Odia Song- 'Toh Lagi Gopadanda'. The Abinaya depicted the plight of a Gopika who is troubled by Krishna yet, is mystified by his love charm.

Slowly the dance form was unfurled when Smt. Bannerjee started introducing the students to the Mudras (hand gestures). Mudras form an integral part in the lyrical dance form. Essentially, mudras are categorised into two types. The Asanjukta Hasta Mudra consisting of single hand gectures which are 28 in number. The Sanjukta Hasta Mudra or the double hand gestures are of 24 types. A third variant of mudras is the Nrutya Hasta Mudra which is a combination of asanjukta and sanjukta hasta mudras.

After introducing the students to mudras, Smt. Banerjee demonstarted the Bhangas in Odissi Dance.

Students were taught to sit in the'Chouka' posture. Chouka posture is similar to a semi squat position with one foot distance between both the feet. The position which is inspired from Lord Jagannath's posture forms the back bone and strength of Odissi dance.

Odissi Dance form entirely rests on the pillars of 3 primary body postures i.e., Abhanga, Samabhanga and Tribhanga. In the workshop, the students were introduced to Tribhangi which is an 'S' shaped position creating 3 bhangis or folds in the body. This was followed by the demonstration of few basic steps of Odissi dance. After teaching the basics of Odissi, Smt. Bannerjee moved on to teach a dance composition themed on Peacocks or the'Mayura Naacha'. The students were so inspired that they even performed once without the accompaniment of Smt. Banerjee.

The workshop was concluded with another Abhinaya. This was on the Odia song 'Radha Sange Naache Murali Paani' ( with Radha dances the flute player, Krishna). This depicted the love and longingness between Radha and Krishna. The abhinaya was resplendant with Smt. Banerjee's sensual depiction of Sringara Rasa (essential and dominant emotional theme of love).

The entire workshop which lasted over 1:30 hours showcased the beauty and ultimate divinity that Odissi dance beholds. Along with introducing the dance form, Smt. Banerjee created a spark with her lively explanation of dance by linking it with each bits and moments of our lives. The entire workshop was a blissful experience for me, taking me back to my roots and my old association with the timeless dance form.

Here are the glimpses of the enthralling workshop.

Vinayak bestowing Blessings~
Capture from Ganesha Mangalacharan

Bhumi Pranama~
Paying obeisance to Mother Earth and seeking her blessings in the beginning of the dance

The Beautiful Radha

Abhimani Gopi

Gopi opening the latch of the Door after shunning away Krishna out of the house~
Last part of the Abhinaya 'Toh Laagi Gopadanda'

Pose depicting Krishna playing the flute

Yet another Krishna pose

Maakhan Chor Kanhaiyaa~
Depiction of Krishna savouring on Maakhan poured by a Gopi

Capture from Abhinaya~
Radha Sange Naache Murali Paani

The graceful Smt. Banerjee

Sanyukta Hastas~
Smt. Banerjee explaining Samjukta Hasta

'Dance is a language, it is in our body. The beating of the heart, the feeling when we want to dance after getting good marks in exams, the rising and setting of sun and moon, all have a rhythm to it, all are linked to dance.'
~ Students in interaction with Smt. Sanchita Banerjee
At SOS Balgram