ODISSI DANCE

Odissi is one of the seven Indian classical dance forms and it originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India.

The classic article of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, written by Bharata Muni, refers to Odissi dance as dance from Odra-Magadhi, historical name for the province now known as Orissa. Odissi is particularly distinguished from other classical Indian dance forms by the importance it places upon the tribhangi, the independent movements of head, chest and pelvis and upon the basic square stance known as chauka.

ODISSI TRADITION

The Odissi tradition existed in three schools; Mahari, Nartaki, and Gotipua. Maharis were Orissa’s temple girls particularly those at the temple of Jagganath at Puri. Early Maharis performed mainly nritham and abhinaya based on mantras & slokas, later Maharis, especially, performed Odissi dance sequences based on the lyrics of Jayadev's Gita Govinda. Bhitari gauni Maharis, were allowed in the inner temple while bahari gauni Maharis, though in the temples, were excluded from the sanctum.

By the sixth century the Gotipua tradition was emerging. 0ne of the reasons given for the emergence of Gotipuas is that Vaishnavas did not approve of dancing by women. Gotipuas were young boys dressed as girls and taught the dance by the Maharis. During this period, Vaishnava poets composed innumerable lyrics in Oriya dedicated to Radha and Krishna. Gotipuas danced to these compositions. The Gotipuas stepped out of the precincts of the temples.

Narthaki dance took place in the royal courts, where it was much cultivated before the British period. At that time the misuse of devadasis came under strong attack, so that Odissi dance withered in the temples and became unfashionable at court. Only the remnants of the gotipua school remained, and the reconstruction of the style required an archaeological and anthropological effort that has tended to foster a conservative purism.

ODISSI DANCE JEWELLERY (visit www.IndiaMartinUSA.com)

Plain Silver or silver plated jewelry is used for Odissi Dance. The real silver jewelry will cost any where from $500.00 to $1000.00 based on the weight. The beginners and amateurs usually use silver plated jewelry. Real Silver jewelry is very light and comfortable to wear during the dance.

REPERTOIRE

Traditional Odissi repertoire consists of:

Mangalacharan: An invocational piece. After paying homage to Lord Jagganath a sloka (hymn) in praise of some God or Goddess is sung, the meaning of which is brought out through dance. Mangalacharan also includes the ‘bhumi pranam’, begging forgiveness of mother earth for stamping on her, and the ‘trikhandi pranam’ or threefold salutation - above the head to the Gods, in front of the face to the gurus and in front of the chest to the audience.

Battu Nrutya: A dance piece offered to the Lord of dance - Lord Shiva in his ‘Batuka Bhairava’ form. This piece brings out the essence of Odissi.

Pallavi: A pure dance item in which a raga is elaborated through eye movements, body postures & intricate footwork.

Abhinaya: A poem telling a story conveyed to the audience through mudra or hand gestures facial expression and body movement.

Dashavataaram: A dance piece describing the ten incarnations of the Lord Vishnu with verses taken from the Geetha Govinda.

Moksha: A pure dance item with only the mardal-pakhawaj accompaniment - the dance of liberation.

ODISSI TODAY

Today gurus of dance have created a new generation of highly talented dancers. Most of the present day gurus were Gotipua dancers themselves and have passed on the dance form to dancers and teachers all over India and abroad. The outside world began to take note of Odissi in the early fifties.