Go
To Index
Page
Oddissi dance makes inroads in Tripura
by Pinaki
Das
Agartala:
Oddissi, one of the eight Indian classical dance
forms, which originated in Orissa State, is now being
initiated in Tripura. A Kathak dancer of Padmabibhusan
Kelucharan Mahapatra Gharana of Bubanaswas, has taken
upon herself to popularise the Oddissi dance form
through fusion in remote Tripura, a place where this
dance form was practically unknown till recently.
Sarbani Nandi, an accomplished Kathak dancer from
the Lucknow Gharana, holding a national scholarship,
is popularizing the Oddissi dance form. She has given
solo performances across the country and later acquired
a degree in it. She gives fusion performances. Rudrakshya,
a renowned Oddissi group formed by Pandit Bichitranandan
Swain and joined by a dozen of Oddissi dancers, recently
gave a brilliant performance at the Oddissi Utsav
here. Sarbani Nandi, who relates mythological tales
to the accompaniment of music, mime and dance, with
her latest performance at the 'Oddissi Utsav' in Agartala,
enthralled a large number people of Tripura who converged
here for the event. She believes that there is a great
deal of scope for the Oddissi dance form to gain popularity
in Tripura.
She
has done her State proud on several occasions. "Tripura
is famous for varied cultures and is now taking to
the Kathak dance form. It was my dream to perform
Kathak here to make it popular, particularly, among
the youth. So I have brought my Guruji from Bhubaneshwar
for the dance festival," said Sarbani Nandi. She is
today an inspiration to all aspiring Oddissi dancers
of her State. People in the audience appreciated the
Sarbani Nandi's dance performance during the Utsav.
"Today's performance was marvellous. I have not seen
such a programme earlier here. Credit goes to Sarbani,
I know her right from her childhood. She is a dedicated
dancer," said Hira Dey, a dance teacher by profession
and a performer. "She could do so well in a very short
time because of her dedication. One thing I liked
the best is that Sarbani is the lone girl performing
here. She has shown that girls don't lag behind. Moreover,
such programmes also encourage the new generation
about our rich tradition", Dey added. A member of
the audience Sriti Sarkar, said: "Today we witnessed
a totally new dance form over here. It is a unique
performance and shall help us to understand the art
in a new way. Technically also, it was rich as the
team from Orissa was also there in the performance.
We hope that Sarbani will become a big artist in the
future. With here, our State shall also become famous."
Bichitranandan
Swain, an Oddissi dancer, said: "We have enjoyed performing
over here and, I think, in this manner we shall be
able to spread this dance form here and keep it alive."
"I am very pleased that the people of Tripura and
the Rudrakshya have made efforts to preserve classical
dance. It's an indication that classical dances are
abiding," Pt. Swain added. Oddissi is one of the most
dynamic dance forms in the world. " It is a classical
dance form of Orissa and finds its origin in the temples.
The rhythm, the Bhangis and Mudras used in Oddissi
dance have a distinct quality. Oddissi dance form
deals largely with the love theme of Radha and Krishna.
Traditionally, this dance form was kept alive by the
Devdasis. Devdasi used to perform the dance to the
recitation of hymns and bols of Talas. But after Gitagovinda
- dalliance between Radha and Krishna -- became a
part of the rituals, the Devdasis performed the Oddissi
marked by Abhinaya or acting with different Bhavas
or gestures reflecting moods of Krishna and Radha.
-Dec
30, 2008
|