 Dance Houston Reviews Rudrakshya: New Dimensions in Odissi Dance http://www.dancehouston.org/Dance%20Houston%20Reviews.htm Presented by Samskriti, August 4, 2006. Odissi is a classical dance style that originated around the 2nd century B.C. in the Eastern region of India now called Orissa. It is a soft, flowing, sensuous style of dance that is rigorous and challenging, demanding control and precision, aesthetic and technical details. On August 4, 2006, fifteen extraordinary dancers and musicians of the Orissa Dance Academy, directed by the famous Guru Bichitrananda Swain, offered a sensational performance of Odissi dance called “Rudrakshya” at Zilkha Hall. Featured in the choreography were the expressive eye movements, tedious hand positions, and complicated rhythms that make up the standard movements of classical Indian dance. However, Odissi further challenges its dancers and fascinates its audience with a technique called Tribhangi. It is a particular posture in which the head, chest, and torso are held at a specific angle to one another, creating three bends in the body, giving a unique shape of a flowing river. The dancers of “Rudrakshya” displayed this technique exquisitely. The highlight of the evening was a dance theater piece inspired by a classic Indian poem that praises Lord Vishnu. Amidst elegant body contortions and complex footwork, the dance vividly portrayed Vishnu’s heroic feats, from winning the heart of the king’s daughter to defeating a ten-headed monster one head at a time. Kudos to Guru Rathna Kumar for bringing this brilliant concert to Houston and presenting it in such a way as to educate the audience on the intricacies and meanings of the dance. --------------------------------------------- REVIEW: Resplendent Rudrakshya New Dimensions in Odissi Marked by Sensuous Grace By A. R. Sharma http://www.samskritihouston.org/pastevents/rudrakshya.review.html Samskriti Society for Indian Performing Arts has a decade long history of bringing exceptional artistic programming to Houston, and August 4th continued to live up to that tradition as Zilkha Hall in downtown resonated to a dazzling Odissi presentation by the Rudrakshya dance ensemble from India. Five nubile male dancers attired in spotless while silk dhotis paid ritualistic obeisance to Jagannatha swami and commenced the mangalacharan. Addressing the sun god, they merged in and out of formation delineating his various splendors. The brilliance of the sun’s powerful rays combined with the allegorical implication of dispelling darkness and evil was arranged charmingly into a double-entendre of a simple configuration where a central dancer emerged upwards as those that encircled him shielded their eyes with arms raised in defense as they turned away in dissolution. The segue to the sun god leading his horse drawn chariot across the skies was executed with verve as the dancers effortlessly filled the large stage making it appear as if their numbers had multiplied. The pallavi in the raga Chandrika Kamodi saw the introduction of the female complement of the ensemble. Six dancers – three men and three women, displayed their virtuosity as they brought out the juxtaposing nuances of Odissi. Grace and fluidity competed with intricate footwork and enviable balance as thrice-bent sculpturesque stances punctuated the poetry of movement. The cunning choreography subtly alternated between pairings of male and female and groupings of male and female dancers, showcasing the best in both. But the orchestra outshone all of this. As the velocity of the composition increased, the musicians became almost rhapsodic in their fervor. That the percussionist would be all the more engaged with the increase in beats per cycle goes without saying, but the energetically bobbing flutist and violinist also became a part of the dancescape as the speed gathered in a pleasurably horripilating maelstrom of jangling bells, resonating drumming and climactic melody. Guru Bichitrananda Swain is the founder-choreographer of Rudrakshya and his particular interest is in developing new work for what he calls the “purush ang” or male form. Tala Madhurya was the composition that highlighted this penchant. The five male dancers, Ramesh Chandra Jena, Biswajit Das, Pabitra Kumar Pradhan, Lingaraj Pradhan, and Amulya Balabantaray took the stage again in a flurry of drum motif sequences. The dancers’ vigor and precision came to the fore as the choreography focused intensely on footwork and form, culminating in a series of windmilling arm movements that used the upper body, unhindered by garments, in its entirety, accentuating the virtues of the male pectoral anatomy in classical dance. The ensemble also performed an excerpt from the immortal Gita Govinda, and an homage to the goddess Mahakali. Mamata Das, Sridutta Bhol, Sanjukta Dutta, and Dabashree Patnaik, were brilliant in their exposition of verses extolling the goddess in her terrifying and beatific forms. The group poses of the many-armed Kali, effective even in an amateur performance, took on special significance. Bathed by orange light, swathed in bright pink costumes, the women looked like processional statuary come alive in Technicolor grandeur. The superb orchestra comprised of extraordinarily talented singer Binod Bihari Panda, percussionist Bijaya Kumar Barik, sitar player Saundarya Ray, flutist Jabahar Mishra, violinist Nilendra Nath Patra, and Guru Swain, manjira. --------------------------------------------- Elegant Odissi Enthralls http://www.kavitachhibber.com/main/main.jsp?id=feature-Sep2006-p2 By Mariam Abuhaideri Gone are the days when Indian classical dance was performed for and appreciated by Indian audiences only. Today, the world has opened doors for Indian culture and art. Atlanta is just a speck in this small world and even smaller is Emory University. But size did not matter when on August 12, 2006 Emory University and Indian Performing Arts Promotion Inc (IPAP) of Atlanta opened doors to welcome Rudrakshya, a team of young and vibrant dancers from the Indian state of Orissa led by Guru Bichitrananda Swain. Known to have originated around 2nd century BC the dance was performed by teams of dedicated temple dancers as a tribute to temple gods in Orissa. Odissi dancers like other Indian classical dancers do not use props, but, instead depict stories using hand gestures as objects and ideas, and distinct facial expressions to represent feelings and emotions. Although audiences may notice similarities between classical dances from different regions of India, there are several differences as well. Odissi unlike any other dance is a soft flowing, luscious style of dance that is meticulous and challenging. Dancers exert control and act upon the aesthetic and technical details with magnitude. “Odissi is a dance which is very graceful and rhythmic. Unlike Bharatnatyam Odissi is a very loose form of dance,” explained Guru Bichitrananda Swain. He said that it’s most striking difference lies in the fact that it is based on sculpture depictions crafted on the walls of Orissa temples. The evening began with presentation of national anthems of the United States of America and India. The opening act of “Elegant Odissi 2006” saw male dancers presenting floral tributes to the Sun God seeking his blessings for a successful performance as part of Mangalacharan (Surya stutee). The dance ended with a surya namaskar, a tribute to the Sun God. Pallavi Hansakalyani portrayed melodious movements of lyrical grace that were soft, lilting, and musically synchronized. Lord Vishnu’s various incarnations and the victory of righteousness over evil were portrayed in Abhinaya Sritakamala. This act was choreographed by Guru Pabitra Kumar Pradhan. Tala Madhurya is a composition that strays away from the dominance of feminine form and gives prominence to the male dancers and the masculine form in Odissi. Following a short break, audiences were treated to Pallavi Chandrika Kamodi and Mahakali Stutee. In this Stutee, dancers expressed the truth of life by worshipping the dark and furious goddess Mahakali. Hindu mythology deems her as the origin and ultimatum of life. The performers skillfully reflected the highest level of elegance, poise and charisma. They entertained the audience with six graceful acts of worship, epic excerpts, sculpture and mystic responses. Their silence spoke of the beauty of belief and temple offerings. The orchestra presented melodious music compositions by Bijay Kumar Jena, Binod Behari Panda(vocal), Guru Ramahari Das, Jabahar Mishra(bansi), Surmani Ramesh Chandra Das, and rhythm compositions by Bijay Kumar Barik(mardala), Dhaneshwar Swain, Saundarya Ray(sitar), and Nilendra Nath Patra(behela). The audiences was very happy with the phenomenal performance of the team. Ramesh Chandra Jena, Pabitra Kumar Pradhan, Lingaraj Pradhan, Amulya Balabantaray, Biswajit Das, Sanjukta Dutta, Debashree Pattnaik, Mamata Das, Sridutta Bhol all received a standing ovation. All of them have been in training for several years with Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain a performer of exceptional talent, a patient instructor and choreographer. He received his initial training in Odissi at the Orissa Dance Academy, and after undergoing intensive training at the Odissi Research Center he began training some of the leading artists who went on to receive various National awards and scholarships. His troupe has performed internationally on many occasions. To get the youth culture interested in this classical dance form, he founded Rudrakshya in 2000. Rudrakshya combines tradition with new innovative approaches. He is the first one from his family to adopt this art form professionally. Sridutta Bhol was only five when her mother encouraged her to learn Odissi. “I lived in Orissa and have been training under Guru Swain ever since. I believe that learning is an on going process. You may be a great performer but you can become greater if you keep practicing,” she said. Her guru is very appreciative of the support he has received and intends to return someday. He admits that there is too much hatred and war in the world, and that art can help reduce the destruction. “Classical dances are a pure form of peace, spirituality and rhythm. They encourage people to embrace love and tranquility. I believe that people will be awakened by traditional dance forms. I want to spread my heart and love for Odissi globally and try to change the mind of the youth,” commented Swain. Swain intends to return with his group to Atlanta soon for another phenomenal performance. |
