The Odissi dance of Orissa is one of the six acknowledged classical dance forms of India. Like all other Indian Classical dances, it also has its initiation in religion and philosophy with an origin in the temples of Orissa.
The different items of the Odissi dance style are Managlacharna, Batunrya or Sthayi Nata, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Moksha. In mangalacharana the dancer dedicates herself to the Lord and begs forgiveness of the Mother Earth for stamping her feet upon her; she apologises to her audience for any shortcomings and offers salutations to the Guru.
Mangalacharan: An invocational piece. After paying homage to Lord Jagganath, the reigning deity of Orissa, 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’, a threefold salutation, above the head to the Gods, in front of the face to all the gurus (teachers) and in front of the chest to the respected 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 for which there are no meaningful words sung, but a particular raga (musical melody) is elaborated through eye movements, beautiful body postures & intricate footwork.
Abhinaya: Through hand gestures (the language of Indian classical dance), facial expressions and body movements (mime) the meaning of a poetic piece is brought forth & conveyed to the audience. It is telling a story without using the spoken word. Abhinay in Odissi are set to Oriya poetry by famous poets like Banamali, Upendra Bhanja, Kavi surya Baladev Ratha, or to the Ashtapadis from Jayadeva's Geetgovind.
Dashavataar: A dance piece describing the ten incarnations of the Lord. The verses are taken from the Geetgovind.
Moksha: A pure dance item with only the mardal-pakhawaj (percussion) accompaniment - the dance of liberation.
One may feel that the repertoire of an Odissi performance is limited. But it is abundant. There are various items of Mangalacharan, Pallavi, and Abhinaya depending on the hymn, raaga or poem chosen.
Like other forms of Indian classical dance, the Odissi style traces its origins back to antiquity. Dancers are found depicted in bas-relief in the hills of Udaygiri (near Bhubaneshwar) dating back to the 1st century BC. The Natya Shastra speaks of the dance from this region and refers to it as Odra-Magadhi.
Some of the renowned Odissi dancers are Guru Pankajcharan, Guru Kelucharna, Late Debprasad, late Sanjukta Panigrahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Indrani Rehema, Guru Nabakishore, Guru Gangadhar, Guru Ranbir, Guru Subrat Pattaniak and Illena. |
