Shri Gurusthan and Shri Dwarkamai Vidyapeeth Presents: Gatha Odissi

Gatha Odissi - a journey from Temple to the Stage
Exquisite dance by the most talented Odissi troupe

Led by the foremost Odissi dancer Ms Aruna Mohanty

first ever in New England Elaborate Light and Sound arrangements

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GATHA ODISSI– A journey from the temple to the stage

History is not scripted; it gets created over the ages. It transforms itself according to the tides of life and times. After the sunrise, comes the dark hour of the sunset. The rhythmic foot falls of Odissi dance continue to reverberate in the Temple of Jagannatha through the corridors of history.

MANGALACHARANA :

JAGANNATHA ASTAKAM

This is an invocation to Lord Jagannatha who holds the divine flute in his hand , a peacock feather in his crown and a yellow silk around his waist. He is the one who bestows loving glances upon his companion and who is famous for his great ‘Leela’  in Vrindabana.  May my Swami, Lord Jagannatha grace himself to my sight.

O Deva! Please do quickly deliver me from this futile worldly existence. O Lord of Yadus! Please purge me of my unlimited sins. You always offer refuge to the fallen and the unsheltered; O’ my Swami, Lord Jagannatha, offer your grace to my sight.

PALLAVI :

Raga- Khamaj & Taal- Ek tali

Pallavi means elaboration. It is an item of pure dance with movements of lyrical grace. It is based on the melody of a soft and tilting raga. Beautiful dance passages run parallel with rhythmic syllables sung musically.

ABHINAYA :

RAMAYANA - NAVARASA

Rasa is the basis of art. The goal of the art is to evoke rasa. Through movements, music and acting the artist creates the rasa and conveys it to the audience in order to help create the mood. There are nine rasa(s), we explore each using various episodes from Valmiki’s Ramayana.

In sringara rasaor love, hand gestures and facial expressions are used to show Rama and Sita sharing in the joys of being together, even the nature rejoices.

As Rama breaks Shiva’s bow to win the hand of Sita, he becomes the embodiment of veera rasa or chivalry.

When the demoness Shooparnaka is sent back and forth between Lakshmana and Rama, hasya rasa or humor and laughter, is evoked.

The whole forest of Panchavati is filled with fearful sounds as Sita is abducted by Ravana. The mood is one of bhayaanaka or fear.

When Rama sees his friend and devotee, Jatayu, dying in his hands, he is full of karuna rasa orcompassion.

Rama is full of wonderment (adbhuta rasa) as the army of monkeys builds the bridge the Setu Bandha, the bridge that connects to Ravan’s Lanka.

Seeing the battlefield strewn with dead and maimed bodies makes one full of bibhatsa rasa or disgust.

Rama confronts Ravana in the battlefield exhibiting Raudra rasa or wrath.

INTERMISSION

KRISHNA SARANAM

Krishna’s messages for the world, an interpretation in Dance.

Krishna is beloved of all who knew him when he chose to incarnate as a mortal; Krishna, beloved of all who worship him as God; Krishna, who inspires a myriad expressions of love and devotion; a god, whom devotees relate as an equal, as someone most dear.

His actions were very human - innocent, playful, willful, contradictory and at times seemingly underhand and manipulative, reflections of which we see within each one of us. And yet those actions had a deep meaning, often several layers of meanings.

What lessons do these acts hold out for each of us and what values do those so subtly uphold? The seven episodes of this presentation are snapshots from Krishna’s life that portray his values.

Episode 1

Krishna enacted his Leela to bring order to a chaotic world. The birth of Krishna.

Episode 2

Kaliya Dalana and Giri Govardhana are two incidents where Krishna discharged his responsibilities to the society and the environment in his own playful way.

Episode 3

A delicate bond of love and spiritual affiliation integrated Krishna with the Gopis eternally – a concept of Maharasa.

Episode 4

The Pandavas managed the challenge beautifully by taking on new roles that they carried out to perfection. To remain incognito the Pandavas took on very different roles in Ajnatabasa. Multitasking is a way to negotiate challenges. It adds to one’s worth as a member of the team

Episode 5

In Geeta Upadesha when Arjuna was stupefied by thoughts of possible outcomes of the war, Krishna showed him the way forward. He said that aleader’s vision is translated into action by the executers.  One’s Karma is one’s Dharma……….

Episode 6

Strategy was certainly a part of the Mahabharat war but it required all of Krishna’s diplomatic skills to uphold Dharma. In the end everyone who compromised with human values perished. Transgression of Values inevitably leads to destruction.

Episode 7

With the mahaprayana of Krishna, he proved that adhering to the basic human values is non-negotiable. Krishna himself made this rule and he also complied with it. Human Values are sacrosanct and apply to everyone without exception – Man or God.

SWARGADAPI GARIYASI

This dance composition is a tribute to our motherland. It is an amalgamation of the cultural diversity of India. It depicts beauty, greenery, sculptures, people and living. Above all, it pays homage to supreme divinity Lord Jagannatha.

Beginning from coastal Orissa, it showcases the immortal sculpture of Konarka inspiring Odissi Dance, maritime voyage representing our trade links with South-East Asia and the famous car festival of Lord Jagannatha. Music and dance from southern Orissa has been incorporated to the rich cultural flavour and the distinctive style.

So aptly this dance is the glorious panorama of Orissa's scenic beauty and its treasure trove of sculptural heritage. This is a multimedia production.

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ODISSI DANCE

Odissi is one of the eight recognized classical dance forms in India.  Old in its traditions, it was nurtured in the shrines and temples of Orissa as a part of the devotional ritual. A large number of dancing girls known as Maharis [DEVADASI] were attached to the temples.  Their families were supported by the Temple. The dance performance was an offering for the pleasure of the deities during their morning and evening worship services. Although this tradition declined with political upheavals in the region, it was followed by the unique gotipua dance tradition. Gotipuas were adolescent boys who were schooled very early in their life and danced in public spaces. Odissi as we know today reflects a process of reconstruction that began after Independence. It retains elements of both Mahari and gotipua dance and also incorporates the allied art forms of Orissa. Odissi dance strikes a distinctive balance between grace and power. The characteristic features of Odissi are its deflection of the hip, stances like Chauka and Tribhanga, arched and linear hand movements as well as rounded body movements. Odissi is notable for the frozen frescoed poses known as Bhangis, as sculpted on the Temple stone.

GURU ARUNA MOHANTY

Dynamism, charisma and astounding talent makes Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty one of the finest Odissi Dancers in the world today. She was trained under the guidance of late Guru Padmashree Gangadhar Pradhan and runs the Orissa Dance Academy school that he founded. An eloquent dancer and performer, she is known for her innovative choreography and interpretation. She excels in the abhinaya aspect of Odissi.  She has received many awards and accolades for her contribution to the arts.  They include the Mahari Award, Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award, Fellowship by Ministry of HRD, Government of India, and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar Award in 2010.

Some of the items in her repertoire include the dance ballet ‘Shrusti O Pralaya’, ‘Varsha-Abhisara’, ‘Sravana Kumara’, ‘Kharavela’ , ‘Jatra Baramasi’, ‘Gatha Odishi’, ‘Krupa Nidhaana’, ‘Swargadapi Gariyasi’, ‘ Arjuna Dui Adhyaya’,  ‘Pratinayaka’, ‘Krishna Shranam’, ‘Geeta Govinda’ and ‘Khamaj Pallavi’. She has traveled all over the globe to present solo and group presentations in addition to workshops and lecture demonstrations. She served as a member of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and currently serves as the vice president of the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.