Odissi Dance & Music

Dance is a movement art, transmitted as an oral, or rather aural-visual, tradition.  What then is the relationship of shastric texts on dance to the actual performance practice, with particular reference to Odissi dance?  Shastric texts have become a major reference point and validating factor of “classical” dance in India since the 1930’s, in Orissa since the 1950’s, and are increasingly used in the training of today’s educated students of the dance.
Did these texts play a central role in the development of the Odissi dance tradition as we know it today, or have they been used after the fact in a quest to capture and codify a tradition?  What are the consequences of using textual codification as a starting point in classical training?  To what extent has Odissi dance gelled into a distinctive form as it passed through generations of dancers up to the present and how much latitude still remains for innovation within the tradition?
What texts play a role in Odissi dance and what is that role?  To what extent do contemporary practitioners of Odissi base their work on shastric tradition?
What are the problems of textual representation of a three-dimensional art form functioning in time and space translated to two dimensional paper and word symbolization?  What are the difficulties of taking a fluid tradition in art and categorizing its elements in narrowing definitions, definitions which can intrinsically exclude nuance and variation, and lose its channeled logic in tangents?  Does the quest for codification threaten the fluidity of tradition, tying teaching to text in future?
And finally, what role has shastric text played in bestowing legitimacy of recognition to Odissi dance as a classical tradition?

This is one chapter of a volume I edited including chapters by prominent dancer/scholars of other classical Indian dance genres
ISBN 9788182903647
Classical Indian aesthetics use human love (Shringar Rasa) as the closest metaphor to approaching an understanding of divine love, and consequently divides and subdivides the nuances and states of love in relation to anticipation, preparation, yearning, waiting, disappointment, betrayal, reconciliation and ultimately, union.  The Shringara Rasa theory shared across classical dance genres of India has already been detailed in earlier chapters. This aesthetic philosophy of love imbued with Bhakti, or devotion, is presented to a highly sophisticated and refined degree in the art of Odissi dance and the poetry that inspires it.

Pala is a unique folk theatre of Odisha. It is a syncretic art form which assimilates dance, drama, music, and oratory. It is also viewed as a communion of Hindu and Muslim faiths, and at the same time as an assimilation of various Hindu sects. In this paper, I endeavor to give a seemingly coherent shape to the bits and pieces I have gathered from my interviews of eminent Pala singers, study of extant books on Pala, the Odia translation of Kabikarna's Sholapala, observation of recorded Pala videos and, of course, the enjoyment of live Pala performances. In my quixotic attempt to trace its history, I do not fathom to chaff facts from fiction partly due to due to my conviction that in the distant horizon of past, facts and fiction commingle. I also offer an analysis of the present incarnation of Pala and its gradual evolution. This paper also analyzes the practical impediments Pala singers are facing today in their battle for survival.

Odissi dance, like the other classical genres of India, gives great importance to the costume, ornamentation and makeup used in the performance. The classical texts refer to four essential forms of expression in the dance, namely body movement or Angika, vocal and sung textual expression, Vachika, pure communicative expression, Sattvika, and the expression through costume, makeup and ornaments, Aharya. Every classical and folk-dance form of India reflects the regional character of its performing arts in the local traditions of textile and ornamentation used for its dance. Odissi is no exception. The beautifully woven silk saris of Orissa, its silver filigree ornaments and pith flowers, are the trademark accompaniments to the dance of Orissa. Maharis, who danced in the temple, typically wore black velvet bodices with the sari wrapped from the waist down. When Odissi began to be presented upon the stage, the sari was first wrapped as a dhoti to form a divided " pajama, " with the decorative end design of the sari, or pallu, spread in front. Over the years, various styles of tailoring the sari into the costume were developed. One story of the need for this is that child artist Kum Kum Das Mohanty insisted on going to the bathroom after she had been carefully draped and wrapped in a sari. Her guru, Kelucharan Mohapatra, then designed a tailored costume so that the divided pantaloon could be easily stepped out of. In this design, the decorative end of the sari or pallu is pleated and snapped on to the costume so that it fans out as the dancer sits in chouka position. A fabric is fastened around the hips from behind which define the hipline. In this costume design, the blouse is made from the same sari material as is the cloth draping the front of the dancer. A popular variation on the costume design is to have the decorative front pleated in a vertical fashion down the front that is closer to the Mahari temple dancer tradition. Various artists have incorporated several variations on the length or angle of the front fan in the design, but the main distinction is the vertically draped front or the knee-to-knee fanned out cloth. The woven sari used for a costume can be from any of the many wonderful traditions of the state, in particular those from Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Cuttack. Many costumes include the unique single and double Ikat tie-dyed and woven patterns of Orissa which traveled to Southeast Asia from this state. Rudraksha bead designs date back to the Harappan Civilization and are a frequently found motif on Orissa saris, as are conch shells and fish, among many other nature designs. addition from editor Odissi classical dance is unique among other classical traditions of India in its use of silver ornaments. The Maharis, and Odissi dancers through the 1960's, sometimes used gold ornaments near the face and on hands, though the three-tiered silver belt has been in use much longer. Today, Odissi dancers all use silver from head to waist. The dancer wears a silver tika along with the part of her hair, often with decorative silver chains from forehead tika to ear. The back of the hair bun may have a large silver filigree pin or even a crescent silver wreath over the central pin. Earrings rise over the entire ear in peacock or geometric designs with large dangling bell shaped jhumkas. The dancer may wear two to four necklaces and she may have silver armbands, wide filigreed bangles and perhaps rings on every finger. The silver work comes from the unique tradition of Cuttack filigree in Cuttack district of Orissa. A delicate style is popular far beyond its state borders and has become part of several Southeast traditions as well. The belt or mekhala draped from the waist is usually made with secular silver disks strung together in three lines. The jewelry is inspired from the detailed representations on the temples as well as medieval Oriya text. The Oriya Mahabharata, written by Sarla Das in the 15 th century, gives a detailed description of Prince Arjuna dressed as Bruhannari during his year disguised as a dance teacher. Everything from the indigenous silk sari to the bangles and bells, are described in the text. Abhinaya Chandrika, the Sanskrit text specifically on Oriya dance, gives a great deal of detail on the makeup, costume and ornaments of the dancer. It specifies a brightly colored nine-yard sari, generally in red or green made of indigenous silk, a brightly colored, bejeweled Kanchula or tight fitting blouse. The apron of frills skirting the hips and draping in front called Nibiandha and a belt with tassels tied at the waist called ajhoba. This quite accurately describes the costume worn by the Maharis at Puri Jagannath temple but the costume worn by the Odissi dancer on the stage today is closer to that worn by the Gotipuas or young male dancers who perform outside the temple over the last few hundred years. Many of the ornaments described

Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra said of Sharon Lowen in 1986, after accompanying her 22 performance Festival of India-USA tour, She is now one of my five best disciples who I can unhesitatingly recommend to represent the Odissi dance form anywhere in the world. Sharon has mastered the tradition.
Over 45 years in India, Sharon Lowen has become an icon of what can be accomplished on the basis of merit and passion without reference to caste, community or nationality. She has shown audiences in India and abroad that maintaining the highest standards of authenticity in classicism can appeal to all members of society while contributing new choreography, teaching, lectures and writing that moves the tradition forward and gives it vitality for new generations. As a performing artist, scholar, teacher, writer and organizer, she has dedicated her life to improving the appreciation and understanding of Indian dance traditions, both here and abroad, making India her karmabhoomi after first arriving as a Fulbright Scholar in 1973.
Sharon was featured in her real life role in the best Telugu film of 1988, Swarna Kamalam, directed by K. Viswanth.  As an American born Odissi dancer, her role in the film was to inspire the heroine to value her own Indian dance heritage. Sharon has received many awards and honors, including the prestigious Prime Minister s Acharya Narendra Dev Sarokar Samajic Samman by P.M. Chandrashekhar in 1991 and the Delhi Administration Parishad Saaman 1993 for Individual Contribution to Indian Arts.  Besides performances throughout India and abroad, Sharon has performed, produced, done scripts and choreographed for film and television. 
As a scholar, Sharon has done research and published on Shasta and Odissi and comparative studies in three forms of Chhau with Senior Fellowships of the American Institute of Indian Studies and the Smithsonian Foundation.  Her published articles and books focus on the transmission of tradition and internalizing the other. She has taught at colleges and universities throughout the United States and helped set up the School of Visual and Performing Arts and Communication at the Central University, Hyderabad.
Sharon has played a major role in transforming acceptance of non-Indian performers of classical Indian dance and music not only through her own example, but by organizing six Videshi Kalakar Utsavs during the 1990s accompanied by seminars bringing together scholars, gurus and artists. Her NGO  Manasa - Center for Art Without Frontiers facilitates ever expanding intersections between visual, performing and other folk and classical arts.
  She is dedicated to arts education and social uplift expressed through dance and cultural education projects, benefit concerts and consultations for Deepalaya, Akshaypratisthan, Palna, Delhi Police School, and other government and private schools.
As the first women solo performer of Chhau, a previously all-male form, from 1976, Sharon introduced Mayurbhanj Chhau to the U.S.A. at the 1978 Asian Dance Festival in Hawaii, performed at the Olympic Arts Festival of Masks in Los Angeles and created two Chhau ballets combining Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chhau for Doordarshan National Program of Dance. Her numerous national television programs set new standards of excellence starting with their inaugural program Triveni and later Panch Nayikas of Kalidas.
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Sharon has performed her own choreographies in Sanskrit, Odia, Telegu, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogra alongside her guru s, including festivals at Khajuraho,  Sankat Morchan Hanuman Jayanti, Varanasi, Sindhu Darshan Festival in Leh, Ladakh, JNU Academy, Imphal, Kottakal Temple Festival, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, Kerala Kalamandalam Diamond Jubilee,  Chaitra Parva Festival, Seraikella,Bihar, SNA Odissi Festival, Bhubaneswar, Chidambaram, Konarak,Trivandrum, Simla, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan, Brihadeshwari Temple, Thanjavur.
She has fostered understanding and appreciation of Indian culture with many 100s of concerts, lecture-demonstrations and school performances in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Brazil, Japan, Kuwait, Dubai, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Ukraine, and Poland.

Over 45 years in India, Sharon Lowen has become an icon of what can be accomplished in the field of classical Indian dance on the basis of merit and passion without reference to caste, community or nationality. She has shown audiences in India and abroad that maintaining the highest standards of authenticity in classicism can appeal to all members of society while contributing new choreography, teaching, lectures and writing that moves the tradition forward and gives it vitality for new generations.
-Introduced Mayurbhanj Chhau to North America and her 1976 Chhau demonstration in Baripada led to the training of women in this previously all-male dance in Mayurbhanj district.
-helped establish the M. Phil/Ph.D. programs for the Central University, Hyderabad School of Visual and Performing Arts and Communication.
-organized numerous cultural exhibitions in the U.S.A. and Delhi and seminars in Seraikella and Delhi
-Published books and articles on Odissi, Chhau, Dance Theory and practice, the transmission of tradition.
India’s Performing Arts On the Move – Art Without Frontiers, edited by Lowen, S. Shabbi Publications, 2005. Odissi Dance, Wisdom Tree series of 7 styles of classical Indian dance, 2003. The Dancing Phenomenon: Kelucharan Mohapatra, Roli Books, New Delhi, 2001.

Her 6 annual Videshi Kalakar Utsavs and Art Without Frontiers seminars through the 1990s as well as her own example changed public and rasikas opinion in recognition of serious videshi exponents of Indian performing arts.

She served on the board of the Fulbright –Nehru US Educational Foundation in India, the initial board which established Central University, Hyderabad’s Sarojini Naidu School of Visual and Performing Arts and Communication in 1988 and currently on the FICCI  Art and Culture Committee for Smart Cities, Art Cities. She is also active in several N.G.O.'s working with children. In addition to Odissi, Sharon is the founder of Manasa Center for Art Without Frontiers.
She first came to India as a Fulbright Scholar with B.A. and M.A. degrees in Humanities, Fine Arts, Asian Studies and Dance from the University of Michigan.

The ancient shrine of Jagannatha at Puri is one of the sacred ​chatur-dh​ā​ma​s of India. Puri or Puruṣottama is located in the state of Odisha. Jagannatha's influence over Odia culture is all-pervading. The ​yatra​ to Puri is hence a very important affair throughout India and more so in the state of Odisha. ​Purāṇa and ​Sthala-P​urāṇas (both in Sanskrit and Odia) such as the Kapi​ḷa Saṃhitā, Skanda P​urāṇa ​and others mention the method of undertaking the yatra in detail. The paper will highlight the importance of the ​Puruṣottama Yatra​ and the diverse reflections of this ​yatra,​ including those in traditional food, the artform ​Pattachitra​, Odissi music, Odissi dance and typical ​beḍhābulā literature. Historical perspectives & accounts of yatris will be observed. From renowned philosopher-seers who flourished centuries ago to common persons in hinterlands today, the yatra to Puri continues, albeit in different ways. In Puri, the pilgrim is not the only one doing the yatra; the deity himself has his own yatra. The juxtaposition of these yatras makes Puri a very special case to observe and ponder upon. This paper attempts to shed light on the aforesaid aspects of the centuries-old yatra to Jagannatha Puri.

The paper was presented in the "Ageing, Ageism, Cultures" conference held at Jadavpur University, Centre of Advanced Studies, under the UGC-CAS (phase III) programme, between 21st and 22nd of September, 2017.
It proposes to discuss the issue of ageism in Indian Classical Music and Dance.

There are books on dance for passionate aficionados and students of dance as well as those simply with broad interests. Dancing into Eternity - Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra is meant for anyone across this spectrum. As one of the major figures in the field of classical Indian dance spanning two centuries, he not only taught Odissi to hundreds of disciples as the preeminent architect of contemporary Odissi but left an indelible impression etched in the memories of every audience member fortunate enough to have been present for a live performance.

Much has already been written about him and many of the images captured by dance photographer Avinash Pasricha have become iconic. Yet this book, with a light touch, goes both deeper and wider, drawing on the impressive personal archives of Srjan (created by the guru himself along his son Ratikant) supplemented with those of others.

Conceptualized, compiled and published by Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, it uses photographs and few words to reveal the multifaceted life and work of his father. The words are primarily concise reflections penned by those whose lives were impacted by knowing, learning from, collaborating and simply meeting the illustrious, yet humble, Kelubabu.

This article is a precis of a full article written for Sahapedia website.
Chhau originated as an all-male tradition, Gotipua limited to pre-pubescent boys dressed as female, and the Odissi in the temple tradition was performed by women dedicated to spiritual service. The Odissi we see on the stage today is a combination of the Mahari temple tradition and the medieval Gotipua bhakti expression. Chhau is a cousin-brother to both along a developmental range of nuance in shared culture of body positions, movement, music and themes.
During British Colonial rule, the princely states of Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal in Odisha, and others nearby in Purulia and Seraikella, initially had their own private armies but when this was banned in the 1800’s some states maintained these Paikas (foot soldiers) as dance troupes with the same vigorous exercises stylized into themes set to music. The female nachni in rural areas and other folk traditions informed the development of Chhau.
Of the three major chhau forms today, Purulia Chhau (or Chow/Chou) and Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand are performed with masks while Mayurbhanj Chhau from northern Orissa is performed without masks, facilitating the development of a more articulated vocabulary of torso movements.
The Chhau lasya items set to the tunes of well-known traditional Odiya folk songs reveal the direct cousin sister-brother connection of Chhau and Odissi dance, particularly as those native to Odisha immediately can identify the song from the tunes also used in Odissi. The dharan basic stance of Chhau is the tandav version of Odissi’s lasya tribangi. Both have a triple bend, one foot diagonally forward with additional bend at the waist, yet the same position can be the epitome of sensual grace in Odissi and broadening the shoulders and feet slightly transforms it to a warrior stance.
Mayurbhanj Chhau flourished under royal patronage with strictly supervised opposing teams, Uttar Sahi and Dakhin Sahi. When Independence and the loss of the Royal Privy Purse made continued patronage impossible, the erstwhile Maharaja of Mayurbhanj forbade his dancers to perform. Fortunately, a young dancer who became the great Mayurbhanj Chhau guru, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee Krushna Chandra Naik, had already left for Calcutta, The Little Ballet Troupe in Gwalior and eventually Delhi where he taught both men and women and helped keep the tradition alive. Guru K.C. Naik’s lasya or feminine chhau choreography exemplified that the Nachni-Gotipua-Odissi evolution includes Chhau on the same spectrum.
Gotipua dance is another male dance tradition of Odisha which was created in direct relation to the Mahari temple tradition performed exclusively by women and merging to become what we now call Odissi. In the first half of the 16th century, the Bengali saint Chaitanya settled in Orissa and transformed the Vaishnavite form of worship of Krishna.  The centrality of Radha was expressed in the Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda when it was performed for Jagannath at the daily Bada-Singara ritual ceremony, but it was Chaitanya who spread the Radha idea to the populace.

It is probably a well known given to anyone reading this that Indian esthetics has long employed the metaphor of human love for approaching a comprehension of the divine. You might even be familiar with the types of Nayikas and Nayakas, heroines and heroes, along with their various emotional and physical states outlined in the Natya Shastra and other classical texts on dance, music and theatre. 

Perhaps you have not given much thought to how different this is from Western religious traditions.  In these, love has been separated into sacred and profane, i.e. human, for a couple millennia with a few notable exceptions such as King Solomon’s Song of Songs in the Old Testament or The Ecstasy of St. Theresa.

The tendency of successive generations to think that they have discovered sex, irrespective of the evidence of their own existence and the planet’s population, along with understanding of Indian philosophies limited to childhood Amar Chitra Katha stories resulted in the astonished reaction to a TEDx talk on Geeta Govinda by students of an institute of technology. They seemed thunderstruck by seeing love in entirely new ways and even wanted advice after the presentation on applying this to their own lives. What I thought of as adding nuance to a shared Indian sub continental cultural understanding was actually revealing this to them for seemingly the first time.  I am writing in hopes that you will share this with young adults in your sphere who have missed out philosophies and psychological perspectives that can help them through samskara.

The theme given was “Stories that Shape the World”. Turning to the stories that I am most conversant with in the shaping of cultural identity in India, the one that appealed to me most is Geeta Govinda. The union of Radha and Krishna in Jayadev's Geeta Govinda uses sensuous love as a metaphor for the union of jivatma-paramatma. Since the 12th century Geeta Govinda was sung and danced in Jagganath Puri to inspire divine love through the esthetics of erotic love.

There are many ways to interpret and frame this Lila and this specific text. There is the simple bliss shared by Vaisnav devotees, along with the poet, identifying with Radha and Krishna and the other gopis. Beyond this, I feel the core message is essentially that the ecstasy of union in non-duality is possible only when Radha can rise above the self-centered desire to experience the divine love of Krishna exclusively for herself. 

The significance of this highly refined Uttama Nayika acquiring the confidence and wisdom to abandon the envy, anger and pain of self-cherishing ego is paramount, yet can easily be misunderstood to justify unacceptable paternalistic attitudes.

Many dots need to be connected for a general audience to first understand some basics, starting with the fact that love is not simply sex if this is sadly outside their experience. The casual disparagement of heroines wasting their time waiting for unfaithful lovers would make sense if we were looking at a human soap opera starring Diya and Pratap, but displays unfortunate ignorance when applied to a conceptional approach spiritual wisdom via metaphysical love.

Both poetry and artistic interpretation in dance and visual arts definitely use social and cultural images that reflect the times and community values in which they were created. While Krishna stealing the clothes of the bathing gopis symbolizes that one cannot hide anything before God, any boy actually doing this is a voyeur to be punished.

In our modern awareness of harassment, #metoo and criminal “eve-teasing”, audiences unaware of the profundities expressed in the Geeta Govinda and other texts may see only retrograde attitudes in the interactions of Radha with Krishna.  The Ratibhava expressed in vipralambha-sringara (separation) and sambhoga sringara (consummation) parallels the reality that we are predominantly separated from ultimate truth/divinity. 

It was terribly amusing when my mother’s neighbor, who had hosted me when a family gathering overran our home, said “Sharon left her Indian pornography in the bedroom”. Immediately I smiled, “Oh, that’s where my Barbara Stoller Miller translation of Geeta Govinda disappeared.” This scholarly work on bhakti erotic poetry danced and sung across India from medieval times onward would clearly look more than risqué to a middle aged neighbor in Detroit, Michigan.

Radha existed in texts before Jayadeva, but he is largely considered responsible for establishing her as a preeminent gopi. This poetry was embraced across India during medieval times, notably by Chaitanya and other devotional cults emphasizing erotic mysticism.

The Geeta Govinda opens with, "The sky is overcast by thick clouds. The woodlands are black with tamala trees. This boy Krishna is afraid of the gloom of the night. So, Oh Radha, take him home. Such was the command of Nanda, the herdsman. Thus arose the love of Radha and Krishna who, as they passed through the forest, sported in the bowers on the bank of the Yamuna."

Immediately following this is Das Avatar, the 10 incarnations of Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe with Buddha preceded by Balram, Krishna’s brother, making Krishna distinct from other avatars of Vishnu. This frames the story as a portrayal of the intimate power of divine culminating in union once Radha has the confidence and wisdom to abandon selfish love.

The Springtime atmosphere conducive for love is then created in asthapadis evoking all the senses- buzzing bees, sandalwood breezes, soft flower petals, flowered bowers, all supporting the eternal/momentary dance of the gopis with Krishna in samsara.  The last stanza in each song connects Jayadeva’s words  to the audience’s esthetic and religious understanding of the developing erotic relationship of Radha and Krishna.

Some may say Radha would not be uniquely differentiated if individual ego was the cause of separation. I feel that Radha’s individuality offers us, as individuals, the opportunity to identify and experience the joys and pains of her path to celestial union. Krishna cloning himself to dance with all the gopis clearly demonstrates that all have equal access to the divine.

Radha’s jealousy creates the separation as her sakhi goes back and forth to bring the lovers together when Radha waits in her bower rather than going to where Krishna awaits her. After she finally goes to meet him, he keeps her waiting all night as he dallies with another. As a refined Uttama Nayika her response is reflective yet filled with pride fueling anger, suffering and rejection.

In Priye Charusheela, Radha finally understands the complete surrender of self for which Krishna asks,
"Oh Beloved! Virtuous One! Leave Your Pride aside. The Flames Of Passion Burn My Heart; Give Me the Nectar of Your Mouth …Yield To Me! Be Mine Forever! …Place Your Feet, Soft As Tender Leaves, On My Head. Let The Passion That Blazes In Me Like The Sun Burning in Fiery Form In Me with Tormenting love Be Quelled By The Touch Of Your Feet Oh Beloved! Virtuous One!”

All spiritual paths originating in India share a belief that actions in the present life are the seeds of future karmic results and that these are rooted in egoism. The mystical eroticism of Geeta Govinda provides a roadmap toward mokshya. It does not justify human misogyny or negative behavior in the man-woman relationship as the philosophy places all men along with women as the jivatma Radha seeking union with the paramatma Krishna.

Swaranjali
in collarboration with
Lok Kala Manch New Delhi,
presents
NRI Music & Dance festival 2016

on 7th-8th Jan 2016 at Vasuki Auditorium,
LKM , Lodhi Institutional area, Lodhi Road New Delhi-3,at 6 PM Daily

Program-

On 7th Jan Thursday 2016 -                                                                     
Smt. Keya Chandra, from Kolkata (solo - Kathak dance)                       
Vocal and Instrumentals performances from students of Swaranjali
Smt. Bijayshree Samal from Switzerland (Solo Vocal classical)
On 8th Jan Friday 2016-
Pandit Sanjay Kingi from Hyderabad (Solo Sitar)
Ms. Raj Nandini from Delhi ( Solo Vocal semi classical)
Kathak and Odissi Dance performances by Students of Swaranjali

You all are cordially invited
R.S.V.P


Swaranjali,                                                                            Lok Kala Manch , 20, Lodhi Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110 003 
Tel - +91-9910300319 / 9810502396                                                        Telephone  Nos. - 2460 2366, 2464 4421, 2462 4232, 6580 6268 
www.swaranjalionline.com                                                                    Mobile No.0–8826136065 info@lokkalamanch.org ,www.lokkalamanch.org