MU Dance and Recreation Association performs Odissi
The traditional Indian dance features intricate footwork and exact poses.
Published Oct. 6, 2009
The MU Dance and Recreation Association held their first Odissi performance Sunday from 3-5 p.m. in Memorial Union.
MUDRA was founded a year ago this month.
"I began learning the Odissi dance a year ago and we have been preparing for this recital for six months," MUDRA President Divya Sitaraman said.
Graduate student Jaya Ghosh is a non-performing member of MUDRA who helps with the logistics of events and co-hosted the recital.
"It takes a long time to learn these things, a lot of hard work has to be put in," Ghosh said.
Odissi dance is an ancient classical dance from eastern India popular throughout India and is characterized by stylized footwork and statuesque poses coming together to create a very unique and vibrant dance, as explained in the performance's program.
"I thought it was beautiful and well done," audience member Srijana Shrestha said. "I think it exceeded (my expectations) for sure. I didn't really know what to expect as this was my first time here."
One major component of Odissi Dance is facial expression, Sitaraman said.
"It's very important because all of the performances are based on a story, a mythological story," Sitaraman said. "Expressions often tell a story, and the dancers' interpretations through foot work and hand gestures tell a story, so in a way the Odissi dance is a form of story-telling."
Another important part of Odissi is hand movement.
"The hand movements are called mudra, which is also the name of our organization," Sitaraman said. "Each of these mudras conveys something, a bird, doing your hair. It's just like a grammar of dance for us."
The Odissi dance is appreciated around the world for its delicacy, intricacy and story-telling abilities, Ghosh said.
"All of these dance forms are very popular all over India," Ghosh said.
For Shrestha, the Geeta Govindam, a dance drama that centers on the love poems about Krishna and Radha and the Celebration of Melodies, the first of which embodies the lightheartedness of spring, stood out the most.
"I liked the interaction with the first one with the girls playing the games," Shrestha said. "I thought they were able to convey a story and it was a fun dance. In the Radha and Krishna dance, I thought the expressions on the dancers faces were great and they did a great job showing the connection for the two."
The music is an important part of the Odissi dance as well.
"The music is mostly traditional Indian music, with lots of chants in Sanskrit," Ghosh said. "All of them depict a story, and these are mostly based on Indian mythology.
One of the reasons the dance takes so long to master is the intricacy of the statuesque poses, Ghosh said.
"These dances, if you take them screen by screen, all represent a step, and they all represent a particular posture and gesture," Ghosh said.
MUDRA will be hosting a Yoga for Dancers class Oct. 10 and a dance workshop choreographed by dancer Aditi Bandyopadhyay, who has performed on national television in India and in many Indian communities, Oct. 14. All students are welcome.
