Invitation to Odissi New Delhi 2024

Dear Friends,
‘Invitation to Odissi’ has been well received by audiences wherever we perform it. Our most recent performance at The Kamani, New Delhi, for the International Festival of Indian Dance (presented by Sangeet Natak Akademi) on
20 Oct 2024, confirmed it.
Audience, consisting of many stalwarts of different dance disciplines, from far flung parts of India and the world, were present. They seemed appreciative and could relate to the presentation, which gave insight to the Guru Debaprasad Odissi tradition.
Sutra dancers Geethika Sree, Tan Mei Mei, Harenthiran & Vickneshwaran held the audience spellbound and gave Odissi repertoire of the Debaprasad parampara a compelling group rendition.
I was able to sneak out to see the first segment of the night - a marvellous and refreshing presentation of Piyal Bhattacharya's (Chidakash Kalalay Centre of Art & Divinity) Uparoopak Bhaanak, inspired by the aesthetics of Natyashastra. The presentation released us from the straight-jacketed discipline that many of the classical modes have now become entrapped. The audience gave the group a standing ovation.
The Festival was also meaningful as it gathered many old friends, some whom I have not met for decades.
I was delighted to meet Daksha Sheth, Uttara Coorlawala, Sharon Lowen, Sudharani Raghupathy, Guru Rabindra Atibudhi, Gautam (lighting designer), Madhavi Mudgal and Arushi, Jyoti Shrivastava, Shagun Butani and many others. These are the Les enfants du Paradis of dance who had shared and travelled the same road at one point when our different journeys had met. We hugged and looked at each other in amazement; we haven’t changed much except for the lines on our faces revealing that much water had passed under the bridge.
The festival brought junior and senior ‘soldiers’ of Dance, or shall we repeat ol’ Martha G's apt description of ‘Clowns of Gods’ under one roof!
New friends were enlisted and were eager to help us wherever they could. The coordination of our sound would not have been so smooth without Ankita Kumari from Debadhara of Guru Vinayak Panda.
And this lovely video was crafted lovingly by Sanjeev Mumar Jena from Rudrakshya Foundation (Bhubaneswar) who was on the way to Pune to give the final homage to our beloved architect friend Christopher Benninger who recently left us.
And Life continues to be offered creatively on both the physical stages and in the inner landscapes of our hearts. We trust that SNA will be continue to send in the future ‘new clowns’ to populate the Stage. As we, the old dancers faded out as ‘brown dwarfs’ of the galaxies…I am reminded of Carl Sagan who said, “An old star has to die in order for us to live!” Yes, the young artists have to take note!
Ramli
#odissi #odissidance #indianclassicaldance #newdelhi