Watching the dancer’s graceful movements, I was left wondering how one can master such moves with so much ease. I was attending the family get together of a close family friend, who happens to be from the state of Orissa. They are giving a small party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter with a well known Odissi dancer. Their daughter, who will soon to be tied into wedlock, is also an Oddisi dancer.
I was mesmerized by the dance form and inquired some more from the guests present there. What I learnt was that is classical dance from the state of Orissa. This is actually a temple dance performed in the Hindu temples. This dance form was common during the princely rule of India. In the modern times, only few are practicing this dance form. The modern day performers of Odissi dance adapted the style from paintings, poetries and ancient manuscripts.
What I noticed from the performance was this dance style had unique posture. This posture is known as tribhangi, which means thrice deflected. In a Odisi dance, the dancer bents his or her body at three places, and shape is similar to a helix. The shifting of the torso from side to side is the distinctive move of the dance and makes it one of the difficult dances to master. It requires years of practice and dedication to learn the dance moves. Once learnt, this dance is an epitome of refinement.
I also learnt that a special dance troupe from Orissa is going to perform on the Oriya matrimony function day. After the completion of rituals, which starts from dawn in an Oriya Matrimony, guests will enjoy an Odissi dance drama. The love tales of Radha-Krishna are among the favorite themes. They are beautifully interpreted and gracefully presented on stage.
Author: Shipra Sinha
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