Odissi

The long-established dance form in the serene surroundings of Shri Jagannath Temple in Odisha is famous as ‘Odissi’. It has its mention in the oldest Sanskrit Text – Natya Shastra as Audramagdhi. In ancient days this dance form filled with Bhakti ras was a part of worship to God at Jagannath temples. Thus we find many sculptures in dance position inside the temple.

It has a combination of Lasya and Tandav. Graceful and mesmerizing, it appears like waves of the ocean. Odissi is famous for its presentations on poet Jayadev’s fabulous work.

Two styles of traditional Odissi

1. Maharis (Devadasis or Temple Girls).
2. Gotipua ( Performed by Boys).

The sequence

1. Managalacharan (Worshipping Lord Jagannath or other gods, goddesses).
2. This will be followed by Pushpanjali (Offering of flowers) and salutation to mother earth. This also includes Trikhandi Pranam- Devas, Gurus, and Rasikas.
3. The next comes the Batu Nrutya—Fast dance pure dance which we call it as Nritta which is then followed by Nritya which include, Abhinay- Expressions on some devotional poems or songs.
4. The verses may be in Sanskrit or Odia language. Ashtapadis—Dashavtar, Ardhanari etc. Are quite famous.
5. Then comes the Dance Drama in sequence. The themes generally relate to the Hindu gods and goddesses. Modern day expressive theme presentations go beyond the horizon.

The costumes used for the Odissi dance forms

• It is made up of traditional material (Dhoti for men- Sari for women) from Odisha. Today fully stitched costume is available.
• A crown is worn by female dancers which are prepared in Jagannathpuri.
• White colored flowers are adorned on the bun.
• Like every other dance form, jewelry remains the same but is of silver colored. Ghunghroos too form part of this dance.                                                             

The music and instruments used

• The South Indian, as well as North Indian Music, is employed for the dance.
•  The Pakhavaj, Tabla, Swarmandal, Harmonium, Sitar, Flute, Violin, and Cymbals.

The revival of Odissi dance forms

• Kelucharan Mahapatra, Gangadhar Pradhan, Pankaj Charan Das etc.revived this dance form in the late forties and early fifties.
• Sanjukta Panigrahi, Sonal Mansingh, Kumkum Mohanty, Anita Babu, Sujata Mohapatra etc. contributed to the upliftment and popularization of Odissi.
• Recently, the Odissi has now been included in the syllabus of IIT Bhubaneshwar’s B.Tech syllabussince 2015. It became the first national technical institute to introduce any Indian Classical Dance form in their syllabus.