For decades odishi has carried the imprint of padma vibhushan guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, whose vision has established how the form is taught and performed even today. Among his disciples Sharmila Mukerjee has sustained that training through her work at the Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance in Bengaluru, both as a performer and a teacher.
This commitment carries into Adhvagati: A Journey Through Dance, a presentation by Sharmila and her disciples that marks the guru’s birth centenary. “January 8 was his 100th year. His son started it in Bhubaneswar. We all went there, his disciples and it was a three day festival with seminars. We had to speak about him and then we performed,” she says as she recalls the events that led to this Bengaluru programme.
The evening will open with students of the Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance presenting core nritta compositions choreographed by guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, including pushpanjali–mangalacharan, pallavis and moksha. Dancers from Bulgaria, Canada, Spain and the United States join the presentation. “They are performing the basic repertoire, which is essential to understanding guruji’s technique and discipline,” Sharmila notes.
After a short interval she will take to the stage with her senior ensemble to present Ritubhava, a one hour production based on Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara. The work approaches seasons as emotional states and places human experience alongside natural change. The new varsha season will premiere as part of this presentation for the first time with music composed by Praveen D Rao and rhythm by Bijay Barik.
Her choreography continues to follow the discipline imparted by her guru. “He was somebody who was a very hard taskmaster. He was very strict. The rigour, the torso movement and the technique stay with us,” she says as she recalls long hours of training.
Through student repertoire and her own work — Adhvagati will present odishi as a practice kept alive through teaching and performance.
INR 800. February 8, 6 pm. At Bangalore International Centre, Domlur.
Written by: Anoushka Kundu
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