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Odissi dance brings alive the arrested movement illustrated in the temple

sculptures, Pata Chitra paintings and palm leaf manuscripts. Much like

motion imaging in Cinema, Odissi dance movements seamlessly unfold an

array of sculptural poses with agility and grace displaying the

choreographers ingenuity and the dancers expertise. This paper focuses on

understanding how dance postures are translated into a language of lyrical

movements, using examples of choreographies by Guru Kelucharan

Mohapatra (Guruji). My association with him began when I started my

training in Odissi dance in Kala Vikas Kendra, Odisha in the late sixties and

continued with him until the mid nineties. During these three decades I had

the opportunity to observe him compose dance numbers and dance dramas

in Cuttack and Mumbai, and participate in his dance productions. I will share

ideas he incorporated and expanded upon while choreographing select

Pallavis (dance number in the Odissi repertoire), the Batu Nritya (pure dance

number in Odissi repertoire) and group formations in dance dramas borrowed

from paintings and other artistic illustrations.

Pallavis

Pallavis (dance numbers in the Odissi dance repertoire) continue to be

passed from one generation of dancers to the next and never fail to enthrall

audiences when performed meticulously. Though not exhaustive, the table on

the following page lists some of the Pallavis Guruji choreographed in

partnership with Mishraji. The legendary singer and music composer Shri

Bala Krishna Das also composed music for various dance dramas and dances

in the Odissi style during Gurujis tenure in Kala Vikas Kendra.

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Pallavis choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra

Serial No.

Year Name of Pallavi Raga Odissi Tala

Music Composition

1. 1957 Basant Basanta Ek Tali Balakrushna das

2. 1959 Kalyan Kalyan Yati Balakrushna Das

3. 1961 Saveri Saveri Tala Malika

Balakrushna Das

4. 1965 Mohana Mohana Triputa Bhubaneshwar Mishra

5. 1965 Sankarabharan Shankarabharan Ashta Bhubaneshwar Mishra

6. 1968 Gatibheda Bageshshri Ektali Bhubaneshwar Mishra

7. 1972 Arabhi Arabhi Ashta Bhubaneshwar Mishra

8. 1978 Hamsadhwani Hamsadhwani Ek Tali Bhubaneshwar Mishra

9. 1979 Khamaj Khamaj Jhampa & Tala Malika

Bhubaneshwar Mishra

10. 1981 Behag Behag Ek Tali Bhubaneshwar Mishra

11. 1981 Kirwani Kirwani Khemta Bhubaneshwar Mishra

12. 1983 Bilahari Bilahari Ek Tali Bhubaneshwar Mishra

13. 1993 Mukhari Mukhari Triputa Bhubaneshwar Mishra

14. 1996 Singhendra Singhendra Triputa Madhup Mudgal

Pallavis are dance numbers that display elaboration of a melody in song,

rhythm and dance. Based on a particular raag (melody), the pace of the

dance steps and movements increase exhibiting the various textures of the

melody through dance. The unique elements Guruji often used in the

choreography of his Pallavis are the use of geometrical paths in movement,

even transitions in footwork and postures, torso movements aligned with

footwork, and smooth interweaving of postures set to harmonious music. For

example, in the Vasant Pallavi, Guruji employed the basic series of dance

steps in tribhangi and chowk (the main postures of the Odissi dance style)

set in a rhythmic pattern of four beats. Being one of his earliest compositions,

Batu Nritya focuses on showing the basic footwork executed in tribhangi and

chowk. The diagram on the following page illustrates the opening dance

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sequence in the tribhangi position and another in the chowk position that is

integrated towards the end of the dance number.

Dance Sequence in Tribhangi

Source: Odissi Path Finder Vol II P.36

Dance Sequence in Chowk

Source: Odissi PathFinder Vol I P. 104- 105

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The dance composition in Vasant Pallavi brings out the simple yet unique

lyrical grace of the Odissi dance style in Raag Vasant (Spring) while

exhibiting the dominant squarish posture of Chowk and the three bends in

the S-like posture of Tribhangi.

Guruji focused on different elements in other Pallavis:

Drawing Circles with usage of body movements and steps following

circular paths in Arabhi Pallavi

The Pahandi (the rocking gait of Lord Jaganath when he is brought

from the temple sanctum to the chariot during the Ratha Yatra

festival) in Kirwani Pallavi. Also borrows elements of from the

traditional dance movements pf the Maharis(women who traditionally

danced in the main sanctum of the Jaganath Puri temple)

Asymmetry in Behag Pallavi

The intricacies of taal (rhythmic patterns) by using the three, four, five,

seven, and nine beats pattern in Gati Bheda Pallavi.

In Kalyan Pallavi and Bilahari Pallavi the movements and steps he

employed resonated the traditional flow and texture of Odiya music.

His ingenuity was in the way he captured, visualized ideas by stringing

together images, dance steps, and elements of music into movement

sequences. Born in a family of painters, and percussionists, Gurujis visual

and drumming skills were groomed through observation and hands-on

training. Temple singing and recitation of verses from scriptures in the

vicinity of his home in Raghurajpur trained his ears to understand the system

of notes and tones used in traditional tunes. Gurujis process of translating

images into dance comes close to the theory of imaging coined by Gilles

Deleuze. Deleuze was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until

his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. In his

book, Guide to Reading Deleuzes The Movement-Image, Part I: The

Deleuzian Notion of the Image, or Worldslicing as Cinema Beyond

the Human, he writes,

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The entire universe is interconnected, but any individual aspect, any part of it, is an image. My body, a single atom, the planet Earth, the Sun, a dog, these are all images. This may seem like an odd usage of the word, but whenever confused, you can replace this word in your head with its verb form to image.

According to Deleuz, an image if seen as a verb is imaging. Applying this to

the phrase movement image is imaging of movement and a image of

perception or image of time is imaging perception and imaging time.

Much like the Deleuzian notion, Gurujis mind was constantly imaging

movement, which was useful in his dance making. Even when carrying out

daily tasks, it was evident that his mind was focused on choreography.

During our dance tours he was often seen thinking about shapes, levels and

balance. While waiting on railway platforms for the connecting train, he

would stack our suitcases by size and color to create different shapes. By

balancing and organizing bags he visualized his process of choreographing

group formations.

Batu Nritya

Batu Nritya, a pure dance piece in the Odissi repertoire, is yet another

example of his process of imaging. In this dance number, Guruji replicates

postures from the sculptural panels of musicians and dancers carved on the

walls of the Sun Temple in Konark. In the dance piece Batu Nritya, Guruji

links the images of a Veena player followed by flute, mardal, and cymbals

with steps and movements.

The photo on the following page displays these images of the drummers,

veena players, cymbal players, and flautists alongside dancers in various

postures.

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Konark Temple Panel

Photo Credit: Shailan Parker

Guruji often borrowed images from Patachitra paintings and added

movements using a group of dancers. For example, the photograph of Srjan

dancers showing Goddess Durga is shaped from the juxtaposed Patachitra

painting. In the Abhinaya on Goddess Durga, Guruji links illustrations from

paintings using movements, facial expressions, and gestures to narrate the

story.

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On the 50th anniversary of Indian independence, he was commissioned to

compose a dance piece on the famous patriotic song Vande Matram by

Bankim Chandra Chattapadhay. In his composition Guruji presents the

diversity of India by using movements from folk dances and drawing the map

of India in the group formation while interpreting the lyrics of the song. The

photograph of Srjan dancers below illustrates the map of India.

Guruji choreographed approximately 150 dance numbers and dance dramas

in his lifetime (Pradakshina ). He was commissioned to create new works

mainly by art institutions like Kala Vikas Kendra (KVK), Cuttack; Odissi

Research Center, Bhubaneshwar; National Center for the Performing Arts,

Mumbai; Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi; and community

organizations like Kumar Utsav and Raja Utsav Samiti in Cuttack. He

composed many solo dance numbers of the Odissi repertoire during his

tenure in KVK and at other times on the request of individual dancers from

different parts of India. In the process of choreography, Gurujis main

collaborator for music composition was Pandit Bhubaneshwar Mishra

(Mishraji).

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As illustrated in the examples discussed above, Gurujis reference points in

his dance making were dance sculptures and Patachitra paintings. He

meticulously linked dance postures with stylized transitional movements. Apt

use of levels and balance, symmetry versus asymmetry, and gradual

increase in tempo, meter and rhythm brought in fluidity in the dances he

choreographed. Guruji often said,

The real dance must convey the feeling of undivided existence,

that a spectator can feel that he is not different from the thing

observed.

Gurujis body of work continues to be learned and performed by Odissi

dancers all over the world. Guruji and his lifelong collaborator Pandit

Bhubaneshwar Mishra have etched an indelible mark in the history of Odissi

dance.

References

Gautam, Chatterjee (2006); Glimpses of Eternity, The Hindu, New Delhi http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/04/07/stories/2006040701270300.htm Pradakshina (2001): Commemorative Volume on 75th Birth Anniversary of Keucharan Mohapatra. New Delhi Vitale Christopher (2011,April 29): Guide to Reading Deleuzes Cinema II: The Time-Image, Part I: Towards a Direct Imaging of Time to Crystal-Images. Retrieved from http://networkologies.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/tips-for-reading-deleuzes-cinema-ii-the-time-image-towards-a-direct-imaging-of-time/

Cover images:

(Left) Konark Panel photo by Shailan Parker,

(Center) Sketches by Panda D.C., Kanungo J. & Mohapatra B.

(Right) Palm Leaf photo by Shabnam Samuel

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About the Author

Rohini Doshi-Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy

and Arts Administration from the Ohio State University and presently resides

in San Francisco, CA. She earned her graduate degree in Odissi dance from

Kala Vikas Kendra, College of Indian Dance and Music, Cuttack, India. Her

gurus are Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta, Guru Ramani

Ranjan Jena, and Dr Menaka Thakkar.

As an artist in the Arts in Education Program of the Ohio Arts Council, she

has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations in Odissi dance for

students in schools and colleges in Ohio since 1994. She offers courses in

Odissi dance in educational institutions and community organizations.

Rohinis research papers/articles are posted at

http://rohinidandavate.wordpress.com