Odissi: When a Tradition Evolves...

It has been ages since my last post (I'm embarrassed to say that it has been almost a year to be exact!). However, looking at the positive side, a lot has changed in the past year both professionally and personally, thus allowing for much time to think, reflect, and focus my thoughts on Odissi and its future direction.

The study of culture has always fascinated me... culture and how it evolves. I supposed the interest stemmed from the hyphen (Indian-American) upbringing, always questioning what "tradition" is and what does it mean to "preserve tradition." As a classical dancer, having trained mostly in India, but living in the US (and that too, in New York, the "capital" of contemporary culture) these questions become even more relevant, especially when we look at how the world has changed.

When I look at Odissi today, I think of an immensely talented, but orphaned child. Having been nurtured under the careful eyes of Gurus, scholars, critics, and the like, Odissi had quite a robust reconstruction/resurrection period. However, the context of this dance form has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Unlike the initial revitalization period, which had a cohesive body in Orissa to regularly engage and discuss the dance style, the Odissi world today is largely fragmented. Though the music and dance fraternities are certainly not wanting for creativity, energy, or passion, there is (severely) lacking a regular, collective discourse on the future direction of this art form.

In order for Odissi to truly flourish, it requires an in depth analysis not only of the form and content of the dance (this includes dance philosophy/text, movement vocabulary/aesthetics, costuming, literature, music, and presentation to name a few), but also the context in which this dance form is being practiced... which raises may questions with regards to accessibility, training, authenticity, standards, etc.

Having experienced quite an involved and robust reconstruction process, now is the time for Odissi to really flourish. Unfortunately however, the dance world is becoming far too performance-driven. With the flourishing of dance schools cropping up by the dozens, dance curricula focus less on the holistic development of the artist (music, philosophy, etc.), and more focused on imitating movements. Combined with the plethoras of dance festivals featuring anyone and everyone who dances Odissi, the Odissi world is operating in performance mode.. or more accurately, "survival mode." The result? a generation of dancers that have become mere imitators and not innovators of the art. This is an issue of great concern, especially when we think about the future evolution of Odissi.

This is just the beginning of a few blogs that I have written on this topic... more to come, so do stay tuned!

The "Oriya-ness" of Odissi

From the very beginning, I had always loved traditional Odissi dance. The movement, the music, the costume and spirit of this dance form was truly awe-inspiring.. and of course, being Oriya only intensified my love for Odissi--dance was my path to understanding and connecting with my roots. Interestingly enough, I have always had a very protective attitude towards Odissi, and had almost a self-imposed duty to preserve the traditional style and protect the Oriya identity of Odissi... again, this was something that was never imposed imposed on me, but having spent extensive periods of time in Orissa exclusively in the company of performing artists, and having witnessed their hard work and struggle, I felt it was my duty to carry this tradition with me and promote it back in the US. Though the late 90s and early 2000 we started seeing a generation of growing hybrid art forms, in music, and then in dance, as a response of other hybrid South Asian kids to create something that defined their dual identities, to create their own space in the arts scene, I was happy and quite fulfilled going to India and learning the traditional repertoire in Orissa.

Well, lets fast forward a bit.. globalization, internet, You-Tube and various other media, the scale and reach of Odissi is vastly different than it was before. The plethora of Odissi schools cropping up all over the world, the growing number of non-Indian students who have taken up this dance style, the increasing demand for Odissi instructors from India, not to mention the number of international tours by Odissi dancers, are testament to the growing popularity of this art form. While this popularity is of course an immense source of pride and joy to Orissa, it also raises a number of questions regarding the dance form itself, and about Oriya identity of Odissi dance, and in essence, the Odissi identity of Odissi dance. Is Odissi losing its "Oriya-ness" for global appeal? Does Odissi, as some argue, need to adapt to the tastes of international audiences? Is Oriya identity in Odissi even relevant anymore? And, perhaps a very basic question that we need to ask ourselves.. what is Oriya identity in Odissi? What is fundamentally "Odissi"? These are issues we need to look at very carefully going forward.

At an Odissi festival I had attended years ago, one of the topics for discussion was "How do we change Odissi to appeal to today's audiences" I immediately raised my hand and asked the moderator why he thought it necessary to change Odissi to attract a larger audience, and rather, why not educate your public so that you can slowly build an informed audience who can understand and appreciate the nuances of Odissi? We shouldn't underestimate the intelligence of our audiences (from whatever background), nor should we make assumptions about their preferences. Rather, we should create opportunities to educate and create an audience when we can.

Though I can't say that I am a purist... I absolutely agree that Odissi needs to continue its evolution, but in an informed manner that imbibes the grammar of the dance style and presentation. When we think of how Odissi was re-constructed/resurrected, we must remember the massive efforts of gurus, scholars, critics, historians, in short, people from a broad range of disciplines--to recreate a dance form that reflects the cultural heritage of Orissa. which is reflected in the movement, literature, music, costume and ornamentation. That being said, any casual/careless approach to the presentation/choreography of the Odissi is doing a disservice to the individuals who devoted their lives to bringing this art form to life. Odissi, like its other classical dance counterparts, is an amalgamation of Orissa's culture, a unique synthesis of painting, sculpture, music, and a way of life. And while Odissi's global status is sure to bring about new ideas/concepts, (which is we while), it is important to have a clear understanding of the form, style and presentation.

Just some of my random thoughts... more to come!

Astoria/Upper East Side

New York.

4/10/10

A (Kind-of) Intro...

Hi Folks...

I've been sitting on this for a couple of months now.. I've been wanting to start this blog for quite some time actually, back in February I actually thought I would finish something, but the procrastinator/perfectionist (lethal combination) in me took over. Finally, I had to tell the perfectionist in me to just do it, and start the flow...

I have been thinking/writing/recording my thoughts and experiences on Odissi in bits and pieces over the last few years. It has been an amazing, life-changing journey but quite a complex one, (as expected for any second-generation hybrid kid trying to pursue any classical art from India) However, the complexities always give way to a unique outlook/perspective and understanding of life, so I am very much looking forward to sharing this with you... not going to get into all of this now (that will take away all the fun), but there is definitely more to come...

Peace out, people-stay tuned for more.

Astoria

4.7.10