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.

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