Rustic acrobatics from Odisha to be performed in Mumbai

Aloka Kanungo

"When Odissi was reconstructed after Independence, it was the Gotipua gurus who came forward to help shape its repertoire and grammar," says noted Odissi dancer Aloka Kanungo. The Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner is in Mumbai with a dance troupe from Laxmipriya Gotipua Nritya Kendra in Balipatna for a performance she has choreographed. Her production Sthapatya Satya brings together the rustic Gotipua movements and the sophisticated Odissi dance form of today.

Bandha Nritya, the main part of the production, is the acrobatic repertoire of Gotipua performed by young boys, who dress as women. "Boys begin to learn the dance form in gurukuls from a tender age. The training also involves singing, learning to play the pakhawaj and an understanding of ancient literature that Gotipua draws from," Kanungo explains, adding, "Bandha Nritya is a boon to Odissi dance. It is like yoga that keeps dancers supple."

The performance will be followed by a multi-dance (including Odissi, Kuchipudi and Sufi Kathak) presentation, Mera Shyam.

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