Discovering Odissi Nritya

Dance holds a special place in my heart. I cannot sit still if some catchy music is on. I have learned western dance from Shiamak and also tried learning Bharatnatyam for a year. But however hard I would try, Bharatnatyam failed to appeal to me. Even after promises of a beautiful dance costume from my mom, I somehow couldn’t get myself to continue with it. My mom was in despair as she was keen that I learn some form of classical dance. Finally she discovered Aum Arts Dance Academy run under the supervision of Mrs. Suprava Mishra.

I registered for the class with a lot of apprehension and started my first day of training. My feelings were a mixture of anxiety and excitement. My dance mates welcomed me with immense warmth. I found myself enjoying the class and made friends with the other students. Day one of my class went well and I was happy. I found Odissi to be a free feeling dance with movements . To my complete delight, my mom also joined the class the next day and I was surprised to know that there were many such mother-daughter pairs in the class.

Within two days of joining the class, we were part of a dance called ‘Vaishna Va Jana’ that was to be performed at a function. It was interesting to see how Ma’am choreographed the song and I tried to pick up steps from the more experienced dancers. I performed various roles but the best would be the entry and the role of the deer fleeing Ram’s arrows. I was thrilled to be part of a performance so early at my learning stage and the sound of the ghungroos excited me a lot. I surprised myself with my ability to pick up the dance so fast. Before the performance, Ma’am gave us our costumes. I practiced wearing the costumes and the jwellery at home and also had the joy of experimenting with the makeup.

Finally the d-day dawned and we all gathered at one place to get ready. I was very enthusiastic and excited! We left for the dance hall in my mom’s car. People kept staring at us and some of them even waved and smiled at us. It was fun! The performance was a superb hit without any glitches. My family and friends were full of praise for the performance and my roles. My friend told me that I looked very pretty in my dance costume.

I feel I have finally discovered the dance that I want to learn and that is the mysterious, graceful and elegant Odissi Nritya!

Written By : Aditi Tripathy, She is 11 year old studying at Riverside School, grade-6 learning Odissi Dance under the able guidance of Guru Suprava Mishra at Aum Arts Dance Academy, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. 

Sincerely,

Aum Arts Dance Academy