Shreya Mishra & Anindita Mahapatra, disciples of Guru Smt. Jayashree Mahapatra of Noopur Dance Academy, presented a delightful mother-daughter duo performance of Odissi Mancha Pravesh at Seifert Performing Center in Salem, NH on July 30, 2022. The program was emceed by Geetanjali Pani who introduced each of the dance pieces and provided the context for the audience to follow the enacted story.

Odissi is one of the oldest forms of classical Indian dance that originated from the temples of Orissa. The themes are devotional in nature involving intricate body movements and expressive facial gestures. Manchpravesh is the dance graduation ceremony to showcase a wide range of skills mastered over the years under the guidance of a guru.

The first item that they presented was Mangalacharana where the dancers offered salutation to Shiva who is regarded as ‘Natraj’ - the Lord of Dance. The dance depicted Gangabatarana or the descent of Mother Ganges to Earth through the matted locks of Shiva.

The next piece was Batu which honored all the musical instruments that accompany a dance recital such as the sitar, drums, bells, and flute. The chemistry between mother and daughter was especially palpable here. The next two pieces presented were pure dance forms called Pallavis, each is based on a raga from which the Pallavi gets its name. Shreya performed Shankaravaranam Pallavi and Anindita performed Kalyana Pallavi. The nimble footwork and fast rhythmic music kept the audience entertained.

After a short intermission, Shreya performed the abhinaya Ahe Neela Saila based on a popular devotional song by the devotee Salabega who seeks Lord Jagannath’s grace by recounting all the times the Lord had rescued his devotees from peril. This was followed by another abhinaya Biharati Bane Radha by poet Jayadev based on the popular themes of eternal, immortal, spiritual love of Radha and Krishna which is symbolic of the divine union between Jivatma and Paramtma. Anindita played Radha who is missing Krishna and is sorrowfully reminiscing her past happy moments with Him and her present state of anguish and loneliness.

The next abhinaya was the popular dance drama Dash Avatar which depicted the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu as He descends to eradicate evil and restore peace and justice on Earth. The evening concluded with Mokshya, a fast pace dance invocation to Goddess Shakti that denotes the total surrender of the soul.

It was truly a magical evening that passed by quickly with friends and family draped in diverse Indian handloom weaves coming together to support and preserve our rich cultural heritage.

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