On 7th August 2022 at the Littleton high school Alpana, Aaditi and Eva presented a mesmerizing and memorable repertoire of Indian classical dance, Odissi. Odissi is one of the oldest classical dance forms in India originating from the state of Odisha. The roots of this divine form of dance span back centuries from the oldest reliefs etched in temples and into the modern day as a cultural art form.The dance emanates from Natya Shastra, the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text on the performing arts. The art was restricted from performing in the temples during the medieval times and it survived for generations through Goti Puas (young boys) and later by modern pioneer dancers such as Guru Kelucharana Mohapatra. Today, this dance art continues especially in the far away land from its origin because of the perseverance of students like Alpana, Aaditi, Eva and Gurus (teachers) like Smt. Jayashree Mohapatra.

Seniors at Westford Academy and Westborough High School, the dancers began their journey of mastering the ancient art form at a very tender age under the able guidance of Guru Smt. Mohapatra at Noopur Dance Academy. Their ascending to the stage ceremony called Mancha Pravesh is the culmination of learning the dance art. In this traditional ceremony the Guru presented the Shishyas (students) in front of the discerning audience to reward their long periods of striving to master the elegant dance form.

The presented repertoires of Odissi consisted of nine dances such as Mangalacharana, Batu, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Mokshya; along with three Abhinayas presented solo by each dancer. The event started with lighting a lamp in front of Lord Jagannath (the Master of the universe) to seek His blessing followed by Bhumee and Guru Pranam to pay homage to Mother Earth and the teacher. The Shishyas received Ghungroos (bells) to tie around their ankles as a symbol of blessing from the Guru to start the journey as dancers.

Mangalacharan was the opening of the Odissi dance repertoire for an auspicious beginning of the performance, invoking the blessings from Lord Jagannath, the Guru, and the audience. In this piece Pada Bande, dancers praised Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles and the embodiment of wisdom. The dancers displayed graceful and powerful postures of Lord Ganesh with beautiful facial and body expressions.

Batu was offered in honor of Batuka Bhairava, one of the 64 aspects of Lord Shiva and is a fast-paced pure Odissi dance. It has purely rhythmic music without any song or recitation while the dancers use sculptural poses to describe actions of playing instruments. The dance formation, intricate footwork and synchronization among dancers were marvelous and felt as if the sculptures came alive on the stage.

Pallavi (blooming) which started with a slow, graceful, lyrical movement of the eyes, neck, torso and feet and slowly built in a crescendo to climax with fast tempo at the end. The Saveri Pallavi bloomed upon the beauty of spring. Dancers portrayed the joy as they were ornamented with flowers and jewels.

Abhinaya is a form of storytelling and is the most interactive dance item. In this abhinaya, Hari Riha Mugdha, the dancers portrayed the love between Lord Krishna and the Gopis (village girls). Enamoured by His looks, dancing, and flute playing, the Gopis doted on

Lord Krishna in a variety of ways to gain his attention such as apply Chandan (Sandalwood paste), prank each other, and playfully dance called Raasa. Girls portrayed the effervescent and joyous nature of Gopis and Krishna beautifully.

After the intermission the dancers cladded in different outfits were ready to display more vibrant and theatrical aspects of the Odissi dance. First dance was Megh Pallavi that drew on the raga (music) Megh, that portrayed the pleasant and pattering rain. Following three Abhainays presented solo by each dancer were hinged on a women centric theme; Radha, Sita and Durga delineating love, devotion and power.

Alpana Bakshi danced to the music of Radha Rani that expressed the relationship between Krishna and Radha, the masculine of the universe would be incomplete without its feminine. This dance captured the harmony between these two energies. The dance was choreographed by Guru Sri Shekhar Suman Majhi.

In Bibhusan Pushpe, Aaditi depicted the story of Sita’s nuptial arrangements for her marriage to Lord Rama. She portrayed the excitement of the villagers as the beautiful bride was bedecked with flowers and jewelry, offered her prayers with exaltation and garlanded Lord Rama.

In Naba Durga, Eva paid obeisance to Goddess Durga and described her nine different forms. She praised the Goddess for saving the Earth and establishing transcendental peace by killing the notorious demons such as Shumbha, Nisumbha, and Mahisha. The dance was choreographed by Guru Shri Biswajit Das.

Mokshya was the concluding dance of the Odissi repertoire and represented the spiritual salvation of the dancers. It culminates with a final incantation of “Om”, liberating the soul into a realm of peace and spiritual serenity.

Among the roaring clapping and standing ovation the dancers thanked the audience and the Guru to be part of this journey. Hosts thanked the emcees Nishikanta Bhadra, Manoroma Choudhury, and Tapasi Mohapatra for conducting the show flawlessly and entaintainingly. The show would not have been successful without the countless volunteers and their selfless help. It literally took a village to stage such a monumental show. The hosts are thankful to each and every, small and large help from near and far.

Guru Smt. Jayashree Mohapatra is a renowned Odissi dancer, choreographer and teacher in the USA and Canada. Her early career started at Kalavikas Kendra, Odisha, India, under the guidance of late-Gurus Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra and Shri Raghunath Dutta. She achieved many accolades as an accomplished dancer such as the Nritya Bhushan, a master's degree in Odissi dance, a fellowship from Central Sangeet Natak Academy, and Kalashree award presented by Odisha Society of America. She was recognized by Mr. Neelam Sanjeev Reddy, the former president of India for her excellent performance.

Shishyas:

Alpana Bakshi graduated from Westford Academy is the daughter of Bhabana and Abhay and sister of Avinash. In addition to dance, she was captain of school clubs like Mock Trial and Speech & Debate, worked as an intern at a local law firm, and tutored children. She loves to listen to music, play violin, make art, and sculpt. She is passionate about current socio-economic issues, and is attending Middlebury College in the fall as an economics major.

Aaditi Padhi is also a graduate of Westford Academy and is the daughter of Sunita and Jyoti Bhusan. She competitively runs track and swims, and participates in National Honors Society and Speech & Debate. Aaditi is passionate about computer/data science and works as a software engineering intern at MITRE Corporation. She is also a staff writer for the online newspaper Youngzine. In her free time, she loves to read, journal, and crochet. Aaditi is attending UMass Amherst in the fall as a Computer Science major.

Eva Choudhury is a Westborough High School graduate and is the daughter of Rasmi and Mahesh. Apart from dance, she is a Black Belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and a Varsity runner in Cross Country & Track. In school, she was an active member of several clubs including National Honors Society and Girls Who Code Club. Leisurely, she loves to teach programming to kids and painting. Eva is attending University of Pittsburgh as a Computer Science major.

It was one of the hottest days in the summer where the mercury touched almost 100 F and the AC in the stage broke down as if to test the endurance and patience of everyone. Even without the AC, the dancers, the teacher, the emcees, the light and sound crews did not stop from staging an amazing and breathtaking performance; kudos to everyone! The decorations at the entrance, in the hallways, on the stage, and in the cafeteria were meticulous. The stage banners with the images of stone carved dancers from the pillars of Mukteswara temple in Odisha gave the illusion of dancing in the temple courtyard. The photo backdrop with the panoramic view of the same temple was set outside for the guests to take pictures with the dancers.  The foods with a flavor of Odia cuisine were mouth watering. Overall it was a memorable event for all of us who witnessed it physically and for all our friends and families from all over the world who watched the live streaming.

The hosts and the girls donated generously to UNICEF as a way of giving back to the community. Alpana, Aaditi and Eva have been learning Odissi for the last 12 years and are very passionate about it. They performed at many cultural and charitable events in the past. They will remain in touch with their culture and roots through odissi dance and hope to continue the love for the dance. We wish them good luck in their future endeavors.