MY love affair with Odissi started 31 years ago with Sutra Dance Theatre, when I was pursuing my Art and Design course at the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA).
What started off as an "interest" (and subsequently becoming a final year project) only served to trigger my curiosity to explore fine arts through black and white photography.
At the beginning, my focus was more on experimental studies. I eventually made "dance" my core, before selecting "Odissi" as my subject matter — a niche one. Odissi, whose history can be traced back several centuries, is an intricate and complex dance form with scores of symbolic hand gestures used to convey a single scene with emotion and feeling.
Ever since then, my journey with the dance of Odissi has evolved, continuing in the form of my photography, which I've had the opportunity to exhibit locally and internationally.
Recently, I was invited to Odisha (formerly known as Orissa), India, the homeland of Odissi dance for the Konark Dance Festival. The five-day dance festival is held every year in the month of December from Dec 1 to 5, against the backdrop of the magnificent Unesco World Heritage Site of Konark's 13th-century Sun temple.
Before attending the festival, we had a chance to visit several historical sites; ancient temples dating back to the 11th century such as Lingaraj a Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva, and one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar; Jagannath, another important Hindu temple, which is dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu — one of the trinities of supreme divinity in Hinduism, and of course, Konark. Odisha truly is rich in history, art and culture.
POLISHED PRODUCTION
After sightseeing, it was finally time to experience the magnificent Konark Dance Festival — back after a two-year hiatus — where a troupe led by Odissi classical dance exponent, Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, would also be performing.
The entourage from Malaysian dance theatre Sutra Foundation included 23 dancers, 11 of whom comprised young dancers from Sutra Dance Outreach programme. Sutra presented Jaya Ram: A homage to Rama, hero of the Ramayana.
Produced by Sutra Dance Theatre in collaboration with Guru Gajendra Kumar Panda, the magnificent presentation combined classic Odissi infused with elements of Ramlila and Rama Natakam, which are famous and dramatic folk theatre genres of South Odisha.
I was truly in awe of the performance. All the hard work put in by both Sutra's senior and junior dancers came to fruition as they mesmerised the audience from the moment they stepped on stage. Meanwhile, the mood was beautifully set thanks to lighting designer Sivarajah Natarajan and the "live" musicians.
Jaya Ram had its premier last year in Kuala Lumpur before enjoying successful outings in three major festivals in India, namely Konark Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival and the Khajuraho Dance Festival. Incidentally, it also marked 65 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between Malaysia and India.
Malaysians will be able to enjoy the magic too as Jaya Ram: A homage to Rama, hero of the Ramayana is weaving its way to Melaka, Seremban, and Kuala Lumpur once again, with the date for Melaka set on March 10.
For enquiries, email sutrafoundation25@gmail.com or call Sutra Foundation at 019-3331 092.