Odissi
Odissi is a classical dance of Orissa. The dance seems to be 2000 years old. The three schools of the dance that developed over the sanctuaries are Mahari, Nartaki and Gotipau. In earlier times, young girls were given left in the temples to live a life of Devadasi. The Mahari tradition is devadasi's tradition. Nartaki tradition is an art form developed in the royal courts. In Gotipau, young male boys are dressed up as females to perform female roles.
The two aspects of Odissi are: Nritta (non-representational dance) and Abhinaya (stylized mime to tell a story). Favorite theme of Odissi is the tales of Radha and Krishna. One of the widely depicted features of Odissi is Tribhangi. In this posture, the body is bent in three parts, head, bust and torso forming the shape of a helix.
Percussion instruments accompanying the dance are Pakhawaj (madal), tabla or mridangam, bansuri (flute), sitar, tanpura and majnjira (cymbals). Odissi dance displays different emotions and sentiments. The ending of the performance is usually the mokshya nata; that depicts the release of ataman to get unified with God.
The costume of an Odissi dancer is a nine-yard sari in bright colors like orange, red and green. The performer wears a tight fitting richly embroidered blouse (komchila) and a cover with frills around the hips (nibibhanda). A cord with tassels is tied at the waist (jhoba).
Here is a list of various theme tours:
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