Odissi

Odissi, the essence of the state of Orissa. Orissa is the highly inspired, impassioned, ecstatic and sensuous form of dance. Odissi was performed in the temples of Orissa as a religious rite and offering by the Devadasis known as 'Maharis'. Odissi is a rich and generous cultural gift of the land, well known for its dedication to religion and arts and known in the past as 'Kalinga Desha'. The people of this land raised magnificent temples, each erected as an act of religious faith and embellished by the skills of master craftsmen, sculptures and architects. These temples became the centre of art and culture and it was here that Odissi, one of India's scintillating dance-forms

In Odissi, the technique, the style, its stages, the repertoire and the finale were almost amorphous. Today Odissi is a well established and codified classical dance form of India, a dance of love, delight and intense passion, lyrical, pure, divine and human all rolled into one.

Odissi is the traditional dance of the state of Orissa. Originally, this form of dance was performed in the temples as a religious offering, by the Devadasis. Odissi is a dance of divine, human, love and passion. The performance is soft and lyrical depicting the ambience of Orissa and the philosophy of the popular Hindu God, Lord Krishna. Most of the poses of this form of dance are inspired by the temple carvings of Orissa. The dresses worn by the dancers are similar to the sculptures. The dancers wear colorful costumes and traditional silver jewellery. Elaborate ornaments are worn specially on the hips.

Odissi is based on the popular devotion to Lord Krishna and the verses of the Sanskrit play Geet Govindam are used to depict the love and devotion to God. Odissi presents a synthesis of LasyaTandava aspects of the Indian Classical Dance. Odissi dance performance involves a balance between pure dance, expressional dance and a combination of acting and dance.