Ninaad: The Divine Sound of Dancing Bells

Join us for a mesmerizing springtime Odissi dance performance by the incredibly talented dancers of Rudrakshya Foundation, India. Steeped in religion and philosophy, Odissi is one of the oldest Indian dance forms, dating back to the 1st and 2nd century BCE. This art form's graceful and flowing movements have been captured in stone in many temple sculptures throughout Odisha, the southeastern coastal state where it originated.

This evening’s performances will showcase two forms of dance within the Odissi repertoire — Nritta or pure dance, usually a lyrical composition celebrating a season or a mood, and Nritya or expressive dance, where the dancers use movement and expression to narrate a story, usually from Hindu mythology.

The dance ensemble will comprise Samir Kumar Panigrahi, Santosh Ram, Roji Swain, and Debashree Patnaik, all award-winning principal dancers with the Bhubaneswar-based disciples of Guru Shree Bichitrananda Swain, founder-director of Rudrakshya Foundation. The ensemble will perform a mix of Guru Swain’s unique choreographies, which honor the Odissi form and traditions but offer fresh executions of this exquisite and ancient Indian classical dance form, and traditional items from the Odissi repertoire.