I liked the tandav aspect of Debaprasad’s Odissi: Ramli Bin Ibrahim

You learnt ballet and Bharatanatyam, however took to Odissi. What concerning the type captivated you?

Within the ‘70s Odissi was not standard and there was little or no publicity to this dance type. The primary time I even heard Odissi was once I heard Odissi music by the late Raghunath Panigrahi. His voice and music was so compelling that it stirred one thing inside me. That was once I realized about Odissi and Sanjukta Panigrahi (dancer). I had a good friend, who was simply beginning to be taught Odissi and I noticed him dance the Mangalacharan and later the Dashavataar and fell in love with the shape and determined to be taught Odissi. It was later once I met a dancer in Delhi that I found Debaprasad’s fashion of Odissi and was drawn to it.

How completely different was Debaprasad Das’s fashion from that of Kelucharan
Mohapatra?

Debaprasadji’s type is extra Shaivite in nature, whereas Kelu Babu’s type, relies on the gotipua dance fashion. I additionally really feel Debuji’s fashion has an underlying contact of tantrism. He’s barely extra minimalist, and his fashion is austere with a Tandav high quality that I discover thrilling.

Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi’s voice was a relentless at any 
Odissi dance recital. Would you say his singing contributed to the rise of Odissi?

Undoubtedly. His voice was one of many main points of interest of Odissi  dance. I did meet him and Sanjukta Panigrahi many occasions and felt his melifluous voice, in his earlier singing days, leaned in direction of the south Indian classical fashion. Later his voice had a powerful swing in direction of Hindustani. He has influenced plenty of singers in Odissi.

You established an Indian classical dance faculty in Malaysia. Did you’re feeling you have been being unjust to their classical and people types?

There isn’t a classical type in Malaysia, however court docket types like Joget Gamelan. They don’t seem to be like classical dance types of India that return to the Natyashashtra. The problem was to do one thing solo and I felt the Indian classical dance is the epitome of that problem. Although I used to be doing ballet, I discovered, my one leg was in Indian classical dance. I didn’t really feel selling and practising Indian classical did any injustice to Malaysian artwork types as Chinese language, Indian and different types are a part of the Malay material. It’s within the tapestry of being numerous and multi-cultural. Indian classical dance types have been part of the artwork scene right here.

How did you’re feeling while you have been awarded the Padma Shri?

It was sudden and I really feel very honoured to be given one of many 4 highest civilian awards from India. I’m the second Malaysian to get this award after Janaky Athi Nahappan, who lived not very removed from me. I thank the Indian authorities for this honour and really feel the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) is encouraging and doing an incredible job in selling artistes who follow Indian artwork types.

As a choreographer, what are the challenges or hurdles you’re employed with with regards to worldwide collaborations?

In Odissi, we collaborate with Indian artistes. It’s the similar with visible artistes as we run a gallery right here. We have now been selling artistes from India for the final 4 a long time. For dance, we have now collaborated with Madhavi Mudgal, Bichitrananda Swaine and my guru, 
Gajendra Kumar Panda… they’ve all been invited to carry out right here. We collaborate for the dance, music, choreography, music, as the whole lot must be created from scratch. It has been a beautiful journey of collaboration and creation.

You might have created dances primarily based on the Ramayana, and on Indian mythological characters like Krishna. What’s your method and therapy to those as a dancer-choreographer?

I strive to not intervene with the essential vocabulary as a choreographer out of respect for the dance type itself. What I do is information, when it comes to inventive course and the way the work ought to go, which is finished with the collaborators. As soon as we have been carried out with the works of Debaprasad’s
 repertoire, we began to fee new works. These wanted enhancing so the feel of the works was well-modulated. I’m not into discovering new methods of motion or presentation and metaphors. I don’t wish to underestimate my viewers, who’re rasikas
 who know and decide a piece from the standpoint of the excellence of dancing, message and presentation.

You might be coming to Bengaluru  for Naman 2024, spearheaded by new-age 
Odissi dancer, Madhulita. What would you wish to applaud about her work?

I’m enormous fan of Madhulita and assume college students educated from her faculty have made a powerful mark after they carry out. I at all times look ahead to a efficiency by her college students. Principally, the guru’s fashion relies on who’s dancing. The very best dancer will deliver out one of the best of the guru’s work on the stage flawlessly. I believe Indian dance is a dancer’s dance, how the dancer brings out one of the best of the composition is seen in how effectively the dancer is educated and the interpretation transitions from pure dance to abhinaya.

Naman 2024 will likely be introduced on September 1, 5pm at ADA Rangamandira, JC Street. Open to all.