ODISSI

History

This is a traditional dance form of Orissa. This was performed by Mahari or Devadasi infront of and dedicated to the lord Jaganath in the temples of orissa. It is said to be the oldest classical dance forms. It has been mentioned inscriptions depicted in temples like the Brameswara and the dancing hall of the Sun temple at Konark. It is possible that Odissi is an even earlier dance form than Bharat Natyam, with sculptural forms of Odissi dating to 2nd century B.C.

Characteristics

a.	Odissi is a soft lyrical dance. The odissi dancer use their head, bust and torso in soft flowing movement expressing specific moods and emotions.
b.	Odissi is characterized by its poses. Poses as one may find in Indian sculpture are at the core of odissi. The most beautiful of these is the "Tribunga" position with three bends in the body at the neck, waist and knee.
c.	Odissi is a contribution of narrative and pure dance form . The narrative form is based on the popular devotion to lord krishna and verses of the Sanskrit play geet Govinda (a manuscript) that has divine erotic love of Radha and Krishna as its theme.
d.	The performance usually begins with manglacharam in which the performer pays regard to god, the guru and the mother earth. This is followed by the dancer striking various poses similar to what is depicted in the temple carvings.
e.	The temple dances wear loose silk trousers with pleats drape like a fan in front, while male dancers wear dhotis cover the lower half of their bodies.