Rourkela: Odissi, one of the eight classical dance forms of the country, has captivated many foreign nationals in the past. Christian Vascolopera from Washington DC and Tim from New York are two fresh additions to the list who were charmed by the struck by the grace and elegance of Odissi.
The duo, after acquiring in-depth knowledge on Odissi through the internet, came to the Steel City June 7 and returned to the US after undergoing a three-week-long training programme from Devanrutyam, a dance institution at Sector-3 of the city.
Before leaving the city, they shared their experience with the media and said they would work towards publicising the classical dance in their country.
Christian and Tim said they wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Odissi and view the dance form from a local perspective. While Tim is a journalist, Christian runs his own dance institution back home. Mesmerized by the striking hand gestures of Odissi uploaded by dance guru Debashis Patnaik on his website, the duo got in touch with him. The two used to post comments on photographs uploaded by the dance guru. They finally decided to come to India to learn more about the dance form. Impressed by their zeal to learn, Debashis sent two tourist visas to them so that they could visit India.
The Americans reached Rourkela June 7 and learnt Odissi from Debashis for 23 days. The hospitality they received in the city will remain etched in their memories, Tim said. They loved the traditional dishes of the state and reveled in the delicacies cooked for them by Debashis’s mother during the Raja festival last month.
While locals were pleasantly surprised at the intensity and dedication of the visitors, the two enthralled an audience at Civic Centre during a cultural programme which bore the testimony of their love for the dance form.
PNN
