Pragati Prava
Dance for Odissi artiste Sachiko Murakami is “a prayer dedicated to the creator” and the young Japanese danseuse is committed to promoting the devotional dance forms of the state worldwide
She is excellently well-versed in jazz and a wide array of modern and classical dances (including the Balinese classical dance) from across cultures. But it is intriguing to ponder as to what made this young Japanese lady fall in love with Odissi and dedicate her life to the promotion of the dance form globally?
While most dancers of international repute make money and name for themselves, for Sachiko Murakami dance is the way of expressing her life, a prayer dedicated to her creator. It gives her the power to live.
“I wanted to learn some form of dance that could bring out the spiritual self of mine as life is a manifestation of divinity. I was deeply moved by the grace and divine aspects of Odissi. It is elegantly different from all other forms of dance. I like a few other dance forms but nothing keeps me as engrossed as Odissi,” says the dancer.
The dancer has fallen in love with Orissa too. She believes she has found her spiritual self here and the joys and happiness she has received from the audience propel her ahead.
The vibrant dancer says: “As I was always in search of a form through which I could express myself, one of my friends suggested I should go for Odissi in 1993. I joined Saeko Hamada’s classes who was a senior disciple of Madhavi Mudgal in Japan. Grace of the movements and the divine aspects of the classical ballet enthralled me. Since then Odissi has been a way of my life.”
Sachiko was so touched by the philosophy of Odissi that she went for training in Mahari dance, a form of Odissi dedicated to the gods. She got training in the divine dance form from US-based eminent dancer Ratna Roy, the closest disciple of Padma Shri the late Guru Pankaj Charan Das.
Since October 2000, Sachiko had been undergoing Odissi training at the Orissa Dance Academy from learned teachers like Rojalin Mohapatra and Lingaraj Swain under the guidance of the internationally famous Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. After the sad demise of Pradhan, she took learning from Rojalin Mohapatra.
“The intensity of devotion and emotions in Odissi, the divine background of the holy state and the affectionate people moved me to stay in the state. But it is not possible for me to reside in Orissa permanently as I aim at popularising Odissi on the global platform. Since 2000, I have been coming to the state for six months every year to continue my training at the Odisha Dance Academy and learn under the reputed dance Gurus like Rojalin Mohapatra, Lingaraj Swain and the late Gangadhar Pradhan. I learn from the land of Lord Jagannath and spread the values and knowledge in my own land – Osaka in Japan, where I started the Odissi Dance Centre (ODC) in April 2015,” she says.
Replying to a query on the position of Odissi internationally and its acceptance in Japan, Sachiko observes: “The Japanese people love Odissi and other Indian classical dance forms and music. But it still has only a minor status globally. I want to spread Odissi throughout the world. That is why I started ODC at Osaka.”
“ODC is Japan’s first academy offering holistic training in the culture and arts of India. Various classes offered in ODC has introduced Japanese students to the authentic and mystical essence of incredible India,” claims Sachiko.
An expert in the Abhinaya form of dance, Sachiko says there are a number of movements in Japanese dance forms with similar motions and stillness as Odissi. Replying to a query on whether there is an equivalent of Mahari dance in Japan, Sachiko says: “‘Mikomai’ is a type of dance performed by Miko (shrine maidens) in a Kagura performance, a sacred music and dance performance dedicated to the Shinto gods.
The danseuse who has a diploma in Nrutya Prabha in Odissi Dance from the Orissa Dance Academy, has performed in several cities and festivals in Japan and also in Orissa, Assam and Hyderabad. She has organised dance and music programmes and workshops and also tours to Japan for Rahul Acharya (in 2014-2015) and for Rojalin Mohapatra (in 2015-2016).
“The Japanese people love Odissi and other Indian classical dance forms and music. But these have only minor status globally. I want to spread Odissi throughout the world. That is why I started the Odissi Dance Centre at Osaka in Japan”
She has been actively contributing in promoting Indian culture for years in Japan while drawing attention to the delightful music and dances of India. These activities of the vibrant artiste has won her many supportive members from the Indian community in Japan.
Her reputation of sincere dedication to the devotional dances, and her respect for the Indian masters who have played a stellar role in preserving these dance forms, has been greatly appreciated in India and abroad.
