Bhubaneswar: Swati Sagarika Panda, a disciple of Guru Gajendra Panda and Guru Suresh Khuntia who was featured in Udayraga, a solo Odissi dance series, July 17, had this reviewer completely in her thrall. And I do believe she must have captivated all watched her online.
She started off with Basant Pallavi based on Raga Basant. Her lyrical body movements, brilliant eye movements and immaculate stage presence took the performance to a superlative level. Thanks to Udayraga for giving an opportunity to witness such talents like Swati Sagarika. This reviewer wishes to watch her perform in flesh.
Pallavi is a pure dance item in which a raga is elaborated through eye movements, body postures and intricate footwork. Pallavi literally means blooming. The name of the dance item is always based on the Raaga of the song accompanying it.
Her next presentation was an ‘Abhinay’, ‘Jibu nahin sajani banaku eka”. Here, Radha’s sakhis oppose her going to forest alone to avoid Lord Krishna’s prank.
Fragile gestures, crisp footwork and mind-blowing facial expressions made the presentation enjoyable.
Her last item was ‘Moksha’. It is the conclusion item of a recital. Moksha means spiritual liberation. The dance represents a spiritual culmination for the dancer who soars into the realm of pure aesthetic delight. Movements and poses merge to create ever-new pattern, ever-new design in space and time. The dance moves onto a crescendo that is thrilling to both the eyes and the ears. With the cosmic sound of the ‘OM’ the dance dissolves into nothingness, just like moksha or the deliverance of the soul in real life.
A native of Cuttack, Swati is also continuing her Ph.D. in biological science at NISER, Bhubaneswar. She is a national scholarship holder from CCRT, Govt. of India as well as a graded Doordarshan artist. She also got 1st rank in her Visarad from Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai. She has been awarded from former Chief Minister and Governor of Odisha.
Currently she is undergoing training under Guru Dr. Gajendra Panda to enhance her knowledge and skill about Indian classical dance.
Conceptualized by Padma Shri awardee creative director of Orissa Dance Academy Guru Smt Aruna Mohanty, Udayraga, a dance series with its each episode featuring a solo Odissi dancer, is streamed live every Saturday at 8:00 pm on ODA’s Facebook and YouTube channel. The program is so designed as to uplift the spirit of dancers.
By kalasanskruti
