BHUBANESWAR:Divinity and the devil can be found in every soul and human being. This concept of existential monologue in one’s life will be explained through an innovative dance choreography titled ‘Pratinayaka’ by Odissi dancer Aruna Mohanty at the seventh edition of Odisha Literary Festival on Saturday. Popular as the ‘thinking dancer’ in Odissi community, she will be performing solo at the festival.
‘Pratinayaka’, Mohanty explains, is a concept based on Indian aesthetics where the protagonist is not an anti-hero or opposite to the hero, rather he is a proto-type of the Nayaka. “My fall is your rise, my defeat your victory. I am, therefore you are. This is the existential monologue of Pratinayaka in every age. Our life is controlled by five elements - Dwita, Kamini, Madhyapana, violence and lust. If we are controlled by these elements, we are devils and if we win over these elements, we find divinity and truth,” explains the danseuse, who was awarded the Padma Shri last year.
The show will begin with students of Orissa Dance Academy performing a mangalacharan on ‘Rama Stuti’ which will be a confluence of Indonesian and Kalingan Odissi. This will be followed by Mohanty’s solo performance.
Known for creating unconventional dance and choreography without altering the basic structure and aesthetics of Odissi, Mohanty excels in the ‘abhinaya’ aspect of the dance form. Some of the items in her repertoire include dance ballet ‘Shrusti O Pralay’, ‘Varsha-Abhisara’, ‘Sravana Kumar’, ‘Kharavela’ , ‘Jatra Baramasi’, ‘Gatha Odishi’, ‘Krupa Nidhaana’, ‘Swargadapi Gariyasi’, ‘Arjuna Dui Adhyaya’, ‘Krishna Sharanam’ and ‘Khamaj Pallavi’.
As a choreographer, Mohanty says, she does not think about her audience while composing a piece. “For me, the theme is important and it should excite me,” says Mohanty who trained under the legendary Guru Gangadhar Pradhan.Mohanty has received the Mahari Award in 1997, Sanjukta Panigrahi Memorial National Award in 2001 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar Award in 2010.