The Mayadhar Raut School of Odishi Dance presented an Odishi dance recital Jai Jagannath at the India International Centre in New Delhi on Sunday.
Guru Mayadhar Raut’s daughter Madhumita Raut, who composed the dance recital, said “We dedicate the evening to lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri Dhaam, one of the four main pilgrimages of Vaishnavite Hindus. The Jagannath culture pervades in all walks of life of Odia people. This has enriched the cultural heritage of Odisha and Odishi dance.”
“As we all know, earlier Odishi dance was performed at the temple of lord Jagannath at Puri by Devadasi dancers called Maharis. Today, we try to recreate the magical temple atmosphere by singing and dancing on the Bhajans of lord Jagannath,” said Madhumita.
Mayadhar Raut School of Odishi Dance students Sonam Samal, Nitya Pant, Priyanka Venkateswaran, Vasundhra Chopra, Jayanti Chakraborty and Ankita Nayak of the school presented the compositions of Madhumita. The students trained by her reflected their guru’s style known for ‘laasya’, ‘grace’ and intense ‘abhinaya’.
They have recently performed successful shows in Malaysia under their guru Madhumita, who is the torchbearer of her father’s legacy and the force behind the Mayadhar Raut schools in India and abroad. Author of Odishi-History, Evolution and Technique, she has showcased Odishi dance in more than 30 countries. The chief guest of the evening was Mridula Pradhan.