ODISSI: CONTEMPORARY EXPLORATIONS
A participatory and experiential Movement Lab designed to reimagine the foundational principles of Odissi for today’s world. This lab offers an accessible introductory exploration of Odissi while encouraging participants to bring their own embodiment, lived experiences, and creative voices into the practice, fostering a dialogue between form and personal expression.
PARTICIPATORY AND EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH
This lab focuses on democratizing access, making Odissi practice available to diverse communities through a welcoming and inclusive approach.
As a facilitator, I position myself as a guide and co-learner in a learning community that explores and grows together.
MERGING TRADITION WITH INNOVATION
This lab honors Odissi’s cultural and historical Mahari lineage while embracing its potential to evolve in response to contemporary contexts.
Odissi is treated as a living practice, allowing participants to engage with its principles while interpreting them through their own perspectives.
COMMITMENT TO CO-LEARNING
The lab is a collaborative space where participants and facilitator engage in a process of mutual learning, fostering shared leadership, respect, and creativity.
The lab is committed to creating a safe and equitable environment where all voices contribute to the exploration.
USING EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AS ADVOCACY
Through experiential learning, participants engage with Odissi’s movement vocabulary while reflecting on their identities and experiences.
The goal is to co-create a space where participants are fully empowered to connect to Odissi with their own lived experiences and creative embodiment.
KEY FEATURES OF THE MOVEMENT LAB
FOUNDATIONAL EXPLORATION OF ODISSI
We explore Odissi’s lineages including its complex cultural, political and historical context.
We inhibit foundational postures, movements and mudras (hand gestures).
We reinterpret traditional movements through improvisation and personal exploration.
We use Odissi-inspired elements to craft our own stories and expressions.
ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION
This lab is thoughtfully designed for persons of all backgrounds, bodies, and abilities who support liberation and freedom.
REFLECTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
Every session includes dialogue on cultural representation, care and power dynamics, and embodied experiences, fostering deeper connections between practice and personal insight.
THIS MOVEMENT LAB IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO:
Create a space for diverse individuals and communities who face barriers to participation in classical arts to experience and engage with Odissi in an inclusive, welcoming environment.
Offer an adaptable, healthy and accessible approach to traditional practices, ensuring participants feel empowered to engage with movement on their own terms.
Build connections between Odissi’s foundational principles and contemporary movement practices, celebrating how tradition and innovation can coexist.
WHAT THIS LAB IS NOT:
This lab provides a foundational introduction to Odissi-inspired movement, not a substitute for comprehensive or traditional training.
Participants interested in deepening and formalizing their exploration of Odissi are encouraged to seek formal training with experienced Odissi teachers / Gurus.
Transparent communication ensures this lab complements traditional practices while democratizing access and fostering inclusivity.
HOW IT WORKS:
This lab is designed to be flexible and accessible across various mediums:
Online via Zoom (live or asynchronously).
One-on-one in person sessions.
Occasional in-person group workshops (based on interest and availability).
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