Dubai-based Odissi dancer and teacher Devjani Sen will present an evening of Odissi dance tomorrow, at 8pm, at the Indian Consulate Auditorium in Dubai.
Along with her students Tanya Lalwani, Rhea Das, Indu Govindan, Neha Sarkar, Aditi Pillai and Malavika Subramanian, Sen will perform several Odissi numbers. The two-hour recital will showcase various facets of this graceful classical Indian dance form. The recital is sponsored by HDFC Bank, Mahindra Club and UAE Exchange. Entry is free and open to all.
Sen began training in Indian classical dance at the age of 8 when she joined the dance troupe of Amala Shankar in Kolkata. She learnt Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Manipuri, but decided to concentrate on Odissi after getting the opportunity to train with Kelucharan Mahapatra, the famous exponent of this dance form. For sometime dance took a backseat as Sen focused on her career in the software industry. But her love for Odissi led her to give up her job and pursue the art full time.
Over the last seven years she has taken intensive training at Srjan, an institute run by Mahapatra, and has performed at prestigious events such as the Hampi Festival. Since moving to Dubai two years ago, Sen has performed at the Indian Consulate and at the Performing Art Festival at the Dubai Country Club. She has also been teaching Odissi and this is the first public performance by her students.
"I have organised this recital as a mark of respect to my guru, who passed away in April last year and also to promote Odissi dance in Dubai," said Sen.
The students who will perform at the recital are in the age group of 9 to 17 years and have been rehearsing sincerely for their first stage performance. "Odissi has always seemed to me the very embodiment of feminine grace and I was thrilled to know that such a good teacher was available in Dubai. Learning Odissi has inculcated in me a greater appreciation of India's rich cultural heritage," said teenager Aditi Pillai.
Malavika Subramanian's first introduction to Odissi was at a Dubai performance by Sen. "I was enthralled and completely overwhelmed by this graceful dance and the beautiful costume and immediately decided to be her student. I feel fortunate to get this opportunity to dance alongside my teacher on stage," said the 14-year-old.
