Odissi dance exponent regales students

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 22

Odissi dance exponent Sanchita Banerjee, under the aegis of Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPICMACAY), gave a performance with her scintillating recital at Spring Dale Senior School here today.

Interacting with students, Banerjee said India was a land of various cultures, with each culture possessing its own set of dances. She said Odissi, one of the eight dance forms of India, was the oldest surviving dance form of the country. Starting with ‘mangalacharan’ (an invocation piece), she proceeded to perform a ‘Pallavi’, a form of dance performed to the accompaniment of a raga and characterised by eye movements, body postures and intricate footwork. The danseuse also acquainted the audience with the various nuances of the ancient dance, besides its history.

Rajiv Kumar Sharma, principal, Spring Dale Senior School, said Sanchita Banerjee was initiated into Odissi dance by Sharmila Biswas and Alok Kanungo. Students gained several valuable insights into various facets of the dance, he added.

Dr Kirat Sandhu Cheema, director, Spring Dale Senior School, and Sahiljit Singh Sandhu, president, Spring Dale Educational Society, reiterated their commitment to organise more such events to enable students to appreciate classical dance forms in the future.