Event

Nrityagram Dance Workshop

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble is an all-female, classical Indian dance company performing at Meany Center from October 4th-6th. Company members will be teaching a FREE workshop in the Odissi dance style with live musical accompaniment. This class is open to all students, no prior dance experience required to participate! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from experts in this ancient art form right here on the UW Seattle campus.

Class Description: This workshop is a comprehensive introduction to Odissi. It is an opportunity to learn basic movement phrases and the isolated body training specific to Odissi, as evolved and practiced at Nrityagram. The workshop will begin with a brief lecture on the history of Odissi dance, from its origin to its modern day practice at Nrityagram. Next there will be a demonstration of the language of Odissi. This includes the body positions and basic movement technique, as well as the hand gestures and facial expressions that comprise the expressional dance language. The technique and language of Odissi will then be brought to life through a brief performance. Next, the participants will be taught Nrityagram training techniques, some from the ancient texts of dance and theatre, the Abhinaya Darpana and Natya Shastra. The class will conclude with learning several basic phrases to provide a brief experience of the Odissi dance vocabulary.