Bijayini Satpathy - Redefining Odissi

Do you think, some of the contemporary exponents of Odissi take liberties with the traditional purity of the dance form? When we ask the question, Bijayini Satpathy – the renowned figure in the world of Odissi, admits that she constantly faces the question from others as well as from herself. “Our dance traditions are time tested, and are based on fool proof foundation,” she says and adds that the input of today’s teachers and exponents is very necessary to reinforce the foundations of Odissi. She believes that what has been built so far is too little, and is confident that the complete identity of the tradition will be built in the next 50 years. However everyone should be responsible enough to retain the basic elements of Odissi, she emphasises.

 

Bijayini’s concern for the strengthening of the identity of the dance form indicates the vision towards which her career is dedicated. As the director of Odissi Gurukul, the Odissi wing of Nrityagram  - a distinguished centre for Indian classical dances set up by the eminent danseuse Protima Gauri, she is appropriately positioned to give her visions the form of reality.

 

A PASSION SINCE CHILDHOOD

 

Odissi has remained a passion to Bijayini since her early childhood. Observing her inborn inclinations toward dance, her parents got her enrolled as a student of the Orissa Dance Academy while she was only seven. Her natural instincts as a dancer began to take shape in the befitting environment of the academy.

 

Here Bijayini was favoured with intensive tutelage under the watchful eyes of some of the most revered dance gurus of Orissa -  Guru Kanduri Charan Behera, Guru Pagal Swain, Guru Bichitrananda Swain and Smt Aruna Mohanty, among others. Her 13-year long stint in the academy constituted her formative years which played a vital role in the growth of her illustrious career a dancer and dance teacher.  

 

The rigours of training and tutelage at this stage helped Bijayini hone her finesse in capturing the subtle nuances of the dance form. She further nurtured the grasp acquired by her at this first phase of her pursuit at her next destination – Nrityagram.     

 

A BLESSING NAMED NRITYAGRAM

 

An invaluable blessing in the life and career came her way when she got an opportunity to flourish further in the ideal environs of Nrityagram. A brainchild of the noted Odissi exponent Protima Gauri, Nrityagram was setup in 1990 at a picturesque location at about 35 kms away from Bangalore. Bijayini stepped into the gurukul in 1993, where she continues to grow even today.

 

The guidance and support that she received from the revered Protima Gouri, paved the way to her artistic growth. Here she did also have the privilege to collaborate with Surupa Sen in her artistic endeavours. These valuable associations enabled her to blossom into a distinguished figure - both as a performing artiste and a dance teacher. As the Director of the Odissi Gurukul of Nritygram, she is today busy creating new techniques for Odissi dance training and expanding the vocabulary of the traditional form.

 

 MERMERISING PERFORMANCE

 

Bijayini’s perforformance on stage did always have a mesmerising impact on her audiences wherever she performed, in India and abroad. Her eclectic approach to several facets of the dance form caught the attention Of the discerning lovers of Indian clasical dance.

 

She excelled in her performances both as a soloist and in ensemble. The countries where she earned acclaims for her presentations during the past several years include the USA, Canada, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, UK and Japan, besides India. She has also given lecture demonstrations to visiting students, domestic and foreign tourists at museums, universities and schools across India and the USA.

 

The rave reviews accorded to her by the press following her notable performances worldwide speak volumes about her outstanding accomplishments . The Hindu described her as “a dancer with an inner fire and angasuddha, which makes her one of the best Odissi dancers seen lately”. The New York Times appreciated her “wonderfully sinuous arms and hands, rock-solid balance and vivid facial expressions”, while the Times of India termed her performances as “exceptional”.

 

FAMILY THAT INSPIRED

 

Her basic inspirations in her formative as well as later years came from her family. She owes her present recognition as a foremost classical dancer to the encouragement and support that she received from her father Jagannath Satapathy. “He was passionate about flute”, says Bijayini. If he wasn’t out of house, he was playing the flute all the time. From him Bijayini learnt patience and sadhana.Her mother Laxmi Satapathy instilled in her the love for dance.

 

Bijayini has three siblings all of whom are associated with different forms of performing art in their own ways. Her older sister has taken up Hindustani singing. The younger brother Srinibas Satapathy is a renowned flautist while another brother is multitalented in many instruments , including mardala.

 

Amid all her pressing preoccupations with various assignments related to Odissi, Bijayini also enjoys pursuing her hobbies, which include gardening, reading of books and watching world cinema.

 

 PATIENCE MATTERS

 

Given her intensive and extensive experience as a leading practitioner of the dance form, what’s the message she would like to give to the younger learners of Odissi? She replies to this by pointing at the singlemost mantra for success– patience. “Because there is no short cut to learning”, she says, “There is one percent talent and 99 percent hard work that makes one an artist”.

 

She believes that dance brings to one’s life the greatest soul-mate: one’s art. It is a fulfilment that goes unparalleled in life.