A leap of nuance and grace

Anoushka Rahman, trained in Nrityagram under Surupa Sen, will make her solo debut as an Odissi dancer

Nrityagram presents an Odissi solo recital by Anoushka Rahman. The dancer, who hails from Kolkata, is a part of The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and has been training under the artistic director, Surupa Sen.

Anoushka, who has been dancing all her life, commenced her Odissi training with Dona Ganguly in Kolkata. “In 2018 I visited Nrityagram for a summer workshop and have been training under Surupa di ever since.”

The 29-year-old dancer won the Virendra Kumar Laroia Fellowship. Her dance journey with Nrityagram commenced with the dance production Āhuti, and she has travelled with the team across India, US, Canada and Sri Lanka with it.

The youngster is elated to be presented by Protima Gauri’s brainchild, Nrityagram, a dance village based in Hesaraghatta, dedicated to preserving and advancing Indian classical dance. Established in 1990, Nrityagram provides training in classical dance through the ancient gurukul system.

“My dance will be a full-fledged one-and-a-half hour show, where I will be presenting six dance choreographies — five of which are choreographed by Surupa di, and one is by guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.”

Her performance will not follow the stereotypical list of Mangalacharan, Battu and so on. “While the repertoire is different, it follows the traditional pattern, beginning with an invocatory piece, followed by a pallavi, then an abhinaya and a piece from the Gita Gobind titled Sakhi.”

Protima was known to give a brief synopsis of the dance she would present on stage before every dance with explanations of the hastas (hand gestures). It is one of the late dancer’s signature styles that Nrityagram has kept alive. That is the pattern students of Nrityagram follow, with Anoushka presenting a commentary before every dance.

The style of Odissi between Dona and Surupa is different, Anoushka says. “Until I set foot in Nrityagram, I had no idea of the capacity in which this form can be nuanced or refined when it came to the technicality or how much attention can be given to the tiniest of details.”

These are aspects that changed her perception of the dance itself, Anoushka says. “Nrityagram uses the holistic way of practising Odissi, which I, as a city-bred dancer had no idea about. Here, there is not even a second where you can leave a movement loose. You experience every minute detail when it comes to the flow or body movement. It makes for a different experience for a dancer. It has left me overwhelmed and there is no going back from this emotion.”

Anoushka credits her parents, Manishita Maiti and Kazi M Rahman for instilling a love of Odissi in her. “My mother is a teacher and father a lawyer. They put me with Dona aunty when I was three as they were keen I learn Odissi. I was not allowed to miss a single dance class.”

Wanting to be financially independent to pursue dance seriously, Anoushka tackled her education with equal passion. “This has been my childhood dream. For instance, my mother a good work schedule that left her with ample free time to pursue Odissi.”

Surupa surprised Anoushka one day by asking her why she (Anoushka) was not pursuing dance seriously. “I was shocked with the question and my mind was screaming out that I was pursuing Odissi seriously. That is when I realised she meant me to take to dance full time with no distractions. Nrityagram and Surupa di instilled this drive in me.”

Today, Anoushka is a residential student of Nrityagram, and dreams of nothing but Odissi, however she did complete her post graduation in Mathematics. “I did not want to leave it undone.”

Anoushka, also a Sangeet Bhaskar in Odissi, will be dancing to live music, except for one dance, composed to Kelubabu’s choreography, which will be presented to recorded music.

“Her solo debut marks an important chapter in Nrityagram’s history,” says Surupa. “We have waited a long time to find a dancer who epitomises everything our founder, Protima Gauri, wanted a Nrityagram dancer to be. And we found the perfect dancer in Anoushka, who is a rare combination of talent, perseverance and intellect.”

Anoushka will perform at JNCASR Auditorium, Jakkur, on November 9, 7pm. Entry is free. 

Published - November 07, 2024 09:27 am IST