Journalism of Courage
Odissi dance form Gotipua,involving acrobatic moves and performed only by boys,will be staged in the city for the first time ever
They defy gravity when they perform. And its not just gravity that is deceived. So are the audiences,for whom the female attire of the performers is too convincing to decide their gender. But Gotipua is an enigmatic conundrum. When six out of eight performers levitate in air during their performance,the audience is transfixed. The acrobatic acts during the dance performance are too engaging for them to notice the layer of masculinity lurking under the veneer of female attire. And so in various formations,when they create an array of mythological characters and objects,the audience is drawn to the edge of its seats to witness the spectacle. Hardly does it cross their minds that the performers are not girls but boys. Belonging to age group of 7 to 11,these boys are the ones who have mastered the art of dissolving their identities for the divine.
The Odissi that we see today is largely inspired by Gotipua ,which means ‘one boy.’ It is a living tradition indigenous to the Puri district whereby pre-puberty boys are trained in Odissi dance since childhood and perform dressed in traditional female attire.
Vishnu riding his Garud,chariots,temples summits and many other archaic objects straight from the epics find their existence in various moves and formations of the dance form. To be performed for the first time in Pune,Gotipua dance along with present-day Odissi dance performance is sure to be a riveting treat.
(Utkalkanti will take place at Ishanya Amphitheatre at 6.30pm on March 28)
