Course Aim
This course aims at helping students understand the fundamentals of Odissi Dance, one of the
eight schools of Indian Classical Dancing, and helping dancers, both professional and non-
professionals to develop an appreciation for its rich vocabulary and complex grammatical
nuances, enriched by over three thousand years of recorded and oral history, surviving
uninterrupted. Through online theory and practical classes, including recorded sessions and study
materials provided by qualified instructors, who are globally recognized dancers of Odissi,
students will gain a deeper understanding of Indian dance in general and Odissi in particular,
gaining insights into stage preparedness and teaching.
Course Objectives
- To provide students with the basic tools and techniques of dancing Odissi, focusing on
body conditioning and mastering basic techniques of the style. - To help students develop confidence, and spontaneity in their performances by gaining
sufficient theoretical knowledge along with practical lessons. - To explore the practical applications of dancing both for the stage and teaching in classes,
enhancing performance skills that can be applied in personal and professional contexts. - To prepare students for real-world performance settings, including stagecraft and
performances.
Learning Outcomes
● What steps are involved to become a professional Odissi dancer?
● What responsibilities do teachers of Odissi have towards their students ?
● What does it truly mean to pursue Odissi Dance as a career, both as a professional dancer
and as an instructor?
By the end of the course, students will be able to
1. Gain an integrated and holistic sense of Odissi dance.
2. Look for avenues beyond a performing career with professional skills making them industry ready.
3. Have a strong foundation in performing arts and be able to analyse and assess auxiliary aspects of performing arts, such as light designing, sound management, stagecraft, and set designing.
4. Pursue a doctoral degree in the subject of their choice, with exposure to fields of writing, critical thinking, analysis, art appreciation, and effective teaching pedagogy, to name a few.
5. Create, evaluate, analyse, apply, understand, and recognise the multi-faceted aspects and details of the art form, enabling them to interpret and assess dance and music presentations.
6. Explore their passion as a profession, while encouraging the expression of creative identity and understanding objective evaluation of their work and the works of others.
7. Bring to fruition a rich set of cultural practices imbibed over the duration of the course, while using relevant technology to embellish their performances and reach a larger audience.
8. Choose appropriate online programs for further learning, and participate in seminars and conferences
9. Create a positive impact on society by enabling easy access to their work and presenting their learnings in a structured and effective manner.
10. Express their learning in a form that is beneficial to future students, practitioners, and the art fraternity.
Duration: 15 Weeks – 90 Mins/Week
Course Fees: $450
Certificate: Students will receive certificate of completion. Students enrolled in “For CREDIT’ will also receive TRANSCRIPT.
Classes: Every Friday starts from 31st January, 2025 6PM (PST)
Course Outline
Faculty
Prof. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra
Adjunct Professor
In the realm of Indian classical dance and music, Prof. Guru Ratikant Mohapatra has carved an enviable niche as a dancer, percussionist, teacher,
choreographer, and archivist. Over the past 40 years, he has firmly established Odissi dance in the consciousness of audiences worldwide, performing at numerous venues across India and abroad.
As the Director of Srjan (Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrityabasa) and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Communication & Indic Studies (FACIS) at Sri Sri
University, Ratikant has created a world-class dance institute that attracts students globally for extended training in Odissi. His unparalleled dedication
has earned him prestigious accolades such as the Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi Samman by the Sanjukta Panigrahi Trust, Nrutya Choodamani by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, and Bhumiputra Samman by Bharat Sevashram Sangha, in addition to the Central and State Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards. Most notably, he was honored with an Honorary Doctorate in Performing Arts by Washington Digital University, USA.
A crowning achievement in his illustrious career is creating a Guinness WorldRecord by choreographing and directing 555 dancers in a classical Odissi composition, a landmark in the dance’s history.
Widely traveled, Ratikant frequently conducts workshops and performances abroad, gaining insights into how international students and audiences appreciate the nuances of Odissi. His passion and rigor in producing exceptional work have propelled him to the highest echelons of the cultural world, making him a true luminary in the field of dance and music.
Rahul Acharya
Rahul Acharya is one of the most loved and popular Odissi soloist in the International arena today. The world fondly knows him as the Divine Dancer. Rahul is treasured for his mastery over the technical
aspects of Odissi and his display of sublime emotions. His dance is imbued with beauty, artistry and precision. His performances are treasured the world over for their beauty, artistry, technical skill, and the spiritual force with which they are imbued. Rahul began his study of Odissi at the tender age of 4 with Guru Durga Charan Ranbir and continues to work with his Guru. He is also being trained in the theoretical and literary aspect of dance under the renowned Sanskrit scholar Pandit Nityananda Mishra. In 2009, Mr. Acharya was the first male Odissi dancer to be honored with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar award from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and in 2013 he was honoured with the Ram Gopal Best Male dancer award by Dance History Society of India. In 2014 he was honoured with the Aditya
Vikram Birla Kala Kiran Award and is also a top graded artist of Doordarshan. In 2019 he was awarded the Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Yuva Puraskar. He is the first Odissi Dancer to be honoured with the
Kavichandra Kalicharan Yuva Pratibha award by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademy.
Internationally renowned as a virtuosic artist, he has performed all over the globe – in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, South America and throughout the United States. Rahul has
danced extensively in India, participating in many of the most celebrated festivals as a soloist in the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Natya Tarangini’s Parampara Series, several Sangeet Natak Akademi
sponsored festivals, Kumbhalgarh Dance Festival, Mudra Festival, Kalidas Samaraho, Natyanjali Festival, Mukteswar Festival, Konark Festival, Puri Beach Festival,Udayshankar Dance Festival etc, as well as many
more. Other appearances include ones at Kalakshetra and the National Centre for Performing Arts.
Mr. Acharya has conducted numerous workshops and seminars. These have included lecture demonstrations at premier national institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian
Institute of Management (IIM), and Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore. He has conducted a workshop and performed at major universities around the world. Rahul is part of UNESCO’s
International Dance Council. Since 2003, he has been an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Empanelled Artist. He has received both Junior and Senior Scholarships from the Department of Culture,
Govt of India along with a junior fellowship, and is a member of the World Movement for Indian Fine Arts, Italy. He is a regularly contributing author to various journals. He coauthored an authoritative book
on Jagannatha Puri in 2009 and is currently working on a definitive volume about Odissi dance.
Enrichment Courses
- Devotional Music
- Introduction to Hindustani Music
- Fundamentals of Sanskrit Grammar
- Understanding and Appreciating Sanskrit Slokas
- Introduction to Play Writing (Telugu)
- Introduction to Harikatha(Telugu)
- Introduction to Nattuvangam
- Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems
- Viduraneeti - A Roadmap to Success in Corporate World
- Ayurveda for Wellness and Prevention
- Foundation of Yoga
- Introduction to Burrakatha(Telugu)
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
- Medical Terminology-1
- Introduction to Acting
- Introduction to Mime
- Creative writing : Metrical and Lyrical Poetry (Padyam and Geyam) (Telugu)
- Creative Writing - Short Story & Novel (Telugu)
- An Approach to Indian Philosophy from Worldly Perspective