AN INTRODUCTION TO ODISSI DANCE - For dancers and non-dancers, open to all ages ...a 2 day workshop with Guru Jyoti Rout. on 21st and 22nd August 6pm-8pm.

Would you like to be a rivulet leaping and tumbling towards the river; Would you like to be a peacock celebrating the coming rain or the wind making music amidst the tree tops. You can experience poetry music and rhythm. You can step out of the known and discover the joy of Odissi dance with Guru Jyoti Rout.

Jyoti Rout is a truly gifted performer. To witness her dance is to see the ancient temple sculptures come to life. She is most appreciated for her abhinaya (expression). She flows between rage, love, fear and amusement with ease, moving you to empathize with each character. Even within each emotion she conveys the subtle nuances, those imperceptible shifts in feeling - with clarity.

Guru Jyoti Rout is a gifted choreographer. She has choreographed over 60 original items in the classical Odissi tradition. She was one of the few dancers who had the opportunity to dance in front of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

She is the recipient of an award from World Arts West for her outstanding choreography of Dasavatara at the prestigious Ethnic Dance Festival at San Francisco in 2006. She went on to receive a grant for choreographing an Odissi item for the 2007 Ethnic Dance Festival. She has been honored with several National and International awards from around the globe including Pride of India National Award, Shrestha Odiani, and Shrishetra Mahari Award from Jagannath Puri in 2008 and Nritya Shri and Nritya Shiromani State Awards.

Guru Jyoti Rout is an inspired teacher and several students have moved across the country to study with her. It is fascinating to watch her transform her students into dancers, each with their own unique charm while having the consciousness, sensibility and body language of this ancient art form. She teaches Odissi as a spiritual practice, emphasizing relaxation, right breathing, mindfulness and focus while engaging in rigorous physical practice.

for registrations; call 9030013344 (Nayantara Nanda Kumar)