Dec 07 2024 to Dec 07 2024 7 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Abhipsaa — A Seeking charts a journey of discovery in physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. In four choreographic works, Bihayini Satpathy expands the parameters of the formal and representational norms of the Odissi tradition through both narrative and non-narrative dances – reimagining classical Odissi forms through a personalised interpretation. Commissioned by Duke University and the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Abhipsaa — A Seeking, takes the audience on a profoundly personal journey. In collaboration with musicians, composers, lighting and theatrical designers, Satpathy’s performance is an otherworldly and transformative experience. A selection of the piece was presented virtually by the Baryshnikov Arts Center with introduction by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris in February 2021 and the full piece had its world premiere performances at Duke University in December 2021. This work was made possible with additional funding from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Performer

Bijayini Satpathy Dancer

Bijayini Satpathy, a master of Odissi dance on the global stage, has enjoyed a prolific career spanning more than three decades. She showcased her first self-choreographed work, Abhipsaa — A Seeking commissioned by Duke Performances and the Baryshnikov Arts Center, supported by NEFA’s National Dance Project, which then culminated in a successful US tour. During the 2021-22 season, Satpathy served as the artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum. Satpathy has been featured twice at the NY City Centre studio 5, in 2021 and recently in 2023. In 2020, Satpathy received the prestigious NY Dance and Performance Bessie Award and was recognized as the Best Solo Dancer by Dance Magazine in 2019. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Odissi in Education and Performance, she was honoured with the Dance Magazine Award in 2023. Satpathy was also a fellow at the Center for Ballet Arts (NY), researching gender expressions in the Odissi tradition. Recently, she has been invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to be a part of the Bellagio Residency 2024 to further her research and development of the Odissi training pedagogy. Satpathy’s passion for Odissi was first honed in her birth place, Orissa, and later at Nrityagram where she was principal dancer, teacher, research scholar and administrator for 25 years. In India, Satpathy has been conferred the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and the esteemed Nritya Choodamani title from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Her contributions extend to lectures, workshops, and publications, with an upcoming essay in The Oxford Handbook of Indian Dance (2024).