International Odissi Festival 2003: Sharmila Biswas performs Shiva Parvati Shabda
Duration: 00:17:43; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 39.895; Saturation: 0.183; Lightness: 0.064; Volume: 0.107; Cuts per Minute: 3.274
Summary: The 2nd International Odissi Festival was organised by IPAP between August 28 - 31, 2003, in Washington D.C. Dedicated to the memory of Guru Pankaj Charan Das, who passed away in June 2003, it brought together Odissi dancers and scholars from all over the world.
Sharmila Biswas is an Odissi dancer and choreographer. Trained by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, she has learnt the art of abhinaya from Shrimati Kalanidhi Narayanan. Sharmila has undertaken extensive research on the ancient Mahari dancers – the temple dancers of Orissa. Currently, she is imparting training to young dancers at the Odissi Vision and Movement Centre, Kolkata. Sharmila has received various awards and honours for her work, including the Uday Shankar Award for Best Choreography in 1998 from the Department of Information and Broadcasting, Government of West Bengal. She has also been awarded fellowships by the Department of Culture, Government of India, and Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
Here, she performs Shiva Parvati Shabda, which shows how the male and female energies in a dancer’s body are a cumulative force. It is a piece she has choreographed herself.

Biswas speaking about the piece - "As dancers, we have to be completely neutral; only then can we express what the role demands, whether it is male or female. Odissi is considered to be soft, lyrical and graceful and it is taken for granted that women look better in this dance. But through a dance that juxtaposes male and female energies, you can compare two different techniques and see how they complement each other."
Asian Age, April 2011.
http://www.asianage.com/newsmakers/new-beginnings-are-here-old-hero-and-how-052
Washington, DC
mardala
shabda
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