Dashavatar | Odissi Dance

Performance was also a way to bring transcendental ideas to the masses. Artists drew on stories and songs and represented them through their form. This piece describes the 10 forms of Vishnu. As the preserver of life, stories associated with Vishnu describe how he takes different forms to save humanity from crises. In the first of these stories, he takes the form of a fish, then a turtle, a boar and ends with Kalki. In the progression of the forms, many see the mapping of life itself – from water to amphibian to settlements, to war, to understanding the value of peace and finally to the yug that is yet to come. In this single piece, the dancer must explore many forms – not just in the mudras and the postures but in embodying each element as separate from the other.

This piece is based on a poem from Jayadev’s Gita Govinda which is the fount of much inspiration for Odissi choreography.

Ten Incarnations of Vishnu:
1. Matsya
2. Kurma
3. Varaha
4. Narasimha
5. Vamana
6. Parsuram
7. Ram
8. Balaram
9. Budha
10. Kalki

Choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
Music Composition by Pt. Bhubaneshwar Mishra
Dancer: Antara Kshirsagar
Raga : Kalyan
Taal: Ardha Jhampa (5 Beats)