NEW YORK–To Popularize Indian classical music and dance amongst youth, the Indian Consulate in New York has launched new initiative titled “Baithak@Consulate” which features prominent artists.
Baithak will be an occasional series and will constantly strive to present Indian masters, the Consulate said in a statement.
The third event in the series on July 08, 2018 featured Ms. Madhavi Mudgal, highly renowned exponent of the Odissi style of dance along with her dancers – Arushi Mudgal, Shalakha Rai, Shobha Bisht, Deepika Bisht & Kritika Uppal.
A prime disciple of the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Ms. Mudgal is credited with bringing a greatly refined sensibility to her art form. She has received repeated acclaim in the major cities and dance festivals that have featured her throughout the world.
On the evening of July 8, the Consulate ballroom was brought alive by the magnificence and splendor of the lyrical Odissi dance. Submerged in spiritual fervor, Madhavi Mudgal commenced the recital with an invocatory Manglacharan (an invocation to Lord Shiva from a 13th century musical treatise, the Sangitaratnakara), followed by
Vadya Vaividhya (an abstract dance inspired by the variety of Taal Vadya of Odisha), Abhinaya (verses from Jayadeva’s Gita Govenda are interpreted through expressions and codified hand gestures), Pallavi (a visual representation of musical motifs, where music and movement build up gradually into complex patterns) & Madhurashtakan (a devotional song to Lord Krishna by the 16th century saint Vallabhacharya).
From start till finish, the audience was held captive and spell bound by the dancers’ immersion in the material they were presenting. Every shift of weight, every darting glance, and every humming bird like flourish of the hands furthered the conversation they seemed to be having, with its shades of emotions.
