Commissioned inaugural DD classical Indian dance production made to feature the new TV technology at the Doordarshan Central Production Centre re-purposed Siri Fort Asian Games Site. We three dancers,Bharatanatyam by Sujatha Srinivasan, Odissi by Sharon Lowen and Kathak by Malavika Sirkar, had complete individual music ensembles so that we could choreograph our own and blended performance of a Jayadeva Geeta Govinda ashtapadi. fortunately, my violinist was non other than the great Pt Bhubaneswar Misra who was immediately asked to be overall music director. Kamalini Dutt was the Producer/Director of this historic performance created for TV. This is a clip of 7 minutes, the full 19:13 minutes version with the ashtapadi stanzas and pure dance solos of Kathak and Bharatanatyam are on that video.

This is a rare and wonderful lecture-demonstration in the USA November, 1985 during the Odissi tour of Sharon Lowen. Guruji demonstrates Sira Bheda-head movements, Drishti Bheda - eye movements, Gribha Bheda - Neck movements, Torso movements in Odissi, wrist movement in conjunction with torso movement with and without neck movements, Pada Bheda - Foot positions, Nritta hastas - hand positions used in pure dance/without meaning, Samyukta hastas in nritta - double hand positions used in pure dance, Chauk stepping 1-6 (note the distance between feet as he did and taught), Tribhangi stepping 1-5 alternating demonstration by Sharon and Guruji, dance phrase and the first part of Batu done by Guruji. We treasure the films of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra performing but I have not seen any other sharing of him demonstrating the basic technique of his style himself. This is a visual shastra of the basics as he did it himself. Enjoy!

Connecting Heart and Soul Through Dance filmed by Kshitij Nagar A 3 minute clip on the relevance of a short, intensive classical Indian dance workshop - to the participants of varying levels. This was filmed during week one of three workshops taught June, 2015. Each workshop began with yoga, progressed to basic technique and corrections and then learning a different Pallavi each session: Kalavati Pallavi choreographed by Smt. Kumkum Mohanty, Mohana or Arabhi and either Odia Abhinaya Pathe Chari De (choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra) or Devi Mangalacharan. (Choreographed by Sharon Lowen). Students came from around India and as far as Japan and the USA, aged 10-63. Wonderful energy and support for each other each week. copyright credit obligatory: Sharon Lowen, Kshitij Nagar, Madhur Gupta. Other workshops live and via zoom cover a variety of new and classic choreographies of Odissi for intermediate to advanced dancers. contact manasa.art.without.frontiers at gmail