Aradhana Dance Foundation has been started by the couple, Guru Panchanan Bhuyan and Guru Priyamvada Samantray. The couple met when they were students at the prestigious Odissi Research Center in Bhubaneshwar that was then headed by Guru Smt Kumkum Mohanty. Guru Bhuyan’s guru, Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra also taught at the center along with a lot of other artists of repute.
The duo was among a batch of ten students selected from across the state. They lived in the campus; and in addition to dance, they learnt classical music, Odissi music, rhythm, notation, Sanskrit and taal. This rigorous and holistic training completed the dance journey that started in childhood for both of them.
Guru Bhuyan has been performing since the tender age of five. He was part of a pioneering Gotipua troupe of boys that lived in the ashram for 9 years with Padmashree Maguni Charan Das. At Raghurajpur,Puri,Odisha. They travelled all over Orissa participating in traditional temple programs participated in Chandan Yatra, Jhulanyatra, at Puri,Sakhigopal and Bhubaneswar. They also travelled all over India to raise awareness through State and central Govt. The troupe also went to Paris (France) in the year 1998.
When he was fourteen, Guru Bhuyan began living with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra who himself was a student of Maguni Das. Guru Kelucharan who was responsible for popularising Odissi was by then known all over the world. Guru Bhuyan stayed with his guru and learnt in the traditional guru-shishya parampara.
Guru Panchanan Bhuyan essayimg the role of a young Guru Padmavibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra in his biography. Name of the documentary movie was “BHAVAMTARANA”. (The above photograph is a part of the above documentary movie.)
In the Gurukul his routine was to wake up at 5am, go to the river side and do Bandha Nritya on the banks of the river Bhargavi before the sun rose. After coming back, they (he and other co-students) ate breakfast and learnt dance till 9 am. They went to school after this. They came back in the evening, learnt music and practiced dance again and slept at 10pm. Sometimes they also stayed up late and played card games and chatted with their Guru and Guruma. Guru Bhuyan stayed with them for eight years and absorbed as much as he could from his Guru who has created a treasure of original compositions in Odissi.
Guru Bhuyan has travelled with his Guru and danced at all major festivals with him; this includes the Khajuraho festival, Mahabalipuram festival and the Mysore festival. He danced at the Puri and Konark festival every year from 1993 to 2006. He has also danced at the prestigious NCPA in Mumbai with his guru and his guru’s celebrity student, Guru Sanjukta Panigrahi.
Today, Guru Bhuyan who has spent over thirty five years of his life in dance, wants to spread his Guru’s legacy and also take Odissi further by telling many untold stories; he is creating his own original productions. He however says that he can never do what his Guru did because his Guru was an exceptional human being who lived what he created.
Guru Bhuyan has begun the tradition of organising two festivals in Delhi NCR; the Guru Dronacharya Festival in Gurgaon in summer and the Nritya Basudha festival in winter in Delhi. This has been an uphill task because raising funds or sponsorships for classical dance is still not very easy especially when you want to uphold your values. Many times the couple have gone ahead and funded part of the festival themselves. The parents of the children who train under them have immense faith in them and have helped out too. They were also invited to the summer workshop in Hope town School, Dehradun, to teach the students traditional dance form of Odissi. Asian Heritage School, New Delhi, had organised a Workshop “Jio Zindagi” where he had actively participated being invited by Padmabhushan Shri Rajiv Sethi.
In both these festivals, in addition to showcasing his own original productions, Guru Bhuyan gives a platform for students of other classical dances and music in India. Guru Bhuyan’s original productions include dance dramas like Dhashamesha, Dharmaashok and Mohamaya. He has created new choreography, got new songs written and has had them set to music for these productions. In addition, he has created several new dance compositions like Taal Pratidhwani, Hari Riha Mugdha, Naachanti Raage Sri Hari and Jai Bhagawati Devi, Sajakanja nayana. All of these choreographies have new songs and music as well. These productions also encourage a new generation of traditional poets and musicians.
Hence, Guru Bhuyan is creating a whole new eco-system of classical Odissi. He is very particular about keeping the purity, grace and beauty of the traditional dance form even as he is innovating; in addition to being careful about the forms in dance, he is particular that his dances are set to Odissi music with traditional instruments.
The duo also dream of creating a new generation of Odissi dancers who keep the traditional values. They have so far trained 180 students. Eight students who have trained under them since they were small children have completed their manch pravesh under their guidance. Guru Bhuyan now has a small troupe of senior dancers; with this troupe, he has begun to travel to perform in festivals in the country and outside.
Guru Samantray who teaches small children patiently and with a lot of humour says she first wants them to be good humans and then automatically, they will be good dancers. The gurus take total responsibility for the children who come to train under them and look at it as a long term relationship. In addition to dance, they also teach the children music and taal like they themselves have learnt and encourage the children to take exams. Even small children get a chance to perform at their festivals and that keeps them motivated and builds their poise.
Comments