classical odissi staged to mark india's

The celebrated classical Indian dancer Meera Das was invited to perform the Odissi dance as part of commemorations marking the 59th Republic Day of India.

Das expressed her gratitude to the Indian Embassy for the invitation saying it was a great pleasure to be invited to perform abroad, her second professional performance here.

Over 800 distinguished guests were at the extravagant reception on Saturday, held at Taman Mini Indonesia to mark the founding of the Republic of India, 59 years ago on Jan. 26.

In an opening address India's ambassador to Indonesia, Navrekha Sharma, said Indonesian-Indian relations were at a high point.

"We made great progress... I hope for more (progress in) trade and tourism and hope to see the surging middle classes of Indonesia and India be responsible for great dynamism."

As her five-year posting draws to an end, Sharma said she felt sad to be leaving, describing her time in Indonesia as "a love affair".

Members of the Gunjan Dance Academy performed a dance composition choreographed by Meera Das, with accompaniment composed by Sumanta Mohanty and Sri Satchidananda Das.

The dance troupe presented three performances. The Mangalacharan and Batu dances showcased the Tribhangi and Chouka postures of the Odissi style. The Pallavi demonstrated a delicate balance of footwork and hand Mudras.

Meanwhile, the storyline of the Ahalya performance spoke of a special relationship between India and Indonesia.

Trained by renowned Guru Padmabibhusah Kelucharah Mohapatra, Das has been dancing for 22 years.

Das credited her father with inspiring her love of dance and said she is grateful for the encouragement and assistance of her family in her chosen career.

"My day to day affairs are (occupied) by dance. I don't want to be involved with anything but dancing and singing. My husband supports me, and so does my 12-year-old son. Sometimes it is difficult to manage (but) they know it's my life."

Das is particularly devoted to two styles of dance -- the experimental abhinay and the pure dance nrutta.

The abhinay employs spoken word, the dancer depicting the emotions of the characters in the story; in nrutta, only body movements with feet and hand gestures are employed.

Das established the Gunjan Dance Academy, which specializes in the Odissi style, in 1995. Located in Cuttack, the academy has 65 students. The artist's daily activities include workshops, dance performances and visits to temples.

She also has a very busy touring schedule, visiting 27 countries last year to perform the Odissi.

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