Berkeley Odissi Dance Intensive Workshop

Welcome to the beautiful world of classical Indian dance!

Classical Indian Odissi dance is…

an intricately ornate dance form, rich with layers of symbolism, metaphor and poetic suggestion.  The architects of modern odissi gave prominence to the devotional and spiritual potential embeded in Odisha’s cultural dances which is reflected in both the training process and choreographic themes.  Odissi thrives on ‘mantra like repetition’ in its training process to develop a specific fluidity and musical reflex as the dances builds upon the complex rhythms and melodies of Odissi classical music.  Layer upon layer of detail is added first to the physical form, then to subtler layers of the dancers awareness, making this dance a truly holistic form offering expression to the mind, body and soul of the artist.

This 5 day intensive training will empower dancers with knowledge and experience in unique aspects of Odissi Dance, such as:

Odissi Tala / Rhythm

Find a deeper understanding (both in the body and mind) of the Tala system used in Odissi and the classical Indian music system and expand their creative range by discovering new textures in footwork and accents.  Students will embody and recite Odissi tala and rhythmic patterns, then challenge themselves by learning new creative steps, stepping practices and phrases.

Natya Shastra

Practice and understand the graceful ways of walking (Chāri), Nritta Hasta, various postures and aspects of Karana written in the ancient treatise on dance: Natya Shastra.  Through Colleena’s recent years of research into the 108 Karanas of Natya Shastra, she discovered many familiar movement designs, dynamics, postures and aesthetics which has remained abstract and unnamed in Odissi.  Upon locating them in the series of Karana she has begun to elaborate and explore beyond our regular stepping practice.  Join us on an exploration of these movements within the context of Odissi Dance.

Daily Classes will look like:

Our training days will begin with a relaxing reset of our nervous system through traditional Vinyasa Krama Yoga Vinyasa, gentle stretching, pranayama and a short meditation.  Dance conditioning will prepare our dancing bodies for practice of the chāri and stepping practices that will build in complexity to explore various rhythms and playful nritta compositions.  Our next session will explore the abhinaya aspect of classical Indian dance – acting / expressing the meaning in a beautiful shloka (devotional verse).  Experienced students will have 1 additional hour of ‘repertoire Review’ class where we will polish and revise choreography, as well as prepare for an optional performance at the end of the week.  Wednesday afternoon will be our 2 hour “theory” class focusing on practical and theoretical aspects of Hasta Mudra (hand positions) in Indian dance.

Level of Experience Required: 

Some Odissi experience is suggested. 

Learn about our School dance syllabus here: https://colleenashakti.com/odissi-levels-syllabus/

Beginners are absolutely welcome, but we recommend new beginners to start with the Odissi Fundamentals Course in preparation for this workshop: https://colleenashakti.com/courses/odissi-classical-dance-fundamentals/