Rudrakshya

With Live Music

 

Rudrakshya is a vibrant and Enchanting Dance troupe from India consisting of 14 members guided by their mentor Guru Bichitrananda Swain., who presents a new dimension in Indian classical dance of Odissi. Odissi is a graceful, lyrical dance from eastern state of Orissa, India.

Venue: LLPE Studios, Stephen College, MO

Date: June 14 2008

Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Admission: Free

 

Donations are accepted as a Token of respect to the artists.

 

This performance is made possible in the space donated by Dance Department of Stephens College, by co-ordination from Soorya Performing Arts, Oriya Association and other Indian associations of Columbia with Generous support of Dance Patrons.
Information on the Artistic Director
Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain: Carrying the Vision Forward
Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain has emerged as one of the leading Gurus in the next generation of Odissi dance. An exceptional performer, instructor and choreographer, he is multifaceted artist who possesses a rare and in-depth understanding of this ancient art form.

Training
Sri Swain is a product of the Gotipua tradition. He received his initial training in Odissi dance under Guru Sri Gangadhar Pradhan at the Orissa Dance Academy, one of the world's leading institutes of Odissi dance. He completed his Masters in music and dance (M.Mus) at Utkal Sangeet Mohavidyalaya. Sri Swain has also received intensive training at the Odissi Research Center under renowned gurus such as Padmabibhusan Guru Sri Kelucharan Mohapatra, Padmashree Pankaj Charan Das and Guru Sri Ramani Ranjan Jena.

Teaching
Having trained some of the leading artists of today's generation of Odissi dancers, Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain is an exceptional instructor. Many of his students are recipients of the Senior National Scholarship awarded by the Government of India. A number of awards and titles have been bestowed upon his students to include: the Mahari Award, the Sanjukta Panigrahi Award, and "Sringarmani." Sri Swain was invited by the Orissa Society of the Americas to present his group in a national tour in 2002, the final performance of which was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The success of this tour resulted in another invitation by the India Performing Arts Promotions to tour the USA in 2003. Sri Swain and his students have performed in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Austin.

Sri Swain served as Principal and Chief Instructor at one of the world's leading institutes of Odissi dance, the Orissa Dance Academy, from 1988-2002, before establishing his own institute, Rudrakshya, in 2002. Sri Swain has also served as a visiting instructor for Nrityagram in Bangalore, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, Oxford University in Oxford (United Kingdom), the Chitralekha Dance Academy in Toronto, and India Performing Arts Promotions in Washington DC, among others.

Performer
Guru Sri Bichitrananda Swain is a performer of exceptional talent, having danced in major festivals in India and abroad. He has performed in major cities throughout South Africa, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Canada and the US. His performances reflect his mastery of the pure dance (nritta) aspect and the expressional dance (nritya) aspects of the Odissi style