Odissi Dance, which finds mention in the Natyasastra as the ancient "Udra Nrutya", is a distinctive dance style of the eastern state of Orissa in India. Derived from the Jagannath temple related traditions of the Mahari (Devadasi) and the Gotipua (Boy dancers), Odissi is an important identity of Indian Classical dance and is noted for its sensual "lasya "element. It was only in this century that the dance got a fresh infusion of life at the hands of three stalwarts who have dedicated their entire lives to the arduous task of reviving Odissi. They were Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Debaprasad Das and most universally admired Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra on whom the prestigious Padmabibhusan award was conferred by the President of India.
Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra founded, in 1993, his own Odissi dance school – SRJAN – at Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Srjan symbolises Guruji's humble offering of the classicism of Odissi dance, music & percussion to our rich national ethos. Regular dance classes for local students and special classes for foreigners are augmented by Summer Workshops, performances and new choreography and music creation. And Guru Kelucharan's rigorous teaching method has been faithfully adopted by his son & disciple, Ratikant Mohapatra, who has, all along, ably and imaginatively assisted this great teacher in imparting knowledge & techniques of the Odissi dance heritage.
Odissi dance training is not the only concern of this institution. Srjan hosts a number of classical dance & music festivals on an annual basis. Prominent among these are -
1) "Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award" which honours lifetime achievement in Dance, Cinema, Music & Theatre,
2) "Samsmranam" festival,
3) "Marga Darshan" Purush Dance festival, featuring only male dancers and
4) "Deesha" festival at Kolkata which presents "Yuva Prativa Samman" to young Classical dancers. Srjan has its own repertory group of 25 Odissi dancers.
