Madhavi Mudgal
Madhavi’s command over the nritta or purely ornamental aspect of Odissi is striking. Her delicate postures and strong rhythmic footwork combine in an appealing flow of sculpturesque movements. Her subtle abhinaya (the expressional aspect of dance), musical knowledge and aesthetic sense add to the highly distinctive character of her recitals.
Through teaching, performing and conducting workshops, Madhavi has been actively involved in propagating the art of Odissi in New Delhi and other parts of India as well as the world. She has trained a number of accomplished students who are performers in their own right. In nineteen eighty five she organized a seminar and festival, Angahaar, a first of its kind event in New Delhi when gurus, scholars and dancers met to revisit the origins of Odissi and think about the future trends of the dance form. She also directed and produced a short audio-visual documentary that was screened at the festival.
Madhavi’s father, the late Professor Vinay Chandra Maudgalya was the founder of the famous Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi’s first and most highly reputed institution for the teaching of Hindustani music and classical dance. Madhavi has been teaching Odissi at this institute for many years.
She has received repeated acclaim in the major cities and dance festivals that have featured her throughout the world : like the Edinburgh International Festival, U.K. ; Festival of India in USA ; the Cervantino Festival, Mexico ; Vienna Dance Festival, Austria ; Festival of Indian Dance, South Africa ; Festival of Indian Culture, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Days of Indian Culture, Hungary ; Festival of Indian Arts, London ; the Avignon Festival, France ; Pina Bausch’s Festival, Wuppertal and Berlin Festpiele, Germany ; and festivals in Italy, Spain, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan and the Indian subcontinent.
She has been associated with the making of several films and audio-visuals on Odissi as well as with the organisation of some of the most widely appreciated specialised dance festivals in India.
Source : Per Diem & Co
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