Dance Divine With A Deva Das
Mohini Murti dasi: For more than a decade, ISKCON New Govardhana has regularly supported the highest level of professional exponents of the Indian classical dance community in an effort to provide progressive reputable tuition in the art form. This platform has been celebrated as a prominent part of the Vaishnava tradition over eons.
ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada supported and encouraged dramatic expression as yet another accessible process for cultivating, absorbing and sharing his siddhanta and teachings.
With support from the Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula and Monica Sawan Singh (Melbourne), New Govardhana recently hosted Odissi dance doyen Vishnu Tattva dasa (GKG), founder director of Odissi Vilas/ Sri Krishnasraya Dance Company nestled in San Francisco Bay, US.
Attendees of the master class were absorbed in a four-day intensive dance immersion learning specially selected items of composed slokas from Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as the renowned Jayadeva Goswami classic Srita Kamala.
This dance maestro – lauded as a performance artist specializing in solo expressional items or abhinaya – has been instrumental in inspiring and lifting the careers of some of the most influential contemporary internationally acclaimed dancers of our times.
As India’s most celebrated veteran male Odissi dancer, Vishnu Tattva (also known as Vilas Lakpati) is extolled for having replicated and developed the works of his formidable dance guru Padma Shri Kelucharan Mahopatra, a native of Gujarat.
Vishnu Tattva explained that his introduction to dance was at the ISKCON Rasabihari Temple at Juhu, Mumbai, after several years living there as a brahmachari.
“I inquired about a dance tuition pamphlet I saw at the reception desk in the Life Membership office. I was told that it was about Odissi dance, and would I like come to a class? I did, and soon after my initial introduction to the style I boarded a train to Bhubaneswar [Orissa] to study with Padmashri Kelucharan Mahopatra of Orissa.”
We look forward to showcasing these new outstanding items at a festival event very soon … stay tuned!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/rcB7cG