NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Renowned Odissi dancer Dipanwita Roy will present a sparkling performance for Diwali on Sunday, November 15, at 3:00 pm, in the Ossie Davis Theater of the New Rochelle Public Library. The performance will begin with a traditional invocatory item dedicated to Goddess Durga or Kali, who is worshipped in Eastern India during the Diwali festival. This will be followed by Sita Haran, an abhinaya (expressional piece). Excerpted from the epic Ramayana, this item will depict the abduction of Sita, Ram’s wife, by the demon Ravana. The recital will conclude with a self-choreographed piece on Indian patriotism – “Mangalam.” The dance pieces will be interspersed with demonstrations of Indian classical dance hand gestures and footwork, and a lively narrative about the history of Odissi and the mythological stories and characters portrayed in the dance pieces.
Dipanwita Roy is an eminent Odissi Dancer and a disciple of the great Gurus Padmavibhushan Late Shri Kelucharan Mohapatra and Padmashree Late Srimati Sanjukta Panigrahi. She has performed at major cultural centers in India and has extensively toured the U.S.A., U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Italy, where she undertook performances, workshops and demonstrations. In 1996, under a scholarship from the British Council Division, she attended the International Summer School at the renowned Laban Centre for Movement and Dance, London, where she studied Pilates, choreography and functional anatomy. In 1997, Dipanwita worked for a documentary film ‘Yet to Sprout’ on destitute children of India, and in 2004 ‘Gateway to Heaven’ on the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa. A regular performer for the National Television in India (Doordarshan), Dipanwita holds a senior Diploma (with distinction) in Odissi from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. She was awarded the title ‘Singarmant’ by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbi in 1986 and the prestigious ‘Bharat Nirman Award’ in 2009.
The performance is made possible by the Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library. A donation of $2.00 is suggested at the door. Seating in on a first come, first served basis.