A classical dance festival exclusively for male dancers is a trend that is gradually catching up in the minds of festival organisers and dance lovers in the country.  For the past few years, barring a few well known names such as Pundit Birju Maharaj and Raja Reddy, most of the male dancers were generally seen performing along with the female artists or in group compositions. Unfortunately, male solo dancers had either faded out of the circuit or relegated to the place of choreographers and dance teachers.

In the land of Odissi, the legendary guru Kelucharan Mohapatra had not only taken Odissi to the world arena but also earned accolades as a solo performer par excellence. Watching him on stage was a magical experience that fully obliterated the gender factor. Perhaps, the recently concluded Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Purush Dance festival in Bhubaneshwar, entitled ‘Marga Darshan’ will pave the way for the revival of male dancers taking centre stage once again.

The three day event that began on January 8, 2008, which coincided with the 82nd birth anniversary of late Kelucharan Mohapatra. Organised by Srjan and Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, the festival drew a large number of dancers, teachers, dance historians and critics, who participated in the seminar during the day and watched solo performances during evenings. Nine young, talented dancers, belonging to four classical dance forms, like Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Kuchipudi, enthralled the audience. “The packed audiences and the fruitful discussions were the most satisfying aspects of the festival,” says Ratikant Mohapatra, hoping to make this an annual event.

Ratikant, an established Odissi dancer and percussionist, feels that as son of Odissi guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and director of Srjan (Odissi Nrityabasa), he has a huge responsibility in carrying forward the legacy of his father. “In instituting the Marga Darshan festival, Srjan’s primary focus is to revive the all important role of the male solo dancer in the classical idiom,” he added.

Lack of platform
 It is a well known fact that there is a lack of platform for solo male dancers. Be it the looks, audience appreciation or contacts, the female dancers are placed in a more advantageous position. “Unless exceptionally talented, most male dancers have little chance of fetching coveted programmes. If one were to take the percentage of solo performances by male dancers it is hardly 10 percent of the total performances. At the end of the day, it is looks, contacts and publicity that counts,” says Rahul Acharya, a talented Odissi dancer.

Rahul is one of the new generation dancers, hailing from a family of engineers. Although he has a masters degree in biotechnology, he has chosen Odissi dance as a career and the family is fully supportive. Not everyone is lucky like him, and often the pressures of earning a livelihood force many upcoming dancers to take alternative careers or open a dance school.

In this respect, the female dancers have an advantage in the sense that they are free to pursue their passion while the husbands look after the family earnings. (It cannot be ruled out that at times, marriage and motherhood my also come as a setback).

The concept of male dancers can be traced to Natraj and there is no reason why men should shy away from dancing. “This festival is a great opening for male dancers and will definitely boost their morale,” says Rajiv Bhattacharya, a Kolkata based dancer. This was the first time he was performing at an exclusive Purush dance festival and was overwhelmed by the audience response. Rahul, Ratikant and Pabitra have earlier performed at the Purush festivals organised by Kathak guru Bireswar Gautam in Mumbai.

Started in 2001, the festival showcases some of the best talents in the country.  In one of its festivals, a documentary titled ‘Purush’, based on the lives of male dancers was screened.

Dance like a man
A point that was repeatedly brought up during discussions was that the male dancers should concentrate on ‘dancing like a man’. The aesthetics of male body movement was stressed upon to the participants and whether it is body language, movement or gestures, in no way should a male dancer try to display feminine qualities.
Other topics that came up for discussions were Odissi music and the significance of the mardala (a percussion instrument) in Odissi dance.  Incidentally, most male Odissi gurus play the mardala and this is where they score over their female counterparts.

Some dancers like Pabitra Bhatt (Bharatnatyam) from Mumbai have chosen to stick to solo performance. Pabitra not only enthralled the audience at the Marga Darshan festival, but was himself moved by the audience appreciation. 

Ecstatic over the response to his recital he could not stop himself from going on stage to thank the audience. “I will always cherish the warmth of the people and this performance is special because it was my first performance in eastern India,” he says.

Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra is often said to be the fountainhead of Odissi. The Marg Darshan festival instituted by his disciples will hopefully provide the much needed popularity for male dance in India.

As mentioned in the concept note, it will be “an effort to instill a continuing sense of purpose in the young male dancer, a determination to overcome all odds and to push oneself to the very peak of perfection.”