Dvikā-dyads

Odissi duet by Bijayini Satpathy and Prithvi Nayak

An NCPA Presentation

Bijayini Satpathy, a distinguished exponent of Odissi, a scholar and teacher too, has enjoyed a prolific career, spanning more than three decades. Satpathy was selected for the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency Program in March 2024 to further her research and development of the pedagogy of training in Odissi. She is also a 2023-24 Fellow at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, deepening and strengthening her choreographic vocabulary. She has been a recipient of prestigious awards, including the NY Dance and Performance Bessie, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Ministry of Culture and the title of Nritya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, among others. Satpathy spent 25 years at Nrityagram, where she was a principal dancer, teacher, researcher and administrator. Her profound understanding of the integrated physical conditioning needed for Odissi, combined with an expertise in yoga, the Natyashastra, Kalaripayattu, Western techniques, anatomy and kinesiology, led to her role as Nrityagram’s Director of Training and Outreach, elevating the international standing of the school for its distinctive approach to training.

Prithvi Nayak embarked on her Odissi journey by training in the Kelucharan Mohapatra tradition. She refined her skills under Surupa Sen at Nrityagram, joining the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble. She has performed at prestigious venues worldwide. Currently, she is a soloist under Bijayini Satpathy’s tutelage.

Dvikā–dyads is a celebration of duality in the realms of humanity, mortality and the divine. Ideas and philosophies that are complex to comprehend by themselves become easier to grasp through another, be it an opposite, a complementary or a reiterating pair. Like a couplet—rhymed or unrhymed—that expresses a single idea. Dvikā-dyads consists of six dances choreographed by Satpathy that unfold this idea of duality. Performed by Satpathy and her senior disciple Prithvi Nayak in duets and solos, the choreographies are set to music composed and sung by Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy.

Box Office: 9th October for Members & 12th October for Public.