Gotipua Dance By Konark Natya Mandap

The Hyderabad Chapter of SPIC MACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Music And Culture Amongst Youth) is organising a festival of Gotipua dance by the Konark Natya Mandap from 10th to 13th December at 6 various schools in the city. The 4-day festival is dedicated to Guru Rabindranath Tagore and Swamy Vivekananda. The inaugural performance will be held on 10th December, 6:00pm, at Silver Oaks School, Bachupally.



Gotipua originated during the beginning of the 16th century. Gotipua in Oriya means a 'single boy', but ironically, the Gotipuas always perform in pairs or groups. The dance uses abhinaya (expressions), nritta and acrobatics. This elegant dance form follows a medium pace and uses Oriya songs. Traditionally, only boys have performed Gotipua. So, even female roles are done by boys in female garb. However, girls are beginning to enter this field nowadays.



This traditional dance was under threat when the Maharis or the Devadasi tradition was on the decline. In order to keep the tradition alive, young boys between the ages 6 years to 13 years were trained in this art form. Boys dressed as girls undergo rigorous training for 10 years to become a good dancer.



Founded by Guru Gangadhar Pradhan in 1986, the Konark Natya Mandap in Konark stands to preserve, promote and project the rich cultural heritage of Orissa. It organizes various festivals every year to create cultural awareness among people. The mandap also imparts training in dance, music and yoga in gurukula tradition, an ancient method of education. Lessons are offered on Gotipua, Odissi dance, modal, tabla, Odissi vocal, and all other forms of Oriya art and culture. Besides these, the mandap makes arrangements for artists from various parts of the country to take part in Konark Dance Festival.



SPIC MACAY is a voluntary, non-profit, apolitical and non-governmental student participatory movement founded in 1977. It aims to conserve and promote an awareness of Indian culture among the youth of India through a focus on classical arts.



SPIC-MACAY has chapters in over 300 towns and cities all over the world. It organizes concerts, lectures, demonstrations, informal discussions and seminars, all hosted by local chapters of the organization. The Hyderabad Chapter is one of them.



Entry is free. Please contact Lata Mani at 93475-53161 or Ashish at 94901-22248 for further details.