Choreographed and performed by Bijayini Satpathy
Music composed by Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy
MetLiveArts 2021-22 Artist in Residence Bijayini Satpathy's performances are inspired by—and take place in—various galleries engaging with each site’s architecture as well as its ancestry, stories, legends, and aesthetics that are so different from Odissi’s. For these site-specific creations, Satpathy collaborated with composer Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy, who has moved the soundscape away from traditional Odissi music and into unconventional spaces.
An exploration of the body in prayer, “The Prayer” was created especially for the Chapter House at The Met Cloisters, and is inspired by the site’s meditative architecture. The music evokes a haunting stream of prayers, resonating calls, and chants drawn from Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, and Gregorian traditions.
“This presentation sincerely acknowledges and marks my gratitude to the Mahari temple dancers and young Gotipua dancers of Odisha, whose contributions have made Odissi as loved and rich as it is today.” —Bijayini Satpathy
For more information and a complete list of artists, view the performance program here.
Bijayini Satpathy in the Galleries was made possible by The Arnhold Fund for Dance Innovation at The Met and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Recorded on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 in the Chapter House from Notre-Dame-de-Pontaut, Gallery 06, The Met Cloisters
© 2023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
