MetLiveArts Artist in Residence Bijayini Satpathy explores the traditions and future of the Indian classical dance known as Odissi through in-gallery performances this May.
Bijayini’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, Bijayini collaborated with composer Bindhumalini Narayanswamy, who has moved the soundscape away from traditional Odissi music and into unconventional spaces.
Rooted in the temple sanctums, royal courts, and village squares of the Indian state of Odisha, Odissi has been recreated on contemporary stages by performers who at best share fractured connections with the form’s origins. This lands Odissi at a threshold between traditionally coded structures and myriad possibilities beyond them. Satpathy expands Odissi toward these new vistas.
Free with Museum admission
Learn more about the performance
Saturday, May 14; 2 pm and 3 pm
Galleries 459 and 460, Islamic Art
Sunday, May 15; 2 pm and 3 pm
Gallery 924, Modern and Contemporary Art
Saturday, May 21; 2 pm and 3 pm
Gallery 217, Astor Chinese Garden Court
These performances are made possible by The Arnhold Fund for Dance Innovation at The Met and the New York State Council on the Arts.
