Interview with Amanda in Air India Magazine, January, 2012 (Hindi)

Air India:   What is your background and how were you inspired to learn Odissi?

Amanda:  I always say that Odissi found me rather than me finding Odissi,
but perhaps this is because I am a strong believer in fate and I
surrender everything into the hands of the Divine planner.  I was
first exposed to Indian philosophy and culture as a child at the Neem
Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos, New Mexico.  After completing a degree in
theater from Northwestern University, I began learning Odissi with
Guru Jyoti Rout in San Francisco and found that it was the perfect
blend of performing art and spirituality.  After seven years under her
guidance, I was fortunate enough to be able to come to Orissa in
December, 2006.  I have been staying here ever since and training
under the guidance of Smt. Sujata Mohapatra at Srjan, Bhubaneswar.

Air India:    What has been your experience in India?  What is your opinion of India?

Amanda:    I had initially intended to stay in India for three months, which
became six, which became a year, which will soon be five years! When I
was in California, I used to spend most of my day in my car, driving
from rehearsals to teaching to dance classes.  In America everyone is
in his or her own car and I often had the feeling that we weren't all
sharing one world but that each person was in their own climate
controlled bubble with their own personalized soundtrack.  I sold that
car so I could come here and now I enjoy riding my bicycle through the
temples of old Bhubaneswar, wending my way past green fields in the
monsoon, huge looming clouds, grandmothers in sarees, kids and cows.
We are not so ruled by the clock here, by our appointment books or by
hard and fast and preconceived plans. Here I can live simply and let
each day flow in a natural way. I wake up before the sun and I know
that I am not alone.  In the households around me people are awakening
and doing puja as I go for yoga on my roof.

Above all, my teacher is here, and being with her is the biggest
blessing in my life.  I feel positive because I know that we are both
working together with our minds bent towards the divine. When I face
challenges, I always remember the great difficulties faced by my guru
and my guru's guru.  When they have gone through so much hardship to
promote Odissi and to perfect the dance form, how can I complain?  How
small my challenges become!

In India I have learned many things.  I have learned to adjust to many
different circumstances.  I have learned to have faith and patience.
I have learned that whatever demons or angels we have inside we carry
with us wherever we go.  Most importantly I have learned that love is
universal.  Love for one’s own family or one’s own land is natural and
sentimental.  But when unconditional love begins to grow for those
people and places to whom one owes no obligation it is liberating and
healing.

I want India to learn from the mistakes and successes of my country
and other nations as it develops on its own unique path.  I hope that
the values of peace, honesty, civic responsibility, and respect for
the earth and for other people find an important place in the India of
the future.  I want young people to learn to appreciate their
traditional arts and culture as well as to cultivate critical
thinking, broad-mindedness and the understanding that humanity is one.

India is the seat of many spiritual riches and the birthplace of many
great human beings.  I hope that the wealth of indigenous cultures and
the values of simple living and high thinking continue to be cherished
as India moves forward.

Air India:   Please say something about your inspiration, love and dedication to
the Odissi dance form.

Amanda:   The practice of Indian classical art can bring about deep spiritual
growth and transformation on the part of the practitioner.  This
happens on many levels-through the guidance of the dance guru, through
offering seva to the divine in the form of dance, through communing
with mythological characters and through teaching and performing as
forms of service to humanity.  Anything that one does in the spirit of
service and surrender becomes an act of worship.
I feel that it is important for us performing artists to serve the
community in some way. In the current artistic culture I have observed
that the thinking can become overly self-centered. I find time and
again that my most rewarding experiences are those in which I am
giving something. Trying to maintain an attitude of seva helps me to
keep the purity in my practice.

When I think of what master Odissi dancers such as Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra and Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi achieved, I feel that there is
endless depth and incredible power in this art.  They were in total
communion while dancing.  To experience that type of communion would
be nirvana for me.  I want to come as close as I can to touching the
essence of this art form.  I would like to lose myself completely in
it, even for a moment.

From Autumn to Aswin

(originally published in the New Indian Express "Devi" magazine, Bhubaneswar, October, 2011)

From Autumn to Aswin
By Amanda Geroy

Each October in my home town, the groves of slender aspens in the Rocky Mountains would be turning a bright yellow and raining down golden showers of coin-like leaves blown about by autumn’s brisk breeze. We would wait for the first snow on the mountain peaks, eagerly conjecturing about the conditions of the coming winter skiing season. The first white flutters in town always seemed to come around Halloween, the holiday when all the kids wear costumes and visit the neighboring houses at night collecting chocolates. How many tussles erupted between concerned moms and excited children who didn’t want a heavy coat and muffler to obscure the well-planned effect of their Spiderman or Snow White outfit.

For the last five years, this season has taken on an utterly new significance for me. The month is marked as Asvin, not October, and the season is known as “rainy” and not autumn. Still, in an entirely different way, it remains one of my favorite times of the year.

During Durga Puja, I love to feel the charged atmosphere. The rhythmic gong of cymbals, the melodic tinkling of bells and the low drone of prayers create a powerful vibration which elevates my mind to a state of peace. Smoke scented with the sweet aroma of ghee and agarbati cleanses the air of impurities. Sense-impressions acquire an other-worldly clarity as the atoms of nature hum with a divine energy. The soft, warm brightness of the sun’s rays is accentuated as it shines in the drops of new rain. Bright green sprouts, bursting with life-force, grow as the days and nights pass, the moon changing its shape, the sun changing its place. I tune to the cycles of the planet as we invoke the powerful goddess through the elements of nature.

Worship of Devi is absolutely universal, as her energy and presence pervade every molecule of the universe and are felt in the hearts of every human being. Personally, I relate to Her in many ways. As a woman, I relate to Her as a symbol of empowerment and strength. As a spiritual aspirant, I relate to Her as the destroyer of ego and bringer of ultimate liberation. As a student of Odissi dance, I relate to the godess Durga through her mythology, as a protector, the slayer of inner and outer demons and the ultimate manifestation of bliss-giving beauty. I recently had the opportunity to learn the choreography “Durga” by the late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. In this choreography both her softness and grace and her intense power are portrayed.

As a human being, I relate to the goddess Durga as a manifestation of the force of nature or prakriti. She is the universal mother, who, like this earth who births and sustains all creatures, both gives and takes life. I feel that she is very intimate, our very own near and dear and also an awesome and awe-inspiring force before which we are reduced to mere ants.

Wherever we are on the planet, whether in the Rocky Mountains of the United States or in the red-earth Malis of Orissa, the Goddess is manifested in the pure and unpolluted beauty of nature. I pray to the Goddess that on this Durga Puja, all of us, her children, are reminded of how perfect and beautiful she is in her form as Mother Earth. I pray that all of us should make a commitment to protecting the very special earth that is Orissa. I pray that we can work to protect and empower the women in the communities across Orissa. Ultimately I pray that her great peace will prevail in all of our hearts-that we will feel perfectly at peace within, that there will be peace between us and that peace will pervade the earth.

Interview with Amanda Geroy, Indian Express, June, 2011

(originally published in the New Indian Express, June, 2011)

Indian Express: Where were you born and how was your childhood influenced by the art and culture of your country?

Amanda: I was born in Columbus, Ohio, USA. I began performing in the theatre at an early age and I also had a wonderful teacher in class three who introduced us students to opera music, so I was lucky to get exposure to a variety of art forms.

Indian Express: How did you get into learning Odissi?

Amanda: I started learning Odissi under Guru Jyoti Rout in San Francisco in 2000. I had an interest in Indian culture and philosophy since my teens and Indian classical dance was the perfect blend of performing art and spirituality.

Indian Express: Since what age have you been learning Odissi dance? Have you learnt any other forms of dance including Oriental or anything else?

Amanda: I have been learning Odissi for the last 10 years. I haven’t seriously studied any other dance form.

Indian Express: Under whose guidance did you start learning Odissi? How did your guru shape you and help you in becoming a popular dancer in the country?

Amanda: I started learning under Guru Jyoti Rout in the USA. In her troupe, Jyoti Kala Mandir, I had the opportunity to perform with a wonderful group of dancers. It was a nice community. Since 2006, I have been studying under Smt. Sujata Mohapatra at Srjan, Bhubaneswar. She is an excellent teacher with a very good eye. She has helped me tremendously to understand Odissi technique and has guided me very clearly in every respect.

Indian Express: Who all have been your support In India? How do you manage in a foreign country, your stay, problems in adjustment with an alien land, its culture , food and people?

Amanda: My dance guru, Smt. Sujata Mohapatra is my biggest support. She is very caring and always looks after her students’ needs. Without her I never would have been able to manage for so long in Orissa. I also appreciate the network of support which I have received through the many dancers who are also disciples of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra gharana. At Srjan I have made many lasting friendships not only among the many foreign students who like me have travelled to India to learn Odissi, but also among the extended family of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s disciples and their disciples. I have made friends with dancers in Bhubaneswar as well as the other major cities of India and I feel very welcomed by the larger Odissi community.

Indian Express: Do you still learn Odissi or have you started imparted training to the young ones?

Amanda: I am still very much a student and I have much more to learn.

Indian Express: Who all have been your inspiration?

Amanda: Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi, Smt. Sujata Mohapatra

Indian Express: Any choreographic compositions yet?

Amanda: No

Indian Express: How much have you been appreciated by the critics and audience in general here? Any memorable event when someone from the audience has come up to you to appreciate your performance or given you a special comment?

Amanda: I am always happy if people become happy while watching my dance. I have definitely received support from critics and audience members which I appreciate. However, I always try to take both praise and blame with a cool head. I know that my teacher is the biggest critic. If she is in the audience then I feel more pressure to keep her name and to do justice to her guru’s work. I also always feel that there are many great Odissi dancers today and I hope that each will get the credit which they deserve.

Indian Express: Any favourite dance composition close to your heart and the reason?

Amanda: It is difficult to choose a favourite. I love watching Sujata apa perform Hamsadhwani Pallavi, Kede Chhanda and Sakhi He. I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing those items. For myself, I love Oriya abhinaya and I enjoy dancing Patha Chari Dei. I also love dancing pallavis because I enjoy the different moods of the ragas.

Indian Express: How have your countrymen reacted to your performances and how have you been appreciated in other countries?

Amanda: In the US one has to explain a lot more about the meaning of the dance. When people understand it, then they appreciate both the beauty and the theatricality of Odissi. In the US the Oriya community are big supporters of Odissi dance and I have had a good response from them.

Indian Express: How did you learn and understand Sanskrit and Oriya to communicate the abhinayas to your audience. How much time did it take you to learn the language?

Amanda: I am slowly learning Oriya which helps me a lot to communicate in dance and in everyday life. I have been learning Oriya for as long as I have been learning Odissi. Both of my Odissi gurus have helped me with the language as well. Sujata apa has been teaching me to read and write Oriya which is a big step. With my mardala guru, Guru Banamali Maharana, I also speak only in Oriya, which is good practice for me.

Interview with Amanda Geroy, Times of India

(Times of India, January, 2011)

Q: Can you give your brief bio-data including qualifications and details of your Guru?

A: I have an undergraduate degree in Theater from Northwestern University in Chicago, USA. I began learning Odissi in 2000 with Guru Jyoti Rout in San Francisco. I am now continuing my study of Odissi in Bhubaneswar, Orissa at Srjan under the guidance of Smt. Sujata Mohapatra with whom I have been learning since 2006.

Q: How do you know about Odissi and what inspired you to learn the classical dance?

A: I am originally from New Mexico, and that is where I first heard about the Odissi dancer Jyoti Rout who had been invited to perform there by some members of the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos. My mother is herself a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba and I had been exposed to Indian philosophy and culture since my childhood. After completing my degree in theater, I was interested in learning Indian classical dance because I felt a natural affinity with the movements and was also eager to express my devotion by means of a performing art. Because Taos was a small town with no scope to learn Indian dance, I went to San Francisco. It was there that I came in contact with Guru Jyoti Rout and began studying with her. After seven years under her guidance, I wanted to take the next step forward by continuing my training in Orissa. When I attended a workshop with Smt. Sujata Mohapatra in San Francisco I knew that I could learn a lot from her. I have been lucky enough to be able to stay in Orissa since then and train directly under her guidance.

Q: Do you think learning in the east and performing in the western countries will help in abridging the cultural diversity between nations?

A: I certainly feel that all nations and people can learn a lot from one another. I appreciate the depth in Indian philosophy and in the Indian classical performing arts. These ideas and forms have been refined over many centuries. I hope that by performing and teaching Odissi in the west I will expose audience members and students to some of the ideas inherent in Indian philosophy. Dance and theater are a wonderful means for spreading ideas through stories which everyone can relate to. When the dancer has perfected the dance technique and achieved clarity of expression, everyone can appreciate the beauty and the universal meaning in the dance.

Q: As far as your international and national performances are concerned, how do you get exposed to other classical dances and learn from them?

A: I always learn a lot when I see other classical dance styles performed. I love to watch other artists. I am very lucky that I have had the opportunity to see some of the great Indian classical musicians and dancers of today onstage. I thank my teacher for providing me opportunities to watch and learn a lot.

Q: Odissi mostly goes to the mythological aspects wherein feelings, emotions, different body postures, etc. make huge sense along with local language narration for audiences’ better understanding. How do you make a balance of all these?

A: My teacher always says that dance is a language of the body. When I was studying theater, we learned many techniques for expressing different characters. Whereas in drama, we have the ability to express character and emotion through our voice, in dance we have only our body language, language of gestures and facial expressions. The lyrics of the song and familiar content of the mythological stories help the audience to understand when the audience knows the language. This of course does not help those who do not understand Sanskrit or Oriya or who are not familiar with Indian mythology. That is why there is an added challenge for dancers and audience members who are not born and brought up in Orissa. As dancers it is our responsibility to be very familiar with the meaning of the lyrics, with the mythological context of the story and with the body language and emotions of the characters. We also need enough command over the dance technique to express what we want to with clarity. The more clearly the dancer can visualize and depict the scenario, the more strongly the audience will experience the rasa in the dance.

Q: Staying away from home and learning the classical dance under the direct tutelage of your Guru(s), do you face obstacles in your way? If so, how do you handle such situations?

A: In one sense I am lucky to be learning dance away from home. I know that I have come here only for dance and I can focus on that completely. Of course, if I didn't have the total support of my family members back home, it would not be possible for me. I am always grateful to my parents, without whom I could not have pursued Odissi. When I face challenges, I always remember the great difficulties and challenges faced by my Guru and my Guru's Guru. When they have gone through so much hardship to promote Odissi and to perfect the dance form in the face of many obstacles, how can I complain? How small my challenges become!

Q: While performing on the stage where the classical dance was born, how do you feel?

A: I feel grateful to have the opportunity to dance here, and I feel very small before many incredibly talented artists. And I feel happy when people appreciate my dance. It gives me encouragement to continue to practice.

Q: Odissi dance has many legendary Gurus. Who amongst them you admire the most? If so, why?

A: I definitely admire Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra the most. I never had a chance to meet him, study under him or see him perform, but I have so much respect for his work. He was really a brilliant artist and he definitely lives on in his students.

Q: If one Odissi Guru you would prefer to become his/her disciple but could not, what void will such a missing opportunity will create in your mind?

A: I often regret that I could never see Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra live on stage. That is something that would have been a priceless experience in my life. That is my biggest regret in Odissi.

Q: How do your government promote cross border cultural programs? Is there any financial assistance given to you?

A: There is not very much government support for cross-cultural programs and there are many many artists and art forms from all parts of the world in the USA, so there is not enough support for everyone. I am not receiving any financial assistance from my government.

Q: What would you do to promote Odissi in your country and other countries?

A: I think that it is important to find creative ways to help people understand the aesthetics and the content of Odissi performances. Through lecture-demonstrations, question and answer sessions, workshops, meet the artist events, performances, etc. people learn about Odissi. In the USA Indian classical dance is mostly confined to the Indian community, but I hope to see appreciation for it spread across to other communities of art lovers.

Q: Any research or new addition like in choreography, you have planned in your performance?

A: Now I am focused on perfecting my technique and learning the repertoire of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. I think that there are a lot of riches in Indian philosophy and mythology that can provide ample material for new creative work in the future.

Q: Your message to the audience and new entrants?

A: I would hope that audience members and dancers learn as much as possible about the art form and try to understand it fully in the context of its history, the philosophical and mythological content of the dance and the aesthetic theory behind it. The more one tries to reach the depth of understanding, the more one can appreciate the art form and the more it will continue to grow from a strong base.

Interview with Amanda Geroy in "Weekend Chronicle"

(originally published in the "Weekend Chronicle" edition of the Eastern Chronicle, Guwahati, April 9, 2011)

WC: Tell us something about yourself?

I was born in the USA and I am the only child of my parents. My mother is a librarian and my father is a professor, so I always loved to read and study. Though neither of my parents are artists, they always encouraged me to be creative. Since childhood I have loved drawing, painting, dancing and acting. My mother is also a very devotional person. We spent a lot of time at the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram and Hanuman Temple in New Mexico. My mom has also studied Hindustani vocal music and has travelled several times to India, so I was exposed at an early age to Indian culture and philosophy. I went on to get a degree in theater from Northwestern University in Chicago and after that moved to San Francisco where I started learning Odissi.

WC: Where were you first exposed to dancing?

I always loved to dance. When I was a kid I started acting on stage at the age of seven. I loved to perform and my friends and I would stage productions and dance contests all the time. I had some formal training in ballet, but only started seriously training in dance when I got interested in Odissi. My first Odissi teacher was Guru Jyoti Rout with whom I studied for seven years in San Francisco. After that I felt that it was time to deepen my study of Odissi by learning in India. When I took a workshop in San Francisco with Smt. Sujata Mohapatra I immediately understood that I could learn a lot from her and I had so much respect for her and for the technique of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. I was fortunate enough to be able to leave everything and come to Orissa in December, 2006 and I have stayed here ever since.

WC: What made you choose this Indian Classical Dance form (ODISSI)?

Indian classical dance is different than western classical dance like ballet because in Indian performing arts there is no separation between the art forms of drama and dance. Because I have a theatrical background I love to tell stories by enacting different characters. I also love the richness of the Indian mythological stories and the depth of Indian philosophy. I found in Odissi the perfect blend of performing art and bhakti.

WC: Which act/part in ODISSI you love the most?

When I dance I am striving for perfection in my art form as well as participating in a ritual of devotion. I find this to be a very unique and rewarding approach to art. The practice of Indian classical art can bring about deep spiritual growth and transformation on the part of the practitioner. This happens on many levels-through our interaction with our teacher, through offering seva to the divine in the form of dance, through communing with the characters from Indian mythology and through teaching and performing as forms of service to humanity. Anything that one does with the spirit of service and surrender becomes an act of worship. I feel that I am meant to do Odissi and that it is my path for spiritual growth in this life.

WC: What was your family’s reaction?

My family is very supportive.

WC: What does dance mean to you?

It is a path which takes me beyond myself, which allows me to merge myself in rhythm, in bhava, in tune, in sensation, in character. It is a path of freedom through discipline and surrender through hard work.

WC: According to you, what are the greatest criteria to be a good dancer?

My teacher, Smt. Sujata Mohapatra, always says that the most important qualities for a dancer are 3 D’s: Dedication, Determination and Devotion, and 3 P’s: Patience, Practice, and Perseverance. I agree with her totally. I am constantly being reminded to surrender which is very difficult and very rewarding.

WC: Is dance and spiritualism/divinity inter-connected?

Definitely. I think that spirituality and divinity are everywhere and in everything. I definitely try to bring that awareness into my practice.

WC: Tell us something about your childhood?

We moved several times when I was growing up, and luckily the places we lived were very beautiful. When we lived near the ocean in California I used to play in the waves for hours. The sea there is cold and I would be shivering but I never wanted to leave. We also lived in the mountains and I used to love to go snow skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. There were beautiful views from the mountain tops.

WC: What are some of your earliest childhood memories?

My whole family loves nature a lot and we used to go camping often in the woods. I remember I used to talk to trees when I was very small. I don’t remember what they answered back though….

WC: What was the greatest joy or sadness of your childhood?

I’ll never forget my first role in a play. I was the youngest cast member-age seven. I came in at the end of the play and it was supposed to be a very dramatic moment. I was supposed to give hope to the people in their time of troubles. One day I decided for some reason to play it as a comedy. The whole audience was laughing and I was so proud of myself. When I went backstage I thought the director would praise me. Instead I got an earful of abuse. I guess that was not what she had intended for the role…

WC: Who were your childhood role models?

Actually, as a child I loved Madonna. I used to choreograph a lot of dances to her songs. My father is also one of my role models. He is a perfectionist in everything that he does. When I was younger I didn’t necessarily appreciate his perfectionism, but now I do.

WC: As a dancer what is your greatest expectation?

I don’t really have any expectations. I want to come as close as I can to touching the essence of this art form. I would like to lose myself completely in it, even for a moment. When I think of what the great master dancers like Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi achieved, I feel that there is so much depth and power in this art. They were in total communion while dancing. To experience that type of communion would be nirvana for me.
WC: Tell us about your experiences while performing in India and that of North East India (Guwahati)?

I am really lucky to have had great support and encouragement from my teacher Smt. Sujata Mohapatra to perform in several festivals in India. Every time I perform I learn a lot. I appreciate the feedback I get from audience members who have seen a lot of Indian classical dance. People are really supportive and give me good commentary and encouragement. I have performed twice in Guwahati, once at a festival organized by Samar and Anita Sharma who are great supporters of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Smt. Sujata Mohapatra and once recently at a festival organized by Anwesha Mohanty. I met a lot of great dancers there and everything was very nicely organized. On both of my trips I got to see Shatriya dance which I find very beautiful and graceful. It has a humility, dignity and devotional quality which I love. I also love the Shatriya music and the drumming. It creates a very peaceful atmosphere. If I come to Guwahati again I would love to visit the Shatriya monasteries.

WC: Did you taste the local cuisines out here?

I got to eat some momos which I liked a lot! I was also gifted a mekla chadhar which is very beautiful.

WC: Choreography or expression, which is more important in dance?

Both are very important. My teacher always says that dance is a language of the body. We can’t rely on the face alone to show a character or tell a story. We need mime, the vocabulary of gesture, facial expression, body stance and a very strong command over dance technique in order for the beauty of the dance form and the choreography to come out. We also have to know at which point in the dance it is more important to highlight one aspect or the other.

WC: Back in United States, what is the people’s take on Indian Dance form and especially ODISSI?

It is most popular among the Indian community in the US. Many other people have never seen Odissi before. But those who see it are often fascinated by it. Audiences need to slowly become more educated about the aesthetics and the content of Odissi so that they can better judge the quality of Odissi performances and also follow the storylines. I think Odissi has a lot of power and beauty which is universal. The more people see it, the more popular it will become.

WC: Describe yourself in one word or term?

A student

WC: What’s your take on love and devotion?

Love is the manifestation of God on earth. Loving and being loved is God’s gift to human beings. Universal love for all of creation is the ultimate goal. Mythology is filled with examples of love and devotion which are beautiful beyond words-the magnificent devotion of Lord Hanuman for Lord Ram and their beautiful relationship, the unconditional prem, surrender and bhakti of the gopis for Lord Krishna and many more. I draw a lot of inspiration from these stories.

WC: The place where you are presently staying, tell us about that place?

I stay in Bhubaneswar and attend dance classes at Srjan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Nrtyabasa under Smt. Sujata Mohapatra and mardala classes at Mardala Academy under Guru Banamali Maharana

WC: Your take on India

It is the seat of many spiritual riches and the birthplace of many great human beings. I hope that the wealth of indigenous cultures and the values of simple living and high thinking continue to be cherished as India moves into the future.

WC: Is Indian classical dance losing its old charm? Your opinion.

It is definitely evolving, but evolution is a natural and healthy process. It is no longer being performed by traditional families in the temples but by a worldwide network of artists on concert stages. It must necessarily go through some changes. I hope that it always retains its regional essence and its power of devotion. If dancers have the patience for long, hard training and the traditional system of learning is maintained, then hopefully there will continue to be brilliant performers for generations to come.

WC: Is dancing your profession or passion?

Both

WC: About your family and friends and their say on your choice of dance.

They all appreciate Odissi very much.

WC: INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE or WESTERN HIP HOP and SALSA…. Your preference.

Everything has its place and time. All dance forms are natural human expressions coming from a particular place and a particular people with a particular rhythm. I personally practice Indian classical dance but I don’t want to say what is right for anyone else. However, I will end by saying that Indian classical dance is unique because it takes many years of hard work to master and it also takes some effort to appreciate. So, if you don’t understand it right away, take some time to try to understand it and give it a chance to work its magic on you.

Art as Process: Experience dancing in Chandralekha's "Sri"

Being a part of the Canadian production of Chandralekha’s “Sri” in 2009, I am reminded of the word which is at the core of my dance practice. That word is process. When I dance, my body opens up, becoming a doorway through which each new movement enters into my being and transforms it. Since beginning work on “Sri”, the concept of empowerment, the central theme of the piece, has entered into my body and had ramifications throughout every aspect of my life. As I acquaint myself with Chandralekha’s philosophy of art-making, I see that it is visceral and process-oriented. Working from a premise of non-duality between audience and performer, she has proven that process-oriented art can be engaging for both parties. Dancing in this piece has also given me new insight into the multifaceted experiences of being a woman in India and in the U.S. and the ways in which women are enslaved or empowered in both cultures. I have begun to think about what empowerment means to me and what my archetypes of power are.

“Art” can be defined in many ways. The particular definition of “art” which I relate to in terms of my dance practice is what Webster’s dictionary calls “skill; craftsmanship”. Any skill or craft takes hours to perfect. Through these long hours of practice, the artist is automatically transformed. The transformation is slow and may not be immediately obvious, but inevitably has long-lasting effects on the individual’s body, habits, behavior and emotions. I would even go so far as to equate the process of accumulation of artistic skill with the Sanskrit word “sadhana”, defined in one of many ways as “diligent practice”. This regular practice of purification has deep karmic effects on the psyche and the soul.

According to Vedantic philosophy, the individual body is made up of five sheaths, or “koshas”, which, beginning with the physical body or “annamaya kosha”, get progressively more and more subtle until one reaches the “atman” or true self, which is neither born nor dies. Each of these “bodies” is intimately connected. When something occurs in the physical body it has an effect on the more subtle bodies, hence by transforming our breath, spine, muscles, tendons, eyes or other body parts, we can transform our emotions and psyches. When the body is in a position of release, falling, or “bent-overness”, the emotions of hopelessness, lifelessness, depression, resignation and powerlessness are triggered. With the straightening of the back and the lengthening of the spine and the tendons of the body from toe to crown there is a feeling of strength, purpose, fullness and power. With the forward projection of the chin, chest and energy from the eyes there is a sense of moving forward into the future, a feeling of hopefulness, a strong presence and a charge of energy.

In the first half of Chandralekha’s “Sri” choreography, the individual dancers’ bodies are thrust forward and backward with spines bent, collapsed, tilted and rotated. Individuals are isolated and moving haphazardly and without eye contact. In the second half of the piece, the dancers’ spines are straight and our feet stamp with strength and purpose. Our eyes are full of focus and intention. Our bodies are taut with readiness and our core muscles are strong and engaged. As a group, the dancers’ bodies move toward solidarity and synchronicity. As we move from bent to straightened bodies, we move emotionally from hopelessness to vision, from powerlessness to empowerment. As we move from isolation to solidarity, our individual power is multiplied as we are supported and strengthened in the group.

Movements from the martial art form Kaleripayatu and techniques of Yoga are blended into the choreography. This feels like another means of giving the artists a doorway into experiencing the transformation in the piece as these are not performing art forms themselves but are tools for the personal growth process.
When I practice and perform “Sri” I am personally taken on a visceral journey of empowerment. After my work in the studio, my body remembers the experience and it carries over into my entire life. Since beginning work on “Sri”, my way of walking, standing, speaking, seeing and behaving in the world has begun to change. People are reacting to me differently. I am reacting differently to situations. As I begin to take risks, new possibilities are emerging and old patterns are starting to shift. This process alone is enough reason to make me believe that mounting a production of “Sri” in 2008-2009 is absolutely relevant for me and would in fact be relevant for any dancer at any time. Because I firmly believe that everything in life happens for a reason and because I choose to move towards growth and wholeness, I look for the lesson in each of my experiences. It is time for me to bring empowerment into my life and performing in this production of “Sri” is my opportunity to do so.

I recently saw an interview with Chandralekha in which she discusses her search for meaning in dance. She says, “I ask questions and I follow those questions. For me, answers have no meaning. I’m not seeking answers. I just follow wherever they take me and I think that journey itself is a very important journey.” Hearing her speak about the importance which she attaches to process affirmed what I had been feeling while working on “Sri” and strengthened my belief that if a piece of art is long-lasting and universally relevant, one doesn’t need to hear the artist talk about his or her work to feel its power, to relate to it strongly and personally and to understand it. The work itself is the medium of communication. One of the questions which Chandralekha asks herself is, “Would I want dance as entertainment or would I want to see the values of life in it?” Chandralekha’s dance is a dance of ideas, yet her treatment of ideas is non-narrative. In the interview it is mentioned that in her deconstruction of the narrative format of Bharat Natyam, Chandralekha has moved away from mythological themes in her productions. She could be called a follower of Advaita Vedanta or “non-dualism” for expressing the ideas of mythology in a non-deistic format and for doing away with the historical duality of “devadasi” and deity. As artists performing her work we are not entertaining, praising, glorifying or worshipping the Gods with our dance but are instead engaging in a process of awakening the divine power within. We ourselves are invoking/igniting/kindling/opening/breathing into/knocking on the door of our internal divinity or source of unlimited power and energy. When we become empowered we don’t rely on our connection to an external benevolent “God” force which we may or may not have access to. We as artists are also not placing ourselves as a priest-like medium between the audience and the divine whereby the audience members connect with the mythological figures which we are portraying via our own intense connection with those divine figures.

The "rasa" theory proposed by Bharat Muni in the Natya Shastra and elaborated on by many theorists of Indian aesthetics up to the modern age presupposes a duality between performer and audience. Just as Chandralekha’s form of empowered, process-oriented choreography breaks down the duality between the devotee and the divine, it also breaks down the duality between the performer and the audience. As artists, we are not communicating to the audience a “rasa” which we have channeled from without, but are opening the doorway to the path which leads in. By connecting to the available power in our own bodies in the here and now, we are thereby empowering the audience members to connect with their own internal sources of power. To quote Chandralekha, “The feelings that you get from dance, is it transferable? Can you make those feelings in the spectators, the viewers? It is possible to transfer those energies if you can connect them with it, bring them closer to their own bodies, their own breathe, their own energies and how to renew those energies yourself. That is the real meaning that you can generate energy in your own body. You are conscious of your own blood, breathe-your whole body is so vibrant. Dance for self-renewal rather than for frontal projections. Audience members have said, today I became conscious of my own breathe. Today I became conscious of my own body. To me, this is reaching out.”

We may ask ourselves how much we can focus on the process of art-making without losing sight of the fact that the final product must create a worthwhile viewing experience for the audience and have validity as a piece of art rather than simply as a peep-show into the artist’s personal journey. I feel that “Sri” has power and validity as a piece of work beyond its transformative power for the dancers because the individual dancers are performing within the wider framework of a master plan or piece of choreography which is an orchestration of theme, costumes, light, color, music, form and movement. All of these elements can be assessed according to culturally accepted rubrics for determining whether or not it is “good” art. Ultimately, whether or not an individual audience member thinks that the piece and the production are “good” is a matter of personal taste. One can say, however, that if the performer has completed the process of becoming the dance and while dancing if she/he lives that process, then the audience also lives it. The analogy of the final production is like that of a tree which has grown from a seed into full towering majesty. In the full-grown tree we can also see the seed and the process of growth. If the dancer has digested and is present through each nuance of the transformation from enslavement to empowerment and if the choreography is strong, then the audience member too goes emotionally with the performer through that transformation and it will definitely linger in his/her mind and he/she will take that home where it becomes an element of his/her own life-process.

In India I often compared my own experiences as a woman to those of my friends, teachers and colleagues. I realized that what I value most about my own life is my freedom and independence. Conversely, I feel that in the west where there is a great degree of freedom and independence from societal or family pressures and expectations, one of the things sorely missing is a sense of community. Indian society and the Indian family structure can be both oppressive and supportive. A person working within that structure could feel either stifled or secure. One important element for me about Chandralekha’s vision of empowerment in “Sri” is that strength is found in numbers and that empowerment does not happen individually, but as a group. This vision is uniquely suited to the Indian social structure and provides a beautiful and fitting utopian vision for an empowered future society in which women’s innate divine strength is fully realized. The vision for empowerment in “Sri” is a harmonious blend of the best from east and west-freedom from bondage and strength in community. In the same way, the choreographic elements in “Sri” are a harmonious blend of traditional modalities and contemporary sensibility.

Chandralekha’s vision in “Sri” resonates with my mission as an artist. The piece calls out for the universal community of women to come together. I believe that as women, we should learn about each other, perform each other’s dances, see each other’s work and reach out to one another. What happens to one happens to all. We are not separate. We may have many different life experiences and different core beliefs, but humanity is one and womanhood is one. We are all manifestations of the archetypal feminine energy which inspires us to love, nurture and protect. We should help women who are being abused and oppressed everywhere-far and near. We can use our art to inspire, to awaken, to empower, to give voice, to share stories, to share imagery, to be together in community and to learn from one another.

At the conclusion of “Sri”, we become the goddess, showing that as a community we are Her collective power. Each of our arms is one of her ten or ten thousand arms. Each of our arms is doing her work on earth and each one of our heads is wearing one of her human masks. We are the faces of Kamala, Sri, Lakshmi, Durga….One thousand and eight names and countless faces, arms and eyes. Woman is the Goddess.

Interview With Amanda Geroy

Interview With Amanda Geroy
By Shyamhari Chakra, The Times of India, October, 2008

How old is your affair with Odissi?

I took my first Odissi class in the summer of 1999 in San Francisco from Jyoti Rout.

How was the beginning? How did you get to know about this oriental dance form?

I always say that Odissi found me rather than me finding Odissi. For one thing I am a strong believer in fate and I surrender everything into the hands of the Divine planner. But I guess I should back up and say that I knew about Hinduism and Bhakti before I knew about Odissi. Two strains of identity have been flowing through my life since my childhood. The first is my identity as an artist. That began at a very young age. I took to painting and drawing very early, but it was when I first stepped on the stage in a cameo as the smallest member of the cast in a play at the age of six that I knew that I had found my home. I have always passionately loved the theater, the world of make-believe, costumes, props-the whole atmosphere of the theater. My main activity as a child was to invent dramas with my friends using costumes, sets and props made with whatever we found around the house and cajole my mom into watching our lengthy theatrical productions. The second strain came into my life when I became a teenager. At age 11 I took my first step into the Hindu temple which would change my life forever. It was a Hanuman temple, as anyone who has seen my Hanuman rendition won't be surprised to know. We had moved to a new town and my mother brought me to the ashram of Neem Karoli Baba, an Indian saint, which had been built by some of his American devotees. Neem Karoli Baba loved Hanuman very much and in the ashram in America there is a beautiful statue of Hanuman flying across the ocean to deliver Ram's ring to Sita. In the formative years of my adolescence I became more and more interested in spirituality and read books, attended courses and participated in ceremonies from many world spiritual traditions. I spent more and more time at the ashram and in the company of other devotees-making prasad, singing the Hanuman chaleesa and doing other seva. After completing my undergraduate degree in theater from Northwestern University in Chicago I moved to San Francisco with a vague idea of learning Indian dance. I really don't know where the idea came from. I had heard the name "Jyoti". While I was away at college in Chicago, back at the ashram in my home town of Taos, New Mexico a woman by that name had come a couple of times to perform Indian dance. Several of my friends were really impressed with her and I was sorry that I had missed it. That is all I knew, that someone called "Jyoti" who was Indian had performed. So I found myself in San Francisco in the spring of 1999. The very first week I was there I went for a free belly dance class in a local dance studio. There in the lobby was a huge color poster with a captivating-looking dancer smiling out at me. It said, "Jyoti Rout, Odissi Indian Classical Dance Classes" and there was a phone number. "Jyoti," I thought to myself, "Could it be the same one?" Well, it turned out that it was, which is really a fluke since San Francisco and Taos are in completely different states. So I started taking classes with her. I went with her to India for the first time in November, 2000 for an Odissi intensive and I stayed until April of 2001. I came again with her in November and December of 2001 but hadn't been back until I came with her a third time to perform in the 3rd Intl Odissi festival in Dec, 2006.

Why did you wish to learn Odissi?

In Odissi dance I found a synthesis of the two divergent strains of myself as an artist and as a spiritual aspirant. In Odissi I find no separation between the two. And because of my experience as a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba it was very natural for me to express my spirituality in a bhakti practice like Odissi, and to relate to God as manifested in the Hindu pantheon.

Who were your teachers/gurus? And how did they familiarize you with Odissi, its background etc. Did you like it initially?

My first Guru, Jyoti Rout, was excellent at emphasizing that although we were learning it in America, Odissi is intrinsically linked with Oriya culture. At the same time, she was very open and universal in her approach to teaching and choreography and she believed from her heart that anyone could practice Odissi. She always taught that the inner devotion with which the dance was practiced was of paramount importance and that the dancer should merge totally with the dance. She was a very exacting teacher when it came to teaching abhinaya and demanded authenticity and truth in the students' portrayals which made working with her both exciting and challenging from a performing artist's perspective. She also helped me to regard my whole dance practice as not separate from my spiritual practice, which opened up a very fruitful space for spiritual growth.

When did you decide to take Odissi as a profession/mission?

I became serious about Odissi quite quickly once I started learning because the ground was very ready for me to learn it as I already had discipline as a performing artist and as a spiritual aspirant. I had many signs that this was the path for me and I delved right in. By the end of my first trip for six months to India I had realized that Odissi was going to be my life and when I returned to America I devoted everything to it.

When did you come to India and who taught you Odissi?

After seven years of learning Odissi primarily in America I was ready to make a change in my lifestyle and to make space in my life to take the next step of going deeper with the dance. I felt that I wanted to fill out the areas which had been missing in my training, be able to focus more full time on Odissi without having to chase after enough money to survive in over-priced California and to be in the place where Odissi is practiced and taught in its authentic environment, where I could learn the language, something about Odissi music, more about the culture, see more dance, etc. I also had been missing India since I came in 2001. I am very happy traveling and adore being in new places, seeing new things and being outside of my own country. I also love learning languages and studied both Spanish and Russian in college. I decided to leave San Francisco and pursue further Odissi training in India. I left my jobs, packed up all of my things and came to perform at the 3rd Intl Odissi festival. Again I didn't have to search for a Guru in India, but my Guru came to me. In October of 2006 Niharika Mohanty had organized a workshop with Sujata Mohapatra in San Francisco. I had seen Sujata Apa perform in Bhubaneshwar in 2001 and her performance left a strong impression on me. Her grace and impeccable technique were not quick to fade from my mind. I attended her workshop in San Francisco and due to the illness of another participant I ended up having private classes with her much of the time. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated, but we clicked immediately and I enjoyed the experience immensely. From January of 2007 I began studying under her at Srjan in Bhubaneshwar and it has been incredibly rewarding.

Was it easy to come to India and stay here as a student of Odissi? What were the difficulties?

I had initially intended to stay in India for three months, which became six, which became a year, which will soon be two years! My biggest challenge as a dancer was that I switched styles of Odissi when I started studying at Srjan, which was pretty overwhelming at first. I had to unlearn a lot of habits and really start from scratch. Sometimes I would wonder whether it was worth it when I had a pretty good thing going in America teaching and performing and being the big fish in a small pond to go suddenly to the birthplace of Odissi where the standards are much higher and I was suddenly quite a small fish in a big pond. But it was very much worth it. The rigorous training in technique which I get with Sujata Apa has worn me down and polished me on every level-physically, emotionally, spiritually. The seeds which I planted with Jyoti Apa are now coming to fruition. And slowly I am making my way in the big pond, getting to know the other fish, and really enjoying the challenge of living as an Odissi dancer in Orissa. The big difference about being here is that you can actually have a life as an Odissi dancer and it is a viable career. There are places to perform. There is an audience with a clue about what you are doing. In America it is so marginalized that you have to pull teeth just to get an audience. And the bar is so low that all you have to do is wear your costume and everyone says, "Wow!".

What attracts you to Odissi?

Like I said, I can't say that I consciously chose Odissi over say Bharatnatyam, but when it fell in my lap it clicked. It is definitely beautiful and I like the music. Most of all it is the experience of dancing-in my daily practice, onstage, when I commune with the deity, when my hair stands on end as I dance, when I feel an onrush of energy which carries me along in a pallavi and I feel like I can dance for days...also it is the life-style of being a sevak, being a teacher which I find very rewarding, being a devotee and doing that through art.

How do you plan to move on with it especially when there is less earning or no earning from being an Odissi dancer?

People ask me this a lot-I don't generally plan my life. I feel that whatever is right will come and I feel that right now God wants me to be an Odissi dancer so He will take care of me as I do it. If one day He makes another plan for me I will do that. I am a pretty simple person. If I didn't have to ever touch money that would be just fine with me. If I can do my dance and do some service I am happy. I really love to teach so I hope that I can do that. I feel that it is important to serve the community in some way, especially for us performing artists. In the current artistic culture the thinking can become very self-centered I find. Everyone is vying for programs and thinking about how to promote themselves, which I can empathize with because of course after working so hard to perfect this dance form, you naturally want to show it to someone. But I find time and again that my most rewarding experiences are those in which I am giving something. Trying to maintain that attitude for myself helps me to keep the purity in my practice.

How long do you plan to stay in India?

No idea.

You are seen praying to Hindu gods and temples. Any reason?

God is one.

What is your impression of Oriya women?

I have some close Oriya friends and I love them very much. I think that we all have something to learn from one another. I am happy being who I am and it is a nice reflection for me to see people living with different traditions, different responsibilities, and different attitudes. It keeps me questioning my assumptions, which is healthy.

What is your impression of India?

When I was in California, I was trying to make a living solely as an artist in a society where artists are given very little priority, professional opportunity or respect and where the cost of living is extremely high. I used to spend most of my day in my car, driving from rehearsals for plays I was directing to teaching dance classes to attending my dance classes to working behind the scenes for Jyoti Apa as her assistant and office manager for the dance school. For every hour I was paid to teach and direct I had to put in at least another hour driving through intense city traffic where I would eat most of my meals behind the wheel consisting of some cardboard-tasting nutrition bar or a piece of toast or whatever I could find at a small store on the way (and in America you can't get readily available hot cooked food outside that is nutritious so I lived on dried fruits etc.) and in addition to the driving time I had to prepare for at least another hour or two-choreographing dance numbers, learning music, planning how to direct scenes, or coming up with curriculum for theater and dance classes. From Odissi I used to earn a little every so often from performing and I had a few private students. I worked from early morning until I passed out at night and still I barely made enough to get by. And this isn't just my story, but that is how most artists live in America.
At least in India the whole pace of life is slower. I sold that car so I could come here and I am thrilled with my bicycle. I enjoy riding it through the back alleys of Old Town, observing the village atmosphere-green fields in the monsoon and huge looming clouds, grandmothers in sarees and kids and cows. In America everyone is in his or her own car so you have the feeling that you aren't all sharing one world but that each person is in their own climate controlled bubble with their own personalized soundtrack. Riding my bike here does of course have its own challenges-everyone stares at me, many people make comments, especially adolescent boys who all have to call out "Hi!" or "Hello!" or something not quite as nice, as if they are the first brilliant person to think of saying "Hi" to me. I used to think that maybe there would be a day when finally the word would have reached all ears in Bhubaneshwar that yes, there is a foreigner living amongst us, and she rides around on a bicycle and she is not an alien, but a part of the landscape and we can just take her for granted, like the dogs along the roadside, just leave her to her business. But no, I think that day will never come. I will never ever blend in here no matter how long I stay or how much I might grow to love this place, to feel comfortable with the language, familiar with the landscape, at home with the people. They will never regard me as one of them, I am afraid and will all continue to stare the way children stare in America when they are very young. For us this kind of staring is considered very rude and when we see our kids doing it we teach them to stop. But I have to see the innocence in it and either ignore it or smile, depending on my mood and who is staring.

Your impression of Orissa?

Of course, despite the challenges, there are fundamental things which I have grown to love about being here. This is why I am continuing to stay and stay, to the utter bewilderment of my grandparents. I am here for Odissi, obviously, and I am here because here my life as an Odissi dancer is holistic. I am not bifurcated into many roles and communities the way I was in America. I think life in general here is more holistic. Everybody takes a nap in the middle of the day, for one thing. You would never catch an American over age five or under age sixty doing that. And when it rains, it is an unspoken rule that all bets are off, wherever you are you just stay until the rain stops. We are not so ruled by the clock, by our appointment books, by hard and fast and preconceived plans. Here I can live simply and cheaply and just dance. I don't have to run around and stress out and try to fit in time for my practice. Here each day flows in a natural way. I wake up before the sun and I know that I am not alone, that in the households around me people are awakening, having their baths, doing puja. I sit for meditation on my roof. I do my morning worship as the sun rises. I do my yoga practice. I clean my house (which I don't really regard as mine. I feel like it is an ashram which I have been entrusted with and which I am care taking for the benefit of other seekers like myself who have come on a pilgrimage for dance.) I do my dance practice, I cook and have my lunch, read some books on dance, take my nap, practice again, do my evening worship, eat and sleep, then it starts all over again. Sometimes I realize I haven't even left my house in a day or two. I am totally focused on my practice. That is something which I don't know if I could do in America, or at least which I was not successful at in the past. And of course, above all, my teacher is here and being with her is the biggest blessing in my life. I have entrusted my energies to her and she is molding me as she sees fit. I feel that in her hands I can't go wrong as we are both working together with our minds bent towards the divine.