04/13/2026
During my recent solo performance , I had the honor and privilege to premiere one of Aparupa Didi's beautiful choreographies : "Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma,” a beloved devotional composition by the saint-poet Purandara Dasa.
Being form the south of India I have listened to this song all my life. Didi has now added such beautiful movements to it in Odissi now enhancing the way I experience the beauty and grace of Lakshmi through Odissi.
Truly, dance is a spiritual process since it gives you a very unique way to embody the divine through movement, expression and feel.
The choreographic process of Didi was also very insightful pushing the boundaries of what my body could do , making me invest more time in strengthening my hips and legs to manage the poses and developing more flexibility on the sides of the torso.
Another interesting idea is how to experience and emote the divinity and devotion even in a pure nritta movement . The experience can be shared even through abstract movements...
There were also many moments where Didi would give us the movements and the ideas behind them and see how we interpret it with our bodies encouraging us to be an integral part of the choreography.
Truly a wholistic learning experience, spiritually, dance technique wise and also through understanding choreographic ideas.
How do you analyze the choreographies that you learn?
Let's share our appreciation to choreography and grow awareness to the many hours of creative process that one particular piece undergoes before being stage ready ..
Sharing a few excepts from the dance here.
We do not own the copyrights for this music.
Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma
Raag : Bhibas
Taal : Keherwa
Popularized by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
Sung by : Shri Jayateerth Mevundi
Producers : Shri Neeraj Jaitley and Smt Durga Jasraj.
Choreography: Guru Smt. Aparupa Chatterjee
