Orchi Dutta, 19, participated in the 21st Congress of International Dance Council (a UNESCO organization ) held from September 5 to 9 in Athens, Greece. A Plainsboro resident, she practices two forms of Classical Indian Dance, Bharata Natyam and Orissi.##M:[more]##
At the congress Dutta presented a lecture demonstration on Bharata Natyam and a performance on Orissi. A June graduate of High School South, she is studying at Imperial College in London. She is the daughter of Sarbani and Amitava Dutta.
Her teacher for the Orissi style is Mitra Purkayastha, the director of the Rythms of Music and Dance school in Morristown. Her teacher for the Bharata Natyam style is Jayasree Kotapalli, the founder and director of Kala Prerana School of Dance in West Windsor.
Kotapalli, who arranged for Dutta to attend the Congress in Athens, was planning to describe the movements and postures that Dutta would be demonstrating. However, due to personal reasons, Kotapalli could not go to Greece and Dutta did the lecture demonstration herself.
The formal pedagogic presentations were chaired by one or more professors. The performances were held at the open air Dora Stratou Theater, near the Acropolis.
