Presentation of the book by Lucrezia Ottoboni
18/05/2023, h. 15:30, Nuovo Teatro Ateneo
The volume retraces the main stages of the path that brought the ancient dance of Orissa (oṛiyā nāca) to the current Oḍissī dance, focusing on the female figure in Indian mythology and dance. From the temple to the theatre, from the the ritual dance of the devadāsīs to the stage, this book traces the history of Oḍissī examining its main protagonists and the influence of some national political choices after India’s Independence. I analyze the dance transmission methods, the creative choreographic process and the contemporary globalized dimension of the present form of Oḍissī.
This publication is the result of my Ph.D in Music and Performing Arts from La Sapienza University, Rome and the SARAS Department’s thesis publication grant concerning Performing Arts Ph.D.
Lucrezia Ottoboni is a dancer and a researcher. She got a Ph.D. in Music and Performance, University of Rome “La Sapienza”. She published her thesis with the title: Oḍissī dance. History, memory and present, Bulzoni, Rome 2022. Her academic research focuses on the relationship between tradition and contemporaneity in Oḍissī dance-theatre, giving priority to the local context of Orissa. She gained an ethnographic perspective during her long field research in India. She has a Master in Yoga Studies at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice.