Dancing buds

Entry no. 79

Synopsis: There was a time when young boys in Orissa used to dress up as girls and perform a dance in the villages, temples, which eventually gave birth to the classical dance. There are distinct influences of Hindu religious and mythological culture in Gotipua.

Gotipua, means a single boy in Oriya. But nowadays, girls also participate actively in Gotipua. Earlier it was performed in local religious festivals and was largely associated with Akhada culture and gurukul system of learning, though both these age-old practices are in the verge of extinct and here lies the motivation behind the Dancing buds.

This film tries to document the gurukul form of teaching Gotipua. Dancing buds revolves around the 24 hours strictly disciplined routine of the gurukul. Under the tutelage of the guru, the budding dancers get trained not only in Gotipua, but also in the formal education and are encouraged to be full blossomed self sufficient human being, and of course, a great artist.