KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9: The recently held “Parampara” odissi dance performance was both in honour of the legendary Odissi dancer, the late Guru Debaprasad Das, and the continuation of his lineage of odissi dance in the present era of theatre and performing arts, said dancer and artistic director of Angika Fine Arts (AFA), Lawrence Sackris.
Held at the Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC) here during the weekend, the show was a collaborative effort between AFA and Vehaara Arts, bringing together 33 dancers to perform mostly the compositions of Debaprasad and the more recent compositions of his direct disciple, Padma Shri Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir.
It was to showcase the evolution of his teachings of Odissi through Charan Ranbir and his disciple, Malaysia’s very own Padma Shri Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, said Lawrence in a statement to Weekly Echo.
Lawrence learnt the classical art form from both Charan Ranbir and Ramli Ibrahim.
The dance programme highlighted the continuity and transformation of traditional dance through generations, the preservation of the classical art form and the innovations.
“The dance programme also reflects the dedication of dancers who have learnt Odissi and continue to be committed to keeping the classical art form alive and thriving,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence also thanked the organisers of Panggung Seni Tradisional 2025, which made the dance programme possible through the collaboration of Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara (JKKN) and Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC), under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Malaysia.
For a quick glimpse of the performance, check out this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOVlkTcEr5H/?igsh=dmhtdTlvenRlZmky
–WE