“Dance is a Way of Life” Mouli Pal Reflects on Her Journey in Sharing Odissi Dance Across Boston
“I have been teaching and performing for over two decades but believe that I am yet to achieve the vision I have of myself as a dancer. This makes my journey truly exciting!” Today’s woman dreamer, Mouli Pal is a talented Odissi dancer, a captivating performer, dedicated teacher, choreographer and cultural ambassador. She has received several awards and grants from Mass Cultural Council and New England Foundation for Arts. In her Women Who Win story, she shares her passion for bringing the beauty of Odissi to Boston, taking inspiration from the nature surrounding her, and her next big dream!
Tell us your story. You are a talented Indian dancer, with a passion for learning dance in its most authentic form. Tell us more about how you grew up and what inspired you to become a dancer/your interest in Odissi? What do you like most about Indian classical dance?
Dance is a way of life for me. It is a blessed journey where I am praying, sharing, learning and ultimately growing as an individual.
As child growing up in Kolkata, I was enrolled in Manipuri and Bharatnatyam classes. Although I learnt for 5 years I truly could not connect with my Gurus. I quit to pursue semi classical under Smt. Tanushree Shankar and was a regular performer. One evening in my late teens I reluctantly attended a classical dance concert and it transformed my life forever.
Renowned Odissi dancer Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi was performing “Ardhanarishwar” and I instantly felt a strong pull and my mind said “I have to learn Odissi and need to go to her Guru”. After two years of training locally under Smt. Dipanwita Roy I started training under the tutelage of Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra in Bhubaneswar. This is the most precious blessing in my life.
I am enchanted by the dignity, grace, versatility and richness of my art form. It enables me to share ancient stories from my culture and also express about the world around me while connecting with the Divine, the audience and my inner self. I have been teaching and performing for over two decades but believe that I am yet to achieve the vision I have of myself as a dancer. This makes my journey truly exciting!
2. You have performed on many stages and been recognized for your work. Is there a particular performance you are most proud of?
In August 2013 I was invited to present a concert with live music by the Wellesley College. Odissi music is an unique genre and trained musicians are not present locally. However, we put together a home-grown ensemble of musicians who worked very hard and it was a truly memorable experience for me as I primarily perform to pre- recorded music.
3. You also take a unique approach with some of your performances. For example, you emphasize nature in your work, often doing performances at natural landscapes in your area like Belmont Waterfall and working with Mass Cultural Council. What sparked your interest in doing this?
The best part of my life in New England is the bounty of natural landscape around us. I am an explorer at heart and enjoy wandering in the mountains, state park and beaches. These tranquil spaces always called out the dancer in me. In 2015 I created my first full length choreography “Sheva…my precious Treasure” depicting the connection of the human soul and the elements of nature and in 2021 I created “Re-discover Mass through Odissi” where I showcased various natural landscapes around the Bay State through my dance video. This encouraged the audience to go out and reconnect with nature in our own backyard.
4. How do you balance your time between performances? And what is your advice to other women on this?
It was my Guru’s strict instruction to prioritize my commitments to family and other responsibilities over my dance. It sounds counter intuitive but actually works out very well. Once I have taken care of all my duties I retreat into the world of dance and have no guilt or burdens to hold me back, I can completely immerse and give my best to the practice or performance.
5) As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
I am dreaming of resuming my journey as a global traveler learning about cultures and people around the world and sharing with them my love for Odissi. But my mantra is “the journey is more important than the destination” so for now enjoying each small step I take everyday.
Bio: Mouli Pal is an exponent of Odissi, a captivating performer, dedicated teacher, choreographer and cultural ambassador. She is a regularly presented by prestigious presenters across United States, India and Austria. She has received several awards and grants from Mass Cultural Council and New England Foundation for Arts.