| Folk Arts - Master Artist - Ratna Roy
Founder and Artistic Director of the Urvasi Dance Company, Dr. Ratna Roy was born in Ranchi, Bihar, India. She began to train in Kathak, a classical style of North Indian dance, at the age of four and, in her twenties, she studied Orissi with the renowned Guru Pankaj Charan Das. Enthralled with this form of dance, Roy sought a deeper understanding of Orissi and observed its stylistic growth during its years of rediscovery.
Orissi involves strong footwork, while the upper torso moves more fluidly. It is performed as a rhythmic dance and also as an acting or storytelling dance. Roy’s choreography is frequently derived from the oldest form of Orissi called Mahari, which depicts female characters and their narratives. Her choreography often speaks of the suffering and empowerment of women; it tells stories of the underrepresented in order to give them a voice.
The Mahari style is no longer known in most of India. However, Dr. Roy’s scholarly research and her understanding of the technical aspects of Orissi have made her a leading figure in preserving Orissi’s heritage. Roy has travelled to India with teams of dancers to learn from women and document their dance. She has performed in several countries including India, Great Britain, the Baltics, Indonesia, Singapore, China, the Philippines, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. Her work with the Urvasi Dance Company has played a critical role in keeping Orissi alive in India and has brought the significance of Orissi to the United States.
Along with the practice of dance, Roy has produced extensive academic work in the areas of dance and literature. She holds a Ph.D. in American Literature and has taught at The Evergreen State College since 1989. Roy’s many scholarly accolades begin with her first Fulbright Fellowship, to study Orissi dance, received in 1985. Roy returned to India on an American Institute of Indian Studies Fellowship in 1988 to research the indigenous theater traditions of Orissa, where Orissi originates, and to investigate the spiritual foundations of Orissi. In 1989, she received a National Endowment of the Arts Choreography Fellowship. She was again awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 1991. Additionally, Dr. Roy has led conferences, presented papers, had writing published in journals, and written a book entitled Orissi Dance in the Context of Classical Dances of India.
In 2006, and again in 2007, Dr. Roy was the recipient of a Folk Arts Apprenticeship grant from the WSAC. Through these grants she was able to train her apprentice Sarvani Eloheimo and further the preservation and performance of Orissi dance. During the apprenticeship, they performed numerous times throughout the Puget Sound area and in Orissa, India.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to arts and culture in Washington State and beyond, Dr. Roy was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship in 2008 for Excellence in Indian Orissi Classical Dance.
In 2009, Roy has been awarded another apprenticeship grant award to continue instruction of Sarvani Eloheimo. Roy has chosen Eloheimo for this apprenticeship because Sarvani has a keen sense of rhythm and has the ability to handle the demanding dance style with ease and grace. Eloheimo has already learned the basics and the foundation areas of this dance, so she will be working her way through more complex dance movement patterns and will be learning new techniques, such as ones that incorporate breath into the movements. They are planning a dance performance at The Evergreen State College for May 2010. | |||
