Odissi dancer Mouli Pal has a long and deep connection to Chocorua Lake.
She finds the view from the bridge of Mount Chocorua looming over the lake calming and refreshing in any season. Mouli has taught in the area before and returns now to teach at Chocorua Lake itself!
On Sunday, September 1 from 2–6 PM, join Chocorua Lake Conservancy and Yeoman’s Fund for the Arts for Song of the Lake Through Mudras, a movement workshop with Indian classical dancer Mouli Pal, at the Grove at Chocorua Lake. Workshop participants will explore the lake through Indian classical dance Mudras. Mudras are hand gestures that depict elements of nature, emotions, wildlife, and more.
This will be an immersive experience for participants who will then perform a dance piece together in the Grove at 5:30 PM. The afternoon will also include traditional Indian refreshments and time for conversation and questions. Participants are also encouraged to bring finger food to share. No experience is necessary. All ages including kids with a caregiver or any multi age family groups are warmly invited to join us.
This program is free and space is limited. Please register in advance above so that we can let you know if the weather requires us to move to an indoor location.
About Odissi
Odissi is a graceful form of traditional dance that was originally performed in temples of Odisha in eastern India as a worship ritual. It evolved as a globally recognized performing arts that tells stories of love and devotion through rhythm, music, poetry, and literature, and brings to life sculptures from the ancient temples of Odisha. Spirituality, respect, and reverence are the core of this dance style and it requires years of intensive training to master the intricate skills of stylized footwork, lyrical upper body movement, and facial expressions that emit from the heart of the artist.
About Mouli Pal
Photo courtesy of Mouli Pal
Mouli Pal is an exponent of Odissi which is a lyrical and spiritual Indian classical dance style. A captivating performer, dedicated teacher, choreographer and cultural ambassador, she has been intensively trained under the personal tutelage of the legendary Maestro Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Presently she continues to perfect her art under the guidance of eminent artist, Smt. Nandini Ghoshal in Kolkata.
Mouli is regularly featured by prestigious presenters across the United States, India, and Austria. Her past performances include solo concerts at the prestigious Hopkins Center for Arts at Dartmouth College, Provincetown Dance Festival, Munroe Center, Yuwa Bharati California, and Trinetra Boston.
In the spring of 2024 Mouli was invited to a weeklong residency by Arts Council of Tamworth in New Hampshire where she created a dance production for the students of K.A. Brett School and presented evening concerts for the community. She was also presented by the Hopkinton Center for the Arts for an evening length solo concert and featured by the Massachusetts AAPI Commission and the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts during the season. In the summer of 2024 Mouli has been invited by BlipCollective to perform at and lead a dance retreat in Ladendorf, Austria.
Mouli is the founder and director of Upasana Odissi, a nonprofit that promotes Odissi through affordable lessons and student concerts and also offers scholarships to young deserving collegebound dancers. She promotes the dance as a "Way of life, for a balanced and mindful lifestyle" and mentors budding Odissi dancers of diverse age groups.
She has received multiple awards and grants from the New England Foundation for Arts and Mass Cultural Council. In 2019 she was awarded the "Padmawati Rasthriya Award" by National Cultural Mission in Odisha.