Folk theatre ‘Dasakathia' performed on US stage
"According to the story, the couple was rescued by other Odias during their difficult times. Then they realised that furthering Odia culture and heritage in a faraway land is critical for long-term success," said Bhabani Buxi from Georgia, who played the role of the 'gayaka'. Other members of the team included Satyaban Mahapatra from Georgia, who was 'palia', and role players Mousumi Swain from Tennessee, Nirakar Jena from Florida, and Satyabrata Mohanty from California.
The story and dialogues were written by Buxi.
Older generations are familiar with Dasakathia, but the performers said they wanted to expose younger audiences to this folk tradition. Traditionally performed by just two people, the 'gayaka' and 'palia', the team improvised with three more actors. "This allowed us to make the team bigger and collaborate with people from different states in the US, making it more inclusive.
It also increased audience engagement," he said.
The gayaka and palia practised together in person for three weeks, while the others joined online rehearsals from different locations. "On the day of the performance, we had one in-person practice session so that it was well coordinated," Buxi said. The team procured costumes and instruments from chitralayas in Bhubaneswar during their visit to Odisha, and their spouses helped with make-up.
The group members had witnessed Dasakathia performances during their growing-up years in Odisha. "We took inspiration from those and then watched numerous videos to learn how to play the instruments, the delivery style, voice modulation, and costume details," Buxi added.
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