Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020 - 50

explaining sari draping style, writes
There are two popular versions
of draping, the nivi style with 4.5-5.5
[meter] length (called differently depending on where it is in use), and
the kachcha, with some variations
in the Kachcha style, all creating the
practical effect of a pair of trousers.
The tailoring of a sari is in many
steps. However, some connection
can be drawn to the already existing two-piece saris in use in Gujrat,
Assam, and Kerala, which consists of
a sarong-like lungi with a veil or shawl
draped around the torso (2002, 23).
The pant style costume has diagonal
pleats with border details running from
the inseam to the outseam. On the upper body is the tight, fitted, short-sleeved
Choli-blouse enabling a full range of arm
movement. Vadananu, the gold belt at
the natural waist, accents the hourglass
silhouette. The wraparound hip piece
called the "seat," helps smooth excess
fabric around the waist, which is created
by the gathers, pleats, or bifurcation at
the back. At the center of the legs in the
front is the pleated layered "fan." As the
fan spreads to define the negative space
between the dancer's legs, it draws attention to the virtuosity of the dancer and
her skilled legwork. The fan ends a few
inches above the dancer's feet to allow
the audience to see her footwork. The
pleated pallu is worn over the left shoulder and securely tied around the waist
with strings. The asymmetrical line of the
pallu across the body creates an illusion
of length.
Dancers use the fan or the pallu in
many ways. In one instance, the pallu
is restructured as a smaller upper body
fan at the center front of the blouse for
younger girls. In another instance, the
fan is used in a repetitive two- or threetier style in lower body at the center front
(see images on pages 47 with 2 fans). At
times in a more whimsical interpretation,
the fan repeats over the arms and the
back, with smaller fans down the center
of the leg. This repetition in a costume
element can be likened to the dancer's
Nritta and repetition of dance steps to
create visual harmony. Such displays are
rare; most dancers of eminence choose
to make subtle and graceful changes to
the costume to support their Abhinaya.
Online stores sell a generic dance
costume that is cheaper and meant for

younger student dancers. Even though
these are easily accessible, they lack
the finesse of customized tailoring. On
the contrary, experienced designers like
Sandhya Raman, a graduate of National
Institute of Design, provides high end artistic consultation on costume aesthetics.
Her studio can provide haute couture like
dance costumes. However, such services
are expensive and out of reach for most
performers, many of whom prefer services from affordable dance tailors.
Ankle Bells, Hands, and Feet
The ghungroo, or melodious ankle bells,
are made of small brass, copper, silver,
or kandu metal. Traditionally, these were
tied on cotton rope. For convenience,
the bells are now anchored to a strip of
leather that can be buckled at the ankle.
Some dancers have mentioned the auspicious tradition where they wear uneven numbers of bells on each foot. An
established tradition is to use 100 bells
on the right foot and an auspicious 108
bells on the left. Even as we see the ghungroo as a costume piece, it is in essence
a musical instrument that gets worn by
the dancer. Just with movement, pace,
and rhythm, the dancer is able to create
music. Thus, the size, volume and weight
of the ghungroo is essential for the feel

of each dance form. The ankle bells on
the ghungroo range between 50 pieces
for children to 100 for adults, arranged
in rows of four to five. When performing
physically intense dance pieces, dancers
prefer fewer bells, while more bells are
preferred when dancers want to emphasize the rhythm and percussive effect of
the dance.
Hair
The hair is parted in the center and rolled
into a bun at the back of the head and ornamented with pearls and gold jewelry.
Additionally, dancers can choose to use a
long braid draped at back, the kunjalam.
The braid may be of artificial hair and
may be decorated with hanging tassels at
the end. The braid and the tassels move
gracefully with the dancer. At the top center of the head is an ornament referred
to as "headset" with a perpendicular
piece at the hairline. The headset called
the Tal-Saman includes two diadems,
one circular referring to the sun and one
a stylized crescent shaped as the moon.
The dancer has the presence of the universe in the shape of the moon on the
left side of her hair and the sun on the
right (Kothari 1978, 75). White or orange
flower garlands are used to ornament
the hair (see more on the aesthetics of

Pushpchura Headdress
Blouse, Kachula
Nagpashya earrings (shown here in silver,
but could be made in shola reed whites)

Silver Long Chain

3 Layered Silver Belt, Bengapatti
Asymmetric Seat, Nibibandha

Asymmetric Fan

Dancer Nilanjana Banerjee in Odissi costume.| Photo Courtesy of Arindam Guptaray

50 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | SUMMER 2020

Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020

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