VISAKHAPATNAM: Dancing, they say, is like dreaming with your feet and young Odissi danseuse Rupali Pani exemplifies it. Born and brought up in a family with artistic flair in Golagola village Nayagarh district in Odisha, she grew up into a consummate Odissi danseuse. In her formative years, she took her initial inspiration to Odissi watching performance of great maestros like Kelu Charan Mahapatra on TV. Her father Purna Chandra Pani, an ace tabla artiste and mother Saudamini Pani encouraged her in no mean measure.
She has learnt her rudiments of Odissi from Prasad Panda at Nayagarh and then further honed her skills under the tutelage of Sonali Mahapatra at Bubhaneswar. She has bagged first prize at national level cultural meet during her university days. With proclivity for expression she made her mark as an artiste of substance in the realm of dance making her presence felt through sterling performances from local to international dance festivals at Bhubhaneswar.
In her pursuit of perfection in expression, she also learnt Hindustani vocal for she believes grasp of musical nuances helps perform dance well.
Dance, she says, is an amalgam of footwork, music and theatrical talent and in her bid to hone her skills in expression; she essayed a few roles on stage during her college and university days. “Whatever discipline of art I try my hand at, be it music, theatre or anything, my primary aim is to make use of it in dance performance,” says Rupali, who’s a good guitarist too. Her occupation and artistic passion seem an unusual combination and she seems at ease in equal measure on both the counts.
A lady constable in Railway Protection Force Visakhapatnam, she has done her MBA (Marketing and HR) from Bijupatnaik University of Technology Bhubaneswar and a C certificate holder in army wing of NCC. In preference to other lucrative openings in career, she has opted for this down rung calling in the RPF to find time and realise her dream to chase her glowing hours with flying feet.
“I have a passion for dance as intense as I love working in Indian Railways for it patronises and promotes the in-house talent in arts and culture and it was my choice to join railways even at the lowest rung in the dignified pecking order of its great workforce that made me a constable here,” she proudly avers. “Dancing with feet is one thing and dancing with the heart is another and I prefer the latter. Dance to me is spiritual progress that elevates the mind to sublime plane,” observes Rupali.
