Odissi dancer Maria Laura Valdez from Peru. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 17: Spirituality shines through any dance item when Odissi dancer Maria Laura Valdez performs it. The young dancer, who hails from the far-off South American country of Peru, says she finds divine solace in Odissi dance.

Coming from a family of artistes, Maria found herself drawn to dance and music at the tender age of six.

“My father is a lawyer by profession but he is also a Western classical musician. My brother is also interested in music. I was introduced to the classical piano at an early age. By the age of 17, I was trained in percussion, which I pursued as my subject at university. I also learnt belly dance and a number of Latin American dances,” says Maria. “But I was not serious about a career in these forms of music and dance.”

“I was not very sure what I would do in life until in 2003, I came across a video of Sujata Mohapatra’s Odissi performance at a friend’s place. I immediately struck by the elegance and charm of the dance form. I felt it had the main elements of all dance forms. The spiritual connection it had was rich and deep and this made it complete from all aspects.”

However, her training in Odissi was limited to these videos for another couple of years. Though Maria yearned to learn the dance form, her desire remained unfulfilled for the want of Odissi teachers and schools in her country. But her will found her a way when she unexpectedly got an opportunity to perform in India as a member of a symphony orchestra.

“It was god’s grace that I got this chance to visit India to perform at Puttaparthy during a three-month tour. I found the contacts of Sujata Mohapatra and landed at Srjan in Orissa in 2005. She and Ratikanta Mohapatra gladly accepted me. Soon I earned a scholarship from my country to learn Odissi here and ever since I have been under the tutelage of Sujata madam,” smiles Maria. “She has been a strict but perfect teacher and more than that, a wonderful and amazing person.”

The danseuse has performed in various parts of India and also in Brazil as well as her own country. “I want to popularise Odissi in my country and perform regularly there so that viewers there start understanding the art. It’s Bollywood dance that is more popular there, you see. I love being in Orissa, which has become a home away from home for me,” she says before winding up.