Context:

Gotipua child artistes, who experience the world as their stage, face an uncertain future when they hit puberty.

Gotipua dance

• It is a traditional dance form in the state of Odisha, and the precursor of Odissi classical dance.
• The dance is executed by a group of boys who perform acrobatic figures inspired by the life of Radha and Krishna.

History of the Dance

• In ancient times, the temples of Orissa had female dancers called “Devadasi or Mahari” who were devoted to Lord Jagannath.
• During the time of king Rama Chandra Dev in the 16th century, with the decline of the Mahari dancers, the class of the boy dancers came into existence in Orissa, to carry out the tradition.
• Abhinaya Chandrika”, an ancient text on Odissi Dance written by Maheshwar Mahapatra during the 15th century, gives a detailed study of the dance movements.