Curriculum

Design
An Imperative
for Odissi
Dance
Teachers
Dr. Rohini Dandavate

Curriculum Design: An Imperative for Odissi Dance Teachers

Rohini Dandavate PhD
Jan 2015
The landscape of Odissi dance training has undergone many changes in the past
few decades. Though it began regional dance form, taught and practiced mainly
in Orissa, Odissi dance training is now offered in different parts of the world, and
both instructors and students come from diverse cultural backgrounds. The
milieu of training is greatly influenced by technological, cultural, and demographic
change; the changing environment and diversity in students and teachers
requires Odissi dance instructors, both in India and outside, to reflect upon their
instructional methodology. Instructors must design curriculums that can help
students gain a broad knowledge of the dance form and maintain a standard in
the quality of Odissi dance education. We have an opportunity to incorporate new
methods that can address the needs of the present day learners with a program
of study that is comprehensive, engaging, and effective in nurturing excellence
and creativity. This paper discusses some relevant points for curriculum making
and aims to propose a wide-ranging approach for curriculum design in Odissi
dance education.
Training formats
In the 1950s Odissi dance training was offered by select performing arts
Institutions in Odisha, namely Kala Vikas Kendra (KVK) in Cuttack and Utkal
Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in Bhubaneswar. KVK was one of the first few
institutions to introduce a graded, structured course of study in Odissi dance and
other art forms of Odisha. (Affiliated with the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi and
Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in Lucknow, KVK was recognized by the
Sangeet Natak Akademi, and the Central Social Welfare Board, New Delhi). The
eight-year curriculum covered important strands of the discipline, and
complemented instruction with other learning experiences like guest lectures,

trips to study the temple architecture of Odisha, and participation in

performances and intensive workshops. The school followed a systematic
approach, with common goals for the learners, and provided access to in-person
expertise, library resources, performance space and some technological support.
Overall the teaching methodology suited the learners then, because the Gurus
and the student body were mainly local.
Besides training in these institutions, individual Gurus taught students in their
own homes where sessions focused on practice and performance. Through a
relatively less structured framework of study, gurus designed lessons around the
goal and level of expertise of the individual learner. For some students, the in
home sessions offered additional practice to supplement what they learned at the
dance school.
In the 1970s, with the growing popularity of Odissi dance in India and in the
international arena, the study of Odissi dance moved beyond the borders of
Odisha to select universities and arts institutions within and outside of India.
Shorter training modules were introduced. For example, month-long annual
workshops were launched by the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA)
in Mumbai, the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Delhi, Padatik, in Calcutta, and by
individual students in their homes in different cities. The objective of these
workshops was to facilitate students learning in their own city, as opposed to
traveling to Odisha. At NCPA, the workshop culminated with a performanceshowcasing dance numbers taught during the workshop along side some new
works commissioned by the institution. These workshops and residencies in
various cities further increased interest in Odissi dance. To meet the increasing
demand for Odissi instruction, performing arts Institutions in Delhi like the
Bharatiya Kala Kendra and Triveni Kala Sangam hired Gurus from Odisha, who
then settled in Delhi to conduct regular dance classes. For a brief span Odissi
dance classes were also introduced in Kalakshetra, the famous institution
founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale in Chennai.

In addition to these developments in Indian cities, Odissi dance Gurus began

touring outside of India at the invitation of leading Indian dancers who had
migrated to other countries. Dance schools established by these dancers
promoted and propagated the dance form internationally, stimulating interest in
people from diverse populations. Indian immigrant parents were also drawn to
sending their children to pursue Odissi dance education because they
considered it to be an effective medium to instill cultural knowledge in their
children and to help them connect to their roots. Odissi dance soon became a
trend and a household phenomenon both within and outside of India.
My Research Study
In the year 2006, with a view to understand how dance instructors were evolving
their curriculum to include the needs of the changing context and times, I emailed
a survey to 50 Indian dance instructors from India and the U.S. The questions
focused on:

Approaches of teaching and learning dance,

Resources used as teaching aids and

Methods incorporated to address the current needs.

The main findings of this study were:

Dance training is focused on emulating and perfecting the Gurus style,

repertoire and technique.

Dance educators often use the teaching methods of their own Gurus.

Instructors are required to teach under constraints of time. Increasing

pressures of school, extracurricular activities, and job commitments
leave students limited time to devote to learning dance.

Time constraint led to departure from the traditional method of

incremental learning with division of lessons between theory and
technique.

The focus of students was more on acquiring skills to perform than on learning
and internalizing the art form over an extended period of time. The teaching and
learning approach largely leaned towards producing performers rather than
dancers with a deep knowledge of the dance form.
The findings of this research motivated me to address the topic of curriculum
design for systemic instruction of Odissi dance by institutions and dance schools
run by individual dancers. While a focus on developing performance skills is
crucial and can continue to be one of the facets of the learning process, it is
necessary to develop a curriculum with methodical instructional design that
covers all the important aspects of Odissi dance. This will enhance the students
potential to learn, express, and create through movement, while understanding
and preserving the core content and form.
Odissi dance teachers often overlook the fact that a curriculum enables
instructors to teach in an organized, logical and incremental manner. It also
provides students an understanding of what they will be learning and what they
must do to achieve their goal in the learning process. Therefore a well-designed
curriculum is essential for both the teacher and the student for effective teaching
and learning.
Curriculum Design
Curriculum design entails planning and structuring a framework of study, which
includes all the important aspects of theory and practice. David Pratt in his book,
Curriculum design and development, defines curriculum design as,
A deliberate process of devising, planning, and selecting
the elements, techniques, and procedures that constitute an
organized learning endeavor. Embedded in the notion of
designing, according to Pratt, is a deeper set of
understandings that imply the production of something that is
conceptual as well as material (p. 5). "The curriculum

designer must develop priorities to guide the selection of

tasks to be performed, as well as be able to perform them"
(p. 10).
Drawing from Pratts definition, designing a curriculum would mean outlining a
framework that brings together the various units of study, lessons, and
complementary learning activities in the program of study. Pratt emphasizes that
the curriculum designer should have an in-depth understanding of the areas of
study and should be able to identify, prioritize, and organize the units of study in
a manner that can gradually lead the learner to develop practical and conceptual
knowledge in the discipline. He also suggests that the curriculum designer should
be proficient in and able to perform the activities planned for the learners. These
imperatives can be applied in the design of a curriculum for Odissi dance
education. Odissi dance instructors are expected to have an in depth knowledge
of the discipline, methods of devising lessons and activities, and performance
skills. Dance training offered by a teacher lacking any of these skill sets would be
incomplete. Knowing the content, planning the study methodically and devising
methods for proper execution of lessons with learning activities are key to
achieving the goals of the study.
Content Selection
The selection and organization of the content is central in curriculum
development and should be set in a manner that guides the students and keeps
them engaged throughout the learning process. The curriculum becomes even
more meaningful when suitable learning activities, supporting reading material,
notes and resources for daily practice, and evaluation methods are included in
conjunction to the different units of the content. Broadly, in an Odissi dance
curriculum, the units of study would be:

Understanding the tradition of the dance form and its evolution

History of Odisha, the various schools of religion and their influence on
dance
Understanding the ways in which the dance reflects the culture of the
people, past and present

Building an awareness of how movement facilitates communication and

expression
Learning the dance vocabulary, principles, and elements
Understanding human anatomy in alignment to the movements
incorporated.
Dance injuries
Ideas and principles of dance making
Developing critical thinking, assessment and evaluation abilities
Researching and writing about Odissi dance
Grant writing
Relevance of introducing universal themes in dance presentations for
intercultural audiences

Organizing these topics of study parallel to the practical training is important in

order to help students link the theoretical aspects to the practice of dance. To
add another perspective on the importance and purpose of content selection, I
share a quote by Ana Paula Batalha, faculty of dance at Da Faculdade De
Motricidade Humana in Portugal. In her paper on Teaching the Paradigms of
dance she writes,
The objective of the study [of dance] has to be regarded in an
interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary view, in which technical,
scientific, philosophic and artistic knowledge have to meet to
answer the requirements of the dancing act, the choreographic
creation act, the act of communicating intentionally, the act of
artistically impressing and the act of observing, contemplating
and, fundamentally, criticizing. (1975)
Batalha indicates here that the study of dance should include knowing how the
dance form ties to other disciplines, like science and philosophy and understand
the principles, concepts, and meanings that are applied in dance. She names
this learning the dancing act. The aspect of creative expression, which Batalha
calls the choreographic act, is applying the broad conceptual knowledge and
skills of movement, following the principles of the dance form to communicate
ones idea or story. The act of observing, contemplating and fundamentally,
criticizing is practicing assessment, evaluation and response by learning to
perceive, describe, interpret, analyze and evaluate dance. A comprehensive

dance study program as Ana Paula suggests should include these important
strands in the curriculum.
Drawing from my dance education experience in KVK, and in Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatras home, my graduate and doctoral study in Art Education and Cultural
Policy in the U.S., and reviewing dance education curriculum designs proposed
by experts from other dance genres, I have put together the following steps for
planning a broad curriculum for Odissi dance education.
Planning the Framework
Diagram 1: Steps of planning a framework for a dance curriculum

Goals
As suggested in the Diagram 1, the first step in planning a framework for a
curriculum is identifying the goals of the curriculum. Goals are statements that
communicate the desired results in a program of study and are useful in keeping
the learner on the planned path of learning. They can be time targeted and every
activity and lesson in the curriculum is set with an objective that assists in
achieving the main goal.

The goals of studying dance can be multifarious: to cultivate creativity, build

communication skills, develop scholarship, to initiate a drive to explore, or to
discover and build expertise in specific areas of the study. The course work is
designed in line with the desired goals in order to direct students to pursue a
career of their choice. Study of Odissi dance often facilitates students in pursuing
careers as choreographers, professional dancers, dance researchers, writers,
critics, dance therapists, instructors of Odissi dance or in other interdisciplinary
programs of study. Therefore, in curriculum design, identifying the goal of the
study is vital in selection of the coursework.
Main Components
The main components in a typical dance curriculum are the theoretical aspects,
which include historical and cultural facts, the cultural ideas integrated in the
dance style, and the practical study, which covers the principles and the
technique employed in practice of the dance style. In Odissi dance the areas of
study would be as follows: understanding the historical and cultural heritage of
Odisha and the tradition of the dance, learning about the various Odiya poets,
their works, and other literary works which are incorporated in the dance, the
Sanskrit texts which prescribe the rules of the Indian classical dance in general
and Odissi dance in particular, cultural practices and beliefs which are tied to the
tradition of dance, the choreographic principles in Odissi dance, the vocabulary
of movements, building awareness of ones body, understanding the rhythmic
patterns, Odissi music, and developing critical thinking and writing skills. A welldesigned curriculum would include units of study and lessons covering these
areas in order to provide a breadth of knowledge of the field. In the following
paragraphs I will share some models of curriculum, which are developed
alongside the goal of the study.
Models

My research revealed that presently, Odissi dance instructors train students

following their Gurus style which amalgamates elements from the Guru Shishya
Parampara and the traditional classroom structure. This traditional model, though
successful in the local setting, might not be most effective when students come
from diverse cultural backgrounds with varying goal for learning, and have to
train within a limited time. It becomes necessary for instructors to plan the study
considering the needs and goals of the student(s).
In the following paragraphs I share curriculum models proposed by Gayle
Kassing, & Danielle Mary Jay in their book, Dance Teaching Methods and
Curriculum Design because the models they discuss can be used in the different
contexts in which Odissi dance training is offered in the present times. The four
models of curriculum discussed in their book are based on process, product,
combined (Smith- Autard 1994), or discipline based dance education. According
to the authors, the instructional design method in each of these four models
becomes most effective when lessons are woven together with other learning
experiences, e.g. field trips, guest lectures, community projects and individual
research activities.
The Process Model
In this model, the emphasis is on the way in which the dancer learns, explores
and develops creativity and imagination. The technique and other elements of
the dance form are a source of the content. Through comprehension and
experience of the process, the dancer learns to find solutions and build problemsolving skills. According to Dr Kassing and Dr Jay, in this model the teacher
guides and the dancer learns in his/her own way by developing his solution to the
problem. This model enables the dancer acquire the skills and knowledge of the
dance style and can be applied for students who have the time to pursue the
process of regular training over a longer stretch in time. The expected outcome
of the learning process in this model is to use dance as a tool to nurture dancing
skills, creativeness and imagination.

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The process model was prevalent in Odissi dance education in the dance
institutions in Odisha. Training was spread through an extended period. Young
girls and boys learned the dance form following an expansive curriculum. Though
the goal of the program of study was to help students become proficient dancers,
the training experience also helped students in nurturing artistic abilities in
general.
The Product Model
The product model is the performance model. In this model the teacher is
expected to have a high level proficiency in the dance style and the expected
outcome in the students training is to acquire the standard in performance skills
required of professional dancers. Here the authors write, The product model
may lack the essential process steps of learning the content if the teacher is
inexperienced and lacks the ability in determining the age and level
appropriateness of the dance form and the progressions to teach. The emphasis
in this model is on the proficiency of the teacher and ability of the student to
emulate a single dance style.
Since the Odissi dance tradition originated as a part of the temple services, it is
common to include dance presentations in religious festivals. The local
community groups often commissioned new works, specifically during festivals.
In essence, the product model of curriculum was used in an informal format in
Odissi dance training. Instructors would select proficient dancers to learn and
participate in the new presentations.
The Combination Model
This model brings together elements from both the process and product
curriculum models. The units of study and lessons are in both theory and practice
of the dance form. In the words of the Dr Kassing and Dr Jay, this model
encompasses the cultural, artistic and the aesthetic aspects of the dance form.
The cultural aspect covers knowing the context in which the dance form

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evolved, the artistic aspect includes learning and building proficiency in the
dance technique, and exploring dance making, the aesthetic aspect would be
learning to observe, assess, analyze and appreciate the dance style. This
curriculum design provides a very comprehensive model of study and is inquiry
based.
Scholars and Gurus designed a comprehensive model of curriculum for Odissi
dance education in the 1950s. However, due to reasons of time constraints, lack
of easily available reference resources and regular access to Gurus this model of
curriculum is not used widely.
The Discipline- Based Dance Education Model
This curriculum design model is used in schools where dance is taught as an
essential component of the general education and as a foundation for specialized
study. It covers areas of dancing and choreographing, critical analysis,
observation, response and writing, and the artistic perception and value of dance.
Besides focusing on aesthetic skills, lessons are organized sequentially to enable
students develop higher order critical thinking skills, reasoning, and creativity.
Overall, the goals of this model have broader educational goals. And the design
is cross-curricular, emphasizing the interrelatedness of all disciplines.
Dance, music and theater have been included in most educational institutions as
an extracurricular activity and not specifically linked to reading, writing, or
mathematics or any other subject of study. According to a recent print media
report In December 2012, the National Council of Educational Research and
training did introduce an Arts Integrated Learning pilot project which was
supposed to be launched at the primary level in 20 schools of the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi in the State. There is no information on the project until now.
(IANS, New Delhi | Published: 15th March 2015)
However, a recent report in the Times of India (March 16, 2015) mentions the
collaborative effort in arts education between Kendriya Vidyala Sanghatan (KVS)

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and The British Council. Workshops will be hosted by The British Council in
Mumbai to promote art integrated learning and will be attended by 50 teachers
from KVS and another 10 independent teachers and trainers. Though these
workshops aim to present arts integrated learning using music and theatre we
hope there will be efforts in integrating dance and Odissi dance in particular in
school curriculums.
The essence of these four models of curriculum is seen in various settings of
Odissi dance education. However, to ensure quality dance education more needs
to be done in areas of content selection, planning the progression of study,
structure of lessons and method of instruction.
Lesson Plans and Units of Study
The scope of a curriculum defines the breadth and depth of the content in the
program of study and sequence is the logical order of the units in the curriculum.
The content in a curriculum is divided into sections or units of study and each unit
is designed to build upon the previous in a prescribed time frame to achieve the
goals in the program. Every unit comprises sessions, each with a lesson plan
wherein the instructor develops a strategy for teaching based on the following
questions:
1. Who (the age and level of the students)
2. How (use of resources, work in groups, guest lecture)
3. What (the main topic or theme)
4. Where (in the classroom versus field study or through a performance
experience)
5. How do I assess the outcome achieved
Overall, the scope of the curriculum takes into account the expected outcomes
and goals, time frame and the level of the students.

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Another important aspect in curriculum design is inclusion of activities (inquiries)

that initiate students to discover, understand, apply and extend knowledge.
Integration of guest lectures, seminars, field trips and short workshops offered by
leading dancers or scholars enables students to explore other learning styles,
and relate to the subject matter in a way that is meaningful to their own lives. It is
experiential learning which offers a change in pace from the regular traditional
classroom sessions, provides connections in the areas of learning which are
similar and results in elevating the students learning to another level. Managing
continuity in the learning process is also essential. Complementing activities with
follow up sessions to address the questions and queries of the students (against
being an one-time experience) opens a window for review, repetition and
reinforcement in the learning process.
To conclude, I reiterate that designing a curriculum is valuable both for the
instructor and student. It compels instructors to compile important materials, build
an implicit theory of learning, address essential questions and create an in-depth
learning process for students. For students, the curriculum maps the learning
journey, the progression of the building blocks in the units of study, the available
choices and opportunities in the process, and finally the outcome of the program
of study. On the whole, designing a curriculum enable teachers and students to
develop a simplified but holistic view of a very complicated process and permit
evaluations to be made of the sufficiency, continuity and connectivity of
opportunity (Norman Jackson and Malcolm Shaw).
In Odissi dance education and training, a well-structured curriculum design will
provide an overview of the different facets of the tradition of Odissi dance, and
the time required to develop the complete know-how of Odissi dance. The new
challenges of geographical distance between instructors and students, cultural
differences, language of instruction and ready availability of reference material,
limitation of available time, and lack of daily practice in the presence of the Guru
are various issues that need attention. In order to nurture excellence and

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maintain superior dance education a one-size fits all approach might not be
successful, especially when students come from different cultural backgrounds.
Cultural differences manifest in communication and behavioral patterns and only
mutual respect and understanding can encourage open discussion, selfmotivation and learning. A methodical approach in developing Odissi dance
curriculum is the key for maintaining a standard in Odissi dance education.

Rohini Doshi-Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy and Arts

Administration from the Ohio State University. As an artist in the Arts Learning
Program of the Ohio Arts Council, she has conducted workshops and lecture
demonstrations in Odissi dance in educational institutions in Ohio since 1994. As
a Visiting Faculty in Denison University in 2001 she has offered courses. She
received a graduate degree in Odissi dance from Kala Vikash Kendra, College of
Indian Dance and Music, Cuttack, India. Her gurus are Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta, Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena, and Dr Menaka
Thakkar. She continues to offer lessons. Her papers/articles can be read at
www.scribd.com/rohinidandavate

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REFERENCES
Kothari, Sunil & Parischa A. (1990). Odissi: Indian Classical Dance Art, Mumbai:
Marg Publications.
Kassing, Gayle & Jay, Danielle M. (2003). Dance Teaching Methods and
Curriculum Design. Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Pratt, D. (1980). Curriculum Design and Development. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich.
Websites
Lunenburg Fred C. (2011). Key Components of a Curriculum Plan: Objectives,
Content, and Learning Experiences. Schooling Volume 2, Number 1, Retrieved
from
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%2
0Fred%20C.%20Components%20of%20a%20Curriculum%20Plan%20Schooling
%20V2%20N1%202011.pdf
Curriculum Research: History and Evolution of Discipline Arts Education.
Retrieved from
http://danielludvigson.efoliomn.com/CurrResearch/DBAE

Norman Jackson & Malcolm Shaw (1994) PART I Visual Representations and
Conceptual Imagery in Curriculum Making). ITSN Generic Center. Retrieved from
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre

IANS, New Delhi | Published: 15th March, 2015. Retrieved from

http://career.webindia123.com/career/education-news-events/2015/theatre-artand-puppetry-alternative-tools-in-education-15-03-2015.htm
Print Media
Education Times. (March 16, 2015). A Creative Approach. The Times of India,
Mumbai.

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