yoga shala - prescott, az

with Revital Carroll

Roots and Essence

Odissi Dance is a Classical Indian Dance form that traces its roots to the ancient temples of Southern India. Traditionally, the dance was performed as a devotional ceremony, and a powerful means for the dancer and the audience to commune with the Divine. The dance is deeply connected with the vast and intricate traditions of East-Indian spirituality (Vedic, Tantric & Yogic).

Odissi Dance is designed to awaken the presence of shakti (primal energy) and devotion within the dancer and the audience. The dance is essentially a type of Yoga practice requiring persistent discipline and humble devotion to gradually embrace the ecstatic experience of Union.

Learning Odissi dance is a step be step initiation into a complete and intricate system of body wisdom. The dance practice requires concentration and discipline and a gradual build up of stamina, coordination and fluid grace. As the dancers progress s/he awakens into the bliss of the heart riding the waves of primal rhythm.

The dancer steps in precise time with the complex rhythms of the drum, using intense footwork to connect with the earth. She keeps her hips open to collect energy and moves it up her spine to her heart through subtle arm and torso movements. The dancer also uses numerous facial expressions and hand gestures (mudras) to express the full spectrum of the human emotions and experiences.

At present time Odissi dance had stepped out of the Temples of Orissa into the stages of the world. It is still practiced mostly in Orissa but had branched out into schools around the world. The knowledge of Odissi dance is originated in the ancient texts of Indian dance such as the ‘Natya Sastra’ and ‘Abhinaya Darpana’, however most of the practical knowledge is past on as an oral and practical tradition from Guru to disciple.

Watching an Odissi Dance performance is an enchanting journey. The flow of movements and the grace and beauty of the dancers reveals unison of sensual and spiritual expressions in one’s heart.

Revital's Dance Bio

revital carroll - yoga shala Revital has been a devoted student of dance and Yoga for nearly 20 years. She fell in love with Odissi Dance in Orissa, India in 1996, where she studied under the direct tutelage of some of India's most esteemed Odissi Dance Gurus: Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Bichitrananda Swain, and Aruna Mohanty. She began her formal Yoga studies in India in 1991 with masters of the Himalayan region. Revital has taught Yoga and dance in India, Europe, Israel and the U.S. She has served as Yoga Program Director of numerous Yoga schools and conferences in California. She is currently the co-owner of Yoga Shala (Prescott, AZ) with her husband, Cain Carroll. Revital's teachings are guided by a sweet devotion to Life, and a nurturing of inner awakening in each student. Her classes weave together intensity and surrender, deep stillness and joyful play.
Revital teaches regular classes and workshops with emphasis on reclaiming and wakening the sacred feminine. She teaches Yoga workshops for women titled: Shakti Yoga: Awakening the Sacred Feminine and Odissi Dance workshops. She performs and teaches Odissi Dance in the U.S.A. and internationally. In December 2006 she was invited to perform in the esteemed International Odissi Dance Festival in Orissa, India.