Jaya Mehta Odissi Dancer

Jagannath swami nayana pathagami
bhava tumhe

Watch glimpses of the Mum, ME and Odissi workshops

Children's Workshops

The Children's workshops created by Jaya Mehta are a means of travelling richly and deeply into the heart of India. They celebrate being Indian through its multiple art forms:
▸ Introduction to Indian classical dance for families - the 'Mum, ME and Odissi' workshop
▸ Illustration of Indian festivals and Ritus - Discover INDIA series of workshops
▸ Discovering the Hindi alphabet through dance - 'Ka se Krishna' workshop
▸ Indian Monuments - 'Sun in Indian art -Konark' and 'Sculptures in my body' workshops
▸ Trees and Nature - 'the Music and Dance of Trees' workshop
These workshops are of two hours each, and explore Indian art and culture in an inter-disciplinary nature: through audio-visual presentations, art and craft projects, storytelling through dance and performances in the Guru Surendra Nath Jena Odissi style.

Connecting with Nature through Indian Classical Dance

Workshop about 'Connecting with Nature through Indian Classical Dance', as a part of Environment Week at Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj.

Odissi Intensive

'Odissi Intensive' workshop at the Ashakiran school of Dance in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Mum, ME and Odissi

This a unique , world class workshop that introduces to children and mothers the many aspects of Indian classical dance, through live musicians, trying on Odissi costume and jewellery, enacting poems with mudras and complex art and craft projects.

Discover INDIA 'Colours of Vasant'

The workshop introduced children to the Indian season of spring/Vasant, its Basant Panchami and Holi festivals, the symbolism of Saraswati, and the colour-play of Radha and Krishna at Holi. The medium was dance, art projects, illustrating shlokas and showing audio-visuals.

Discover INDIA 'The Hanuman Within'

The workshop introduced children to Indian season of Greeshma ritu, and its festival of Hanuman Jayanti, through the visual art, symbolism and stories about Hanuman. It included an art historical journey to Hampi through audio-visuals and the dance-demonstration of the Hanuman Chalisa.

Discover INDIA 'Forms of Krishna'

The workshop introduced children to Indian season of Varsha ritu, and its festivals celebrating forms of Krishna, like the Jagannath Ratha Yatra and Janamasthami. The medium was dance as a form of story telling, slide presentation, video and art project.

'Keertan with Krishna', an event for tiny tots in Shanti Niketan

An afternoon of dancing, laughter and stories for young ones (aged 2 to 4 years) so that they form an imaginative and personal connection with their beloved gods. The children rocked little Krishna on his swing and fed him; played the manjira and sang a bhajan; watched a presentation that told stories of all the magnificent gods through dance and painting. And most of all, they loved becoming their gods --- flying as Hanuman, saving devotees in distress as Vishnu, and stealing butter as Krishna!

Sculptures in my Body, Sun City world school, Gurgaon

Through this multi-media art week event, children understood that sculpture is not a static entity but finds movement in dance. Children explored how classical dance is like painting on a canvas, where space is the canvas, and the dancer's movement and emotions are her lines and colours.

The Music and Dance of Trees

This was a special dance, stories and tree walk event, for the children of vasant kunj, new delhi. Children enjoyed the beautiful associations with trees in Indian art, where in Swaati Vivek brought alive the antics of Krishna and his friends on a jamun tree. Stories, poems and paintings on trees and flowers added to this colourful journey of making trees our friends!

Ka Se Krishna, Moglys Gurukul, New Delhi

Introducing the Hindi alphabet to children, the workshop is a unique take on an innovative approach to integrating study of language through Indian art. The children of Moglys gurukul experienced the musicality of language, sound, poetry and dance like a interconnected garland of flowers.

Sun in Indian Art

Organised for the KalaTalkies community in Delhi, this inter-disciplinary workshop brought alive the sculptures of the Konark sun temple in Orissa and the story of the 12 year old boy who helped complete the temple. It also included 'Konark in a matchbox', an art and craft project on the Konark temple, using old matchboxes.

Dancing with the Gods, for the students of Vasant Valley school at Moonbeam meditation centre

A workshop with 6-year-olds, celebrating the beautiful connections between Indian painting, sculpture, the Hindi varnamala, English poetry, classical dance poses and mudras. Fun art projects, like god tattoos and a floral Holi, further reinforced the children’s associations with their dear gods.

It was a real joy attending the first of the Children's Workshops workshops organised by Jaya Mehta. Her love for the dance and her desire to spread the joy of Odissi pervaded every part of the workshop. What made this workshop truly unique and special for my daughter and me were two things: One, was the way in which Jaya and Swaati brought some very mature and philosophical thoughts that our legends and myths are made of, to the children. Secondly, what was truly magical to me was the way in which the origin and evolution of Odissi was explained by her. Through the examples of stories, sculptures, paintings and the dance form itself, Jaya and Swaati were successfully able to bring out the understanding of the layers in this dance form. . Way to go - these classes are like a flower...in each class a new petal unfolds!

Shruti Dixit, Landscape Architect

The biggest USP of the whole workshop has been the respectable teachers. The unique way of handling and cultivating the participation of both the kids and (otherwise) non-active Moms, to familiarize them to the dance was very remarkable. The whole module of the workshop was very interactive and interesting. I feel now-a-days it’s really hard to find teachers in any stream who take such pains & put so much of effort. They were immensely patient, extremely creative to design such a distinctive module. We are really thankful & fortunate for this. Kudos to the Gurus..!!

Stuti Malhotra Sharma, Travel professional

The 'Children's Workshops' classes have been a fantastic experience. We couldn’t have asked for more. Both Jaya and Swaati were breathing Odissi into us! So motivated and involved one hundred percent. They couldn’t have put more of themselves into the workshop! Tishya is so enthusiastic about Odissi after the workshop that she keeps saying the bol and practicing the steps all the time! She even asked me once, "Mummy when papa gets angry what Rasa is it?!!

Ruchika Gupta, Homemaker