Costume, Makeup, and Stage Presentation
Domain focus
This domain tests the Odissi performance look: costume drape, ornaments, makeup and stage discipline.
Core rules
- Female costume: a silk saree, often Sambalpuri, draped for dance with front pleats that open during chowk and bhramari; a fitted blouse and a waist belt or kanchi secure the drape.
- Male costume: dhoti, uttariya or upper cloth and a waistband; the silhouette must allow chowk and jumps.
- Ornaments: tikuli on the forehead, earrings, necklace, armbands, bangles and anklets; these should be secure and non-injurious.
- Makeup: a clean base, elongated eyes, a bindi or tilak, sindoor and alta on hands and feet; it must read under stage lighting without masking expression.
- Stage presentation: entrance with pranam, awareness of the audience, lighting and exit; the dancer never turns the back casually to the audience.
Worked example
Question: Why are front pleats important in the female Odissi costume? Reasoning: the pleats open when the dancer takes chowk and spins, keeping the leg line visible and the drape stable. Answer: they support movement and leg extension, not decoration alone.
Traps
Odissi costume is not the Bharatanatyam fan-pleat costume. Makeup is not everyday makeup: it is scaled for stage distance. Loose ornaments are a safety hazard. The saree must not restrict the knees in chowk.