Press Comments:
“The highly individualistic style of Guru Surendranath Jena,
influenced by the Tantra and temple sculpture, is not widely
prevalent, its best exponent being the Guru’s daughter Pratibha
Jena.”
--- INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE; Tradition in Transition, 2007 Leela
Venkataraman
"As
a teenager he joined a travelling folk theatre troupe and his
choreography has always displayed a distinctly earthy element…
Surendra Nath Jena’s teaching and workshops have been greatly
appreciated in the USA. His three daughters Pratibha, Rekha and
Rama and son Nirmal are also dancer-teachers. “
---INDIA’S DANCES, Their History, Technique and Repertoire,
2004, Raginold Massey
“Ancient
India comes to life when Pratibha Jena dances. Every gesture of
her arms, hands and fingers means something. Every movement
represents the spirit of an Indian god or goddess or
communication with them…”
--- DAY & NIGHT-ARTS, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tiffany Moysey-Post,
January 2002
“Surendranath Jena’s style is an example of defiant
individuality against all the collective definitions of Odissi…
The acute deflections, carved sculpture freezes, the sudden mood
changes and an entire dance language seemingly emerging from a
desire to emulate poses in sculpture, is totally unconventional
in every respect and yet there is no denying that the Guru’s
vision is neither meek nor lacking in quaint aesthetics of its
own.“
---THE HINDU, December 2001,
Leela Venkataraman
“…Within immensely detailed, strict aesthetic codes of
execution, each sculptural piece and performance still manages
to convey an unspoken power. It is refreshing to see this
quality in the Jena style in Sydney today…”
---TAASA
REVIEW, The Journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia,
Vol.4,
December ’95, Rebecca Cook
“Guru Surendranath Jena is noted all over India to introduce a
new style of dance, beauty and lyricism in Odissi dance. Under
this great Kala Guru this heritage has been refined and
perfected in contemporary form…”
---JOURNAL
OIF VEDIC HERITAGE, New York, USA, August ’86
“Needless to say, many other creations followed, all impregnated
with realism. His figurative style is not always accepted by
Odissi gurus, all of whom claim to represent the genius
tradition. But, despite disagreements on what is pure Odissi,
the form keeps growing and blossoming. Surendra Nath Jena has
given his special style a subtle and sensuous beauty which is
the essence of Odissi. “
---THEINDIA MAGAZINE, August ’86, Marie-Elyane Guillame
"Guru Jena’s choreography is graceful, creative and
innovative within the framework of the Odissi style. “
---THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, May ‘84
"Altogether different and equally valid was Kamboj Pallavi
breaking away from the usual pattern of bunches of nritta
punctuated by taala and weaving an amazingly rich fabric of
movements… Yet another departure from the usual Orissi
choreography was excellent Dasavatara, full of extraordinary
visual motifs… Ashtapadi Rati Sukh Sare also gave evidence
of new veins of choreographic richness…”
---THE HINDUSTAN TIIMES, ’76, Shanta Serbjeet Singh
“Guru Jena presents authentic Odissi…”
---THE TIMES
OF INDIA, April ’75
“’It’s almost as though the sculptures just stepped out and
came alive!’ …Even the critics and the cognoscenti cannot
avoid this reference when talking ecstatically about a
particular Orissi performance. Every ‘Karana’ (stylized
pose) is directly incorporated from a similar stone relief
from the ornately carved Orissan temples.”
--- MONSOON,
The Magazine, ’69, Usha Chettur
