Stuck In The Lockdown With Nothing To Do?

Welcome to A Physics Odyssey!

​Are you interested in learning an Indian classical dance form? Are you a passionate Odissi dancer seeking to fine-tune your technique and improve your art? Or are you hoping to bridge the divide between the theoretical concepts discussed in your physics textbook and real-world phenomenon?

If yes, then keep reading!

A Physics Odyssey explores the principles underpinning diverse Odissi postures (spoiler: there is more to this dance than simply choreographic beauty.) Discussing Newton’s Laws of Motion, dynamic and static friction, rotational momentum, simple harmonic motion and more, A Physics Odyssey will leave you with a newfound understanding of how to improve your dance by harnessing the principles of physics. In these unprecedented times that the world is currently facing, learning a new skill can temporarily distract you from the sense of fear that seems to pervade the atmosphere. What better way to spend the additional time gained due to lockdown, shelter at home, or quarantine orders than using it to discover something new?

A Physics Odyssey discusses every aspect of a typical Odissi session, from the warm-up and the actual dancing to the cool-down. Looking at the aforementioned through the lens of mechanical physics, each article comes with a video tutorial of the movement itself, a textual description of how to carry it out and of course, the physics that forms the bedrock of each position.

Let’s get started.