Odissi dance is officially considered as the "classical dance" of the Indian State Orissa (renamed Odisha in 2011). This paper explores practitioners' claims that their dance is rooted in former dance practices by two different groups of performers who were linked to an important local pilgrimage centre. Ethnographic data shows that Odissi practitioners do not specifically try to reproduce the modes of performance of their reference groups. Furthermore, they show a keen interest in highlighting the novelty of their own dance creations. It actually appears that for them, the creative act itself is grounded in references to former performers and their practices, which contribute to establishing Odissi's genealogy.