Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, in association with Department of Culture, Government of Chhatisgarh, and South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, organised Nritya Sangam- FESTIVAL OF DANCE from 23 - 26 September at Raipur.

Inauguration

Dr Raman Singh
Hon'ble Chief Minister, Chhatisgarh

Shri Brij Mohan Agarwal
Minister of Culture, Government of Chhatisgarh

Shrimati Tejan Bai
Padma Bhushan

Programme

Friday 23 September
RAMA VAIDYANATHAN, Delhi: Bharatanatyam

SANGEETA DASH, Bhubaneswar: Odissi

Saturday 24 September
DEEPTI OMCHERRY BHALLA, Delhi: Mohiniattam

MAULIK SHAH & ISHIRA PARIKH, Ahmedabad: Kathak

Sunday 25 September
RANJANA GAUHAR, Delhi: Odissi

SHARODI SAIKIA, Guwahati: Sattriya

ALEKHYA PUNJALA, Hyderabad: Kuchipudi

Monday 26 September
PRITI PATEL, Kolkata: Manipuri

MALABIKA MITRA, Kolkata: Kathak

RAMA VAIDYANATHAN : Bharatanatyam

Rama Vaidyanathan was initiated into dance under Dr Yamini Krishnamurthy and subsequently she trained under Smt. Saroja Vaidyanathan. She has also received training in Carnatic music.

Having performed for more than two decades Rama has established herself among the prominent Bharatanatyam artists of the new generation. She has performed in major festivals such as Rajgir Mahotsav, Soorya Festival, Konark, Khajuraho, and Music Academy, Chennai, and also in events organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi, zonal centres and state academies. She has participated in prestigious international dance events in USA, Europe, Japan, Africa, Middle-East and Russia.

Rama has received several honours and awards, including the Indira Gandhi Award, and the Sanskriti Award. Presently, she is the Director of Ganesh Natyalaya, a premier dance school in New Delhi founded by Smt. Saroja Vaidyanathan, which imparts training to young dancers.

SANGEETA DASH : Odissi

Sangeeta Dash started her training in dance under Shri Durga Charan Ranbir and later specialized under late Guru Debaprasad Das. She also studied Hindustani music under Shri Chittaranjan Pani. Sangeeta Dash has established herself as one of the leading Odissi dancers, having performed for over three decades.

Sangeeta Dash has performed in major dance festivals in India and abroad including the Khajuraho, Konark, Soorya, Natyanjali festival, and other important dance events organized by prestigious sabhas and State Department of Cultures. She has also conducted several lecture-demonstrations on Odissi dance in India and abroad. Some of the international events where Sangeeta has performed include Festival of India in China, Germany, Korea and events organized in Nepal, Bangladesh and USA.

Sangeeta has received several honours and awards, including the Pankaj Charan Das Award, the Sanskriti Samman, and the Mahari Award.

Currently, Sangeeta Dash is the founder director of Meera Dance Academy and Research Centre in Pondicherry where she teaches dance to young artists.

DEEPTI OMCHERRY BHALLA : Mohiniattam

Deepti Omcherry Bhalla received her training initially in Kathakali at the International Centre for Kathakali, Delhi under P Madhava Panikker, Gopinath K. Kumara Nair and Sadanam Balakrishnan. She later specialized in the art of Mohiniattam under Guru Kalyanikutty Amma. Deepti Bhalla has also learnt Hindustani and Carnatic music under the guidance of her mother Dr. Leela Omcherry, an eminent musicologist, TS. Raghavan, Yunus Hussain Khan and the Dagar brothers.

Deepti has presented Mohiniattam recitals extensively in important dance festivals in India and abroad. Some of her notable performances within the country include dance festivals like Khajuraho, Nishagandhi, Ragini Devi Desh Videsh Utsav, and Apna Utsav. Her performances abroad include Festival of India in USSR, Asia Pacific Expo in Japan, Republic Day Celebrations in Germany, Zurich, Austria, Belgium and Italy, Hungary festival, and Samanika in Korea.

Deepti has obtained doctorate in music for her thesis on the 'Sopana Music of Kerala'. She is a recipient of Natya Ratna and Kerala Darpanam awards.

Currently, Deepti is a professor of Carnatic music at the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi and is also training young dancers in Mohiniattam.

MAULIK SHAH & ISHIRA PARIKH : Kathak

Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh are among the front-ranking dancing couple of the new generation. Both of them have been groomed as Kathak dancers under Smt. Kumudini Lakhia. They specialized in the art and have emerged as accomplished dancers.

Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh have participated in many prestigious dance events including Khajuraho, East West Dance Encounter at NCPA, Konark, Kalka Bindadin, Kathak Mahotsava, Swami Haridas Sammelan, Soorya, Swarna Mahotsava, pt. Durgalal Festival, Yuva Utsav and Swarn Samaroh. They have also given performances in Beijing for the Asian Games, Festival of India in Sweden, Russia and Germany, and the Kalanidhi Festival in Canada.

They have conducted Kathak workshops and lecture-demonstrations in various countries. They have also created numerous experimental works based on Kathak dance.

Presently, Maulik Shah and Ishira Parikh are teaching dance to the younger generation at 'Anart', a school of Kathak dance established by them.

RANJANA GAUHAR : Odissi

Ranjana Gauhar had her training in Odissi dance at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Delhi under Guru Mayadhar Raut; later from Srinath Raut, Kelucharan Mohapatra and Aloka Paniker. She has also studied Kathak, Manipuri and Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj.

Ranjana has performed extensively within the country and abroad at major dance festivals, organized by prestigious sabhas and state academies, and the Department of Culture. Her notable performances include the Khajuraho, Ganga, Maihar and festivals organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi. She has performed in Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Kuwait, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Japan, USA, and also at Queen Elizabeth Royal Hall and the Oxford University, U.K.

Ranjana has choreographed several dance-dramas on traditional as well as contemporary issues, based on Odissi and Chhau styles. She has set up the Utsav Education and Cultural Society in Delhi and is teaching dance to the younger generation. She has undertaken a series of educational projects in British schools and has been a visiting lecturer at Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, Hyderabad, and at the Summer Academy, Berlin. She is also a film producer and a script-writer and has produced several documentaries on dance.

For her work in the field of dance, Ranjana Gauhar has received several honours and awards including the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini and Pali Bali awards. She was awarded Padma Shri in 2003.

SHARODI SAIKIA : Sattriya

Acclaimed as a leading exponent of Sattriya dance, Sharodi Saikia has received training under the guidance of Shri Raseswar Saikia Barbayan, Shri Ghanakanta Bora and Shri Rameswar Barbayan. She has also studied from her guru a distinct form of dance of the Devadasis. She has also received training in Kathak dance under Shri Charu Bardoloi and Manipuri dance training under Shri Rathin Singh. She has taken lessons in Sitar from Shri Haribilash Dutta and Smt. Lipika Banerjee.

Sharodi Saikia's first performance was at the National Music Conference, Guwahati in 1972. Renowned Odissi exponent Smt. Indrani Rahman conducted this conference for Sangeet Natak Akademi when Sharodi was noted for her performance of Sattriya. Since then, she has performed both at the national and international dance festivals and has emerged as an outstanding exponent of Sattriya dance among the new generation. She has been engaged in research work associated with the history and evolution of this art form. In addition to her writing on Sattriya dance in periodicals, she has a number of publications on education, women and development themes to her credit.

At present Sharodi Saikia is a senior executive with the Department of Higher Education, Assam. She is also imparting Sattriya dance training to the young dancers in her institution.

ALEKHYA PUNJALA : Kuchipudi

Alekhya Punjala had her initial training in Kuchipudi under the tutelage of Late Shri Dayal Sharan and later from K. Uma Rama Rao at Lasya Priya. She has also received training in Bharatanatyam.

Alekhya has performed in various prestigious arts events including the Khajuraho, Swami Haridas Samaroh, Kalidas Samaroh, Yuva Utsavs in Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad and the Kuchipudi Festival organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi. She has performed in USA, UK, Syria, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Qatar, Lebanon, Bahrain and Cyprus. She has also conducted several lecture-demonstrations and has presented papers in important seminars and conferences.

Alekhya has received the Ugadi Visist Puraskar 2002 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Hamsa Award. She is presently pursuing her PhD in the 'Padams of Kshetrayya and his contribution to Telugu Culture'; and is also teaching Kuchipudi dance as an associate professor in the Department of Dance, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University.

PRITI PATEL : Manipuri

Priti Patel was initiated into dance at an early age under the guidance of late Guru Bipin Singh. She has also received training in Manipuri dance under Guru Th. Babu Singh and studied different aspects of Manipuri music and martial arts from such experts as Kshetri Tombi Devi, Kumar Maibi, Surchand Sharma and Pt. Khelchandra Singh. She has also taken training in stage light from Tapas Sen and in movement therapy at Lesley College, Boston.

With comprehensive training and a performing experience of almost three decades, Priti Patel has emerged as an accomplished and committed artist. Some of the major events where she has performed include the Khajuraho, Bhagyachandra Dance Festival, International Yangko in China, Festival of India in Russia.

Priti has received several awards in appreciation of her work including the Mrinalini Sarabhai Award for excellence in classical dance by Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Uday Shankar Dance Award, and the Certificate of Excellency from the Manipur State Kala Akademi.

Priti Patel has established Anjika Centre for Manipuri Dance and Movement Therapy in Kolkata and Imphal where she imparts training to younger dancers, and conducts research and documentation of dance.

MALABIKA MITRA : Kathak

An accomplished and well-known Kathak dancer, Malabika Mitra received her initial training under Late Ramgopal Mishra of Jaipur Gharana and subsequently from Vijay Shankar and Om Prakash Maharaj.

She has performed in many major festivals of India and abroad including the Kathak Mahotsava, Apna Utsav, Qutub festival, Kathak Samaroh, Khajuraho, Konark, Nishgandhi, Kathak Prasang. Her performance abroad include Sanskritik Festival at Queen Elizabeth Royal Hall, London and Bath festival in UK, Festival of India in Russia, Republic Day Celebrations in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Having performed for more than three decades Malabika has emerged as an outstanding Kathak dancer among her generation.

Malabika Mitra has received several honours and awards such as Abhinav Kala Sam man, and Mahakal Sangeet Ratna.