Alpana Nayak

🪔 About

Alpana Nayak is a distinguished Indian classical Odissi dancer, guru, and choreographer, widely recognized for her contributions to the art form and her pioneering work in inclusive dance education. Born and raised in Balasore, Odisha, she commenced her Odissi training at the tender age of seven at the Nrutya Sangeeta Kala Mandira under the tutelage of Late Guru Deva Prasad Das and Guru Sudhakar Sahoo. She further refined her Odissi style under Guru Hare Krishna Behera. Nayak achieved her 'Nritya Shree' degree at thirteen and 'Nritya Visharad' at nineteen. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Alpana Nayak holds an M.A. in Economics, a B.Ed., and a Diploma in Computers. Her extensive performance career includes solo and group presentations across major cities and cultural festivals in India and internationally, including England, Japan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, and Russia. A notable highlight was her performance as a special invitee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in April 2006, in the presence of then-President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. She is credited with unique choreographies, such as an Odissi dance based on a Sinhalese song at the Jaffna Peace Festival in Sri Lanka (2013) and another set to Russian music in Moscow (2018). In 2003, Nayak relocated to Delhi and began her teaching journey, establishing a small institute to promote Odissi. She is particularly renowned for her dedication to teaching Odissi and Indian folk dances to children with disabilities, a mission that began serendipitously in 2003 and has since become a cornerstone of her work. She is the Founder President of the Association for Learning Performing Arts & Normative Action (A.L.P.A.N.A.), an NGO committed to promoting performing arts and facilitating holistic human development, especially for specially-abled individuals. Her choreographic works include "Vichitra Varna – Six Facets of Womanhood," "Pancha Nayika" based on Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanja's epics, "Buddha Deva" (Tathagata) on the life of Lord Buddha, and "Ganga Avatar." Awards & Honours: Nritya Shree, Nritya Visharad, Guru Samrat, Usha Rani Samman (2012), Balasore Nakshyatra award (2014), Vishishta Odia Samman (2015), Paras Mani Award (2019), Fellowship, A graded artist, Empanelled artist.