ANITA SHARMA

🪔 About

Anita Sharma is a renowned Sattriya dancer, choreographer, and teacher from Assam, India, born on March 1, 1969, in Dibrugarh. She began her formal training in Sattriya at the age of seven, initially under Guru Roseshwar Saikia Bayan and later under Padmashree Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami. Sharma also received training in Odissi dance from Guru Gorima Hazarika and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She holds a master's degree in Assamese literature from Gauhati University, which has profoundly influenced her understanding and interpretation of Sattriya. Throughout her career, Anita Sharma has dedicated herself to the promotion and preservation of Sattriya. She is an 'A'-grade artist of Doordarshan and an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Her performances have graced major dance festivals across India, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Konark Dance Festival, Delhi International Arts Festival, and Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance. Internationally, she has performed in countries such as the UK, Sweden, USA, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Australia (Sydney Dance Festival), and New York (Erasing Borders & Drive East Festival). Sharma has conducted extensive research on Assamese folk culture and the Sattriya dance form, incorporating her findings into her choreographic works such as Ritu Rang, Sunit Kunwari, Anubhav, Leela Gobindam, Uma Rudra Sambad, Adhipsa, Utho Meri Laal, Vandana, Sita Haran, and Dasavatar. She was awarded a Junior Fellowship (2005-2007) and a Senior Fellowship (2022-2023) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and has researched Ojapali under the Sattriya Kendra of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. She is the founding director of the Abhinaya Dance Academy in Guwahati, where she imparts training in Sattriya dance to young aspirants. Since 2010, she has also co-organized the annual 'Parampara Dance and Music Festival' with her husband, Samad Sharma. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2014), Nrutya Vidushi title (2012), Devdasi Award (2013), Naatyavedha Award (2013), Prag Sanmman (2015), Bharata Kala Rakshini, Taranga Ratna, Mahari Award (2024), Natyasri.