Arno Kamolika

🪔 About

Arno Kamolika is a Bharatanatyam dance artist and instructor based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Kamolika began her artistic journey at the age of six, initially exploring singing before discovering a passion for dance, starting with Manipuri, a classical form from Manipur, India. At eight, she began her training in Bharatanatyam under Belayet Hossain, one of the few Bharatanatyam teachers in Bangladesh at the time. Her early education took place at Chhayanaut, a prominent cultural organization in Bangladesh, where she completed her diploma in Dance as the top performer in her graduating class. Her understanding of Bharatanatyam was profoundly shaped by a rigorous workshop at age 15 and subsequent mentorship under the renowned scholar Professor C.V. Chandrasekhar in Dhaka and Chennai. She also trained under Sharmila Banerjee and Tamanna Rahman in Bangladesh. After moving to Vancouver in 2009 to pursue a master's degree, Kamolika continued her advanced Bharatanatyam training with Canadian guru Jai Govinda and India-based Bragha Bessel. A graduate in Architecture, she skillfully integrates her background in various artistic disciplines, including music, mime, theatre, and other contemporary dance forms, to create an informed and unique artistic narrative. Kamolika has been an integral instructor and solo performer at Mandala Arts and Culture in Vancouver. She also teaches regularly in Dhaka and Vancouver, aiming to make traditional Indian classical dance accessible to communities with limited exposure. Her extensive performance repertoire has taken her across the globe to festivals in the USA, Germany, India, and Bangladesh. She is particularly recognized for her innovative projects that bridge traditional Bharatanatyam with Bengali poetry and music, notably developing a Bharatanatyam theatre production of Rabindranath Tagore's play “Shyama,” which premiered at The Cultch in Vancouver with support from the BC Arts Council. Kamolika has performed for various institutions, including the Institute of Asian Research at UBC, Simon Fraser University, and the World Rhythm Festival in Seattle. She is supported by organizations such as Mandala Arts and Culture, Nova Dance – Toronto, Vancouver Tagore Society, The Canada Council for the Arts, and The British Columbia Arts Council. Awards & Honours: Distinguished Dancer Award (2012).