Leesa Mohanty

🪔 About

Leesa Mohanty is a distinguished Indian classical Odissi dancer, choreographer, and cultural advocate, known for her expressive abhinaya and imaginative dance productions. She is a senior disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, carrying forward the inimitable Odissi style of the late Guru Deba Prasad Das. Mohanty has performed extensively across India and has also been involved in promoting Odissi internationally. Beyond her performances, Leesa Mohanty is the Executive Director of Bansi Bilas, a non-profit cultural organization established in 1983 with a mission to preserve and propagate Odissi, the indigenous dance form of Odisha. In this capacity, she contributes to organizing cultural festivals and running dance academies. She is also an entrepreneur, actively involved in reviving India's handloom traditions through "Nirguna," an initiative that empowers weavers. Her journey also includes institutional leadership, having been shaped by her time at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), and serving as the first HRD Executive at GCMMF (Amul). This background informs her vision for Nirguna, Nirguna Trust, and the Nirguna Centre for Excellence, where creativity and strategic institution-building converge. Mohanty's artistic endeavors extend to cinema, where she has worked as a child cine artist. She directed the dance film "Milan Madhuri" and a documentary on the late Guru Deba Prasad Das in 2001. In 2006, she conceptualized and anchored "Idioms of Oriya Culture," a documentary. She is also an author, maintaining a journal with reflections on Odissi, crafts, and cultural heritage, available in English, Odia, and Hindi. Based in Mumbai, Leesa Mohanty is also an HR consultant by profession, balancing her logical and creative pursuits. She is the younger sister of fellow Odissi exponent Leena Mohanty. Her contributions to Odissi have been recognized with several accolades, including the Best Child Artiste Award from the Government of Orissa in 1984, the Rajdhani Ratna Award in 2001, and the Rasaamruta Sambardhini title in 2007. She is also a recipient of a senior merit scholarship from the HRD Ministry, Government of India, and is a senior auditioned artiste at Doordarshan Kendra. She has been referred to as an "Odissi Dance Guru" and an "actress" and "entrepreneur". Awards & Honours: Best Child Artiste Award (1984), Rajdhani Ratna Award (2001), Film Media Award (2001), Rasaamruta Sambardhini (2007), Senior Merit Scholarship.