Lisa Santhanam

🪔 About

Lisa Santhanam is an internationally acclaimed Odissi artist and the Artistic Director for Odissi Lasya Dance Academy. A dedicated practitioner of the Srjan gharana, her work bridges classical heritage and contemporary global expression. Santhanam's artistry is rooted in decades of rigorous training under her mentors, Gurus Ratikant and Sujata Mohapatra, whose lineage she continues to preserve through performance, mentorship, and creative research. She was initiated into Odissi dance under Smt. Jayantee Paine Ganguly and began intensive studies at Srjan with Smt. Sujata Mohapatra in 2007. Beyond her role as a performer, Santhanam is a sought-after educator who facilitates intensive residencies and workshops for dancers across the United States and abroad. She actively supports university world dance programs, enriching higher education curricula with the intricacies of Odissi aesthetics and classical dance tradition. Her pedagogical approach is instrumental in training the next generation of Odissi practitioners, ensuring the art form's technical precision and spiritual depth endure in the modern era. Santhanam's professional footprint spans global stages, with notable performances at international festivals such as Odissi International (Bhubaneswar), International Odissi Festival, India Dance Festival (Athens, Greece), and the Yoga Festival (Guangzhou), as well as regional programs like the U.S. National Cherry Blossom Festival. She founded Odissi Lasya Dance Academy in September 2019 to promote and preserve the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra lineage. Awards & Honours: Devadasi National Award.