Madhusmita Bora

🪔 About

Madhusmita Bora is an acclaimed Indian classical dancer, teacher, writer, journalist, filmmaker, and cultural producer specializing in Sattriya, a 500-year-old spiritual dance tradition from Assam, India. Born and raised in Assam, she made her debut as a dancer before the age of four, performing at her village temple for the annual Raax festival. Bora received extensive training in Sattriya and Borgeet under master teacher Gobin Kalita Bayan at the Uttar Kamalabari Satra in Assam. She further honed her Sattriya skills studying with renowned exponents such as Padmashree Jatin Goswami, Guru Naren Barua, Guru Ramkrishna Talukdar, Bhabanada Borbayan, and Anita Sharma. Her classical training also includes Kathak under Daniel Freddy in India and Guru Janaki Patrik in New York, as well as Hindustani Classical Music with Pandit Rattan Mohan Sharma. In 2009, Madhusmita Bora co-founded the Philadelphia-based Sattriya Dance Company with Prerona Bhuyan, serving as its co-artistic director. The company's mission is to preserve, present, and promote Sattriya Nritya, raising awareness about the dance form and the monasteries (Sattras) where it originated. Bora has performed Sattriya extensively across the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and India. She is also the director and producer of the documentary film 'Dancing the Divine' (2018), which explores her personal journey and relationship with the tradition. Beyond her dance career, Bora is an adjunct professor at Lincoln University and the Senior Managing Editor for Suburban News at WHYY. She is currently working on a book documenting Mati Akhara, the basic movements of Sattriya. Her work emphasizes social justice, using Sattriya as a vehicle for messages of peace, equality, and universal brotherhood. Awards & Honours: Leeway Foundation Grant, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grant, Nritya Saradhi Award, Leeway Transformation Award, IIDF Award, Pew Center for the Arts & Heritage Grant (2017), Teaching Artist Micro-Grant from the Bartol Foundation, Official Selection, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (for 'Dancing the Divine') (2018), Official Selection, Mustard Seed Film Festival (for 'Dancing the Divine') (2018), Honorable Mention, Outlet Dance Project (for 'Dancing the Divine').