Madhusmita Mohanty

🪔 About

Madhusmita Mohanty is a renowned Indian classical Odissi dancer and guru, celebrated for her graceful movements, expressive artistry, and synchronized footwork. She began her journey in Odissi dance at the tender age of six, inheriting her artistic inclination from her parents, with her mother being a dancer and her father a flautist. Her initial training was under Guru Smt. Tamala Patra. Mohanty received extensive formal training for twenty years at the prestigious Orissa Dance Academy in Bhubaneswar, where she was meticulously groomed by eminent gurus including Guru Bichitrananda Swain, Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty, and under the direct supervision of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Guru Gangadhar Pradhan. She furthered her academic pursuit in dance by completing her Alankar Poorna in Odissi from the Akhil Bhartiya Gandhrva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai, where she secured the first position in India. Throughout her career, Mohanty has performed extensively both within India and internationally, gracing stages in countries such as the UK, France, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Singapore, Netherlands, Serbia & Montenegro, USA, Thailand, China, and Malaysia. Her performances include major festivals like the Konark Dance Festival, Kal-Ke-Kalakar Sammelan, and the International Odissi Festival. She has also collaborated with notable artists, including Bharatanatyam expert Smt. Leela Samson, performing Odissi in China as part of the "Charishnu" project. Mohanty is an auditioned artist for Doordarshan Kendra, Bhubaneswar, and has participated in dance ballets and a UNESCO production for Japanese Television. Beyond her performing career, Madhusmita Mohanty is a dedicated educator. She serves as a senior teacher and Assistant Director at the Orissa Dance Academy. For over 15 years, as of 2015, she has been training numerous young learners and international students at the academy. Her teaching extends to international workshops in places like Bhopal, San Diego (USA), Paris, and Biaritz (France). She has also held the position of Academic Head of the Faculty of Performing Arts at Sri Sri University, Govindpur, Odisha. Madhusmita Mohanty often performs duets with her husband, Ramesh Chandra Jena, who is also an accomplished Odissi dancer. Awards & Honours: Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2007), Mahari Samman (2014), Senior National Scholarship, Shringarmani, Deba Prasad Dash Memorial Fellowship (1997), Padmashree Sanjukta Panigrahi Prativa Samman, Senior National Fellowship, Surabhi Samman.