Sandhya Purecha

🪔 About

Dr. Sandhya Purecha, born on December 29, 1965, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is a distinguished Bharatanatyam exponent, scholar, choreographer, and educator. Her initial exposure to dance included Indian folk forms under maestro Ramesh Purav in Mumbai. She later became the senior-most disciple of the legendary Guru Acharya Parvatikumar, receiving her training in the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara. Dr. Purecha holds a Ph.D. in Natyashastra from the University of Mumbai, specializing in 'Natyashastra in Theory and Practice of Angikabhinaya in Bharatanatyam'. Her career spans over four decades with more than 5000 performances nationally and internationally. She is notably the first artist to present the entire Abhinaya Darpan dance treatise, as defined by Nandikeshwara and choreographed by her Guru Parvatikumar, on stage in Bharatanatyam style, performing all 324 shlokas in an audio-visual format. Dr. Purecha has authored several research-based books on dance, including translations of Bharata's Natyashastra into Marathi and Gujarati, and has researched and published on Kalasa Karana. Her choreographic works encompass traditional solos, group ensembles, research-based productions, thematic dance ballets, jugalbandis, and collaborative pieces. She has conducted lecture-demonstrations and workshops in countries such as South Africa, USA, Taiwan, and the UK. Dr. Purecha is the founder of Kala Paricchaya (established 1981), where she has taught over 5000 students, and the Bharata College of Fine Arts & Culture (established 2005), which is affiliated with Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Nagpur. She also serves as the Managing Trustee and Honorary Secretary of the Sarfojiraje Bhosale Bharata Natyam Training and Research Centre (established 1993) in Mumbai. She conceptualized 'SOCH - Save Our Cultural Heritage', a campaign dedicated to preserving and propagating Indian art and culture. Currently, Dr. Sandhya Purecha holds the esteemed position of Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's national academy for music, dance, and drama. She was also the Chairperson of the W20 Engagement Group of G20 India in 2023 and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2017), Maharashtra State Cultural Award (2006), Gujarat Gaurav Puraskar (2007), Maharashtra Rajya Mahakavi Kalidas Sanskrit Sadhana Puraskar (2013), Hirkani Award by Doordarshan Kendra - Mumbai (2016), Academic Excellence Award (to Bharata College of Fine Arts & Culture) (2019), Kalidas Samman Puraskar by Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (2024), Honorary Doctorate by Karnataka State Gangubai University of Performing Arts, Mysore, Senior Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Junior Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Govt. of India, National Scholarship by the Department of Culture, Govt. of India, Newsmakers Achiever's Award for Best Bharatanatyam Dancer.