Sharmila Biswas

🪔 About

Sharmila Biswas, born on November 19, 1962, in Kolkata, India, is a leading figure in the Indian classical dance form of Odissi, renowned as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She began her dance journey at the age of seven at the Children's Little Theatre (CLT) in Kolkata, where she received foundational training in various classical and folk dances, music, and theatre from professionals including Balakrishna Menon, Guru Bipin Singh, and Kalavati Devi. Her initial Odissi training was under Guru Muralidhar Majhi, followed by comprehensive instruction from the legendary Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Biswas also honed her expressive abilities, known as Abhinaya, under Guru Kalanidhi Narayan. Further expanding her artistic horizons, she participated in the Young Choreographers' Workshop by the American Dance Festival in New York in 1991. Biswas commenced her professional career as part of her guru's presentations, touring extensively in prominent roles. Her solo career gained significant recognition after her performance at the Youth Festival in Delhi in 1986, organized by the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi and ICCR. In 1994, she founded the Odissi Vision & Movement Centre (OVM) in Kolkata, an institution dedicated to research, training, and productions in Odissi dance. Through OVM, she has been instrumental in bringing notable changes to the content, technique, and costumes of Odissi. Her work is deeply rooted in extensive research into the traditional performing and visual arts of Odisha, including the ancient Mahari temple dance traditions, Orissan percussion, Shabda Nritya, and Prahlad Natak. She has performed widely across India at major festivals such as Elephanta, Khajuraho, and Konark, and internationally in countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Japan. Biswas is also the author of the textbook "Knowing Odissi" (2008). She is graded as an 'Outstanding' artist by The Indian Council of Cultural Relations and a 'Top' artist by Doordarshan. Awards & Honours: Best Choreography Award (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India) for "Sampurna", Uday Shankar Award for Best Choreography (1998), Mahari Award (2010), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2012), Junior Fellowship Award (Dept. of Culture, Govt. of India and Central Sangeet Natak Akademi), Senior Fellowship Award (Dept. of Culture, Govt. of India and Central Sangeet Natak Akademi).