Sohini Ray

🪔 About

Sohini Ray, born on August 25, 1966, in Kolkata, India, is a distinguished classical Manipuri dancer, dance-researcher, and anthropologist, currently based in Los Angeles, United States. She began her Manipuri dance training at the age of seven at Manipuri Nartanalaya in Kolkata, under the tutelage of renowned gurus such as Guru Bipin Singh, Darshana Jhaveri, and Kalavati Devi. Ray underwent her initiation ceremony with Guru Bipin Singh at age eleven and commenced professional performances by fourteen. She also served as Guru Bipin Singh's research assistant from the age of fourteen. Academically, Ray is highly accomplished, holding Bachelor's (B.Sc.) and Master's (M.Sc.) degrees in anthropology from the University of Calcutta, where she consistently achieved top honors. She later moved to the United States, earning another Master's degree in dance and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Her academic pursuits also include fellowships at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School and as a faculty fellow at the University of California, Humanities Research Institute, University of California, Irvine. She has taught at several universities, including the University of California, Irvine, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Santa Monica College, and has numerous academic publications. As a dance artist, Sohini Ray is the founder and artistic director of Manipuri Dance Visions, an institute for Manipuri Dance in Southern California, which also includes a performing unit, the Manipuri Dance Visions Ensemble. She has choreographed, directed, and performed in many classical Manipuri dance productions, such as "Harao-kummei: Joyful Celebrations in Manipuri Dance," "Gita-Govinda," and "Krishna-Ningshingba." Her performances and tours have taken her across Europe, North America, and India. Awards & Honours: National Scholarship for Manipuri dance from the Indian government (1982), Jubilee Prize, University of Calcutta, India (1988), National Scholarship, University of Calcutta, India (1988), First Prize in Manipuri Dance, Sangeetotsav (1988), Shringar-Mani Award, Kal-ke-kalakaar Sangeet Sammelan, Mumbai (1988), Naratan Acharya, Manipuri Nartanalaya, Kolkata (1999), Elaine Weissman Los Angeles Treasures Award, California Traditional Music Society (2007), Lestor Horton Award (Nomination) (2007), Lestor Horton Award (Winner) for "Gita Govinda" (2008), JB Donne Prize in Anthropology of Art, Royal Anthropological Institute (2009), Lestor Horton Award (Nomination) (2010), Margaret Mead Award (Nomination) (2010), University Gold Medal, University of Calcutta, India (2011), Devdasi Award from Devdasi Nritya Mandir, Bhubaneswor, Odisha (2013), Tagore National Scholarship from Ministry of Culture, Government of India (2026).