Sushmita Banerjee (dancer)

Sushmita Banerjee is a Kathak exponent, choreographer and dance researcher from India.[1] Sushmita has been under the guidance of Pandit Vijay Shankar and Smt. Maya Chatterjee briefly learned from Pandit Birju Maharaj.[2]

Sushmita Banerjee performing with her students


She is a graded artiste of Doordarshan and is an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Sushmita has revived the Katha Shaili of Kathak under the able guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj.[2] She was featured in Swarthmore College professor Pallibi Chakrevorty's book, "Bells of Change" for her contribution to Kathak and Indian classical dance.[3]

Educational Background

Sushmita graduated with a bachelor's degree in English literature from Loreto College in Kolkata. She also went on to receive her master's degree in English literature from Calcutta University.[4]

Performances

Sushmita has performed in major festivals all over India and the world. She was invited by UNESCO to present her choreographic works in Tokyo[5] in 2007. She had visited Japan previously in 1992 - 1993 to present Kathak in its original richness and complex form.[5] Sushmita has performed in other international cultural venues such as:[6]

  • Rietburg Museum, Zürich
  • Ubersee Museum, Bremen
  • Belgrade Television, Belgrade
  • Vasanta Utsav, Erstwhile U.S.S.R
  • Windows of the world, Beijing
  • Festival of India, Bangkok
  • Nehru Center, London
  • I.C.C.R Tours, Muscat
  • Ramayana Conference, Trinidad and Tobago
  • U.C. Berkeley and UCLA, Berkeley and Los Angeles
  • Kansas State University, Manhattan
  • Ramayan Conference, Durban
  • Bali Arts Festival, Bali

Teaching

Sushmita Banerjee's gurukul in Kolkata welcomes students from different parts of the world such as U.S.A, Germany, Kuwait, Switzerland, Russia, Spain and Holland.[7] Sushmita along with her students from Geneva's Ateliers d' Ethnomusicologie have staged several productions in Geneva and Kerala.[8] Sushmita recently started The Kerala Gharana, a platform for learning, teaching and sharing of Indian dance and culture.[1] Sushmita is also closely associated with cultural organisation, SPICMACAY. She conducts workshops around India in educational institutions like schools and universities. Her association with SPICMACAY has enabled her to work with gifted children from all around India.[9]

Awards and Honours

Sushmita Banerjee has been honoured with

  • Emeritus Fellowship - Ministry of Culture & Human Resources, Government of India[10]
  • Sringarmani Award - Sur Sringar Sansad,Mumbai
  • Arya Natya Samaj - West Bengal
  • Nritya Sadhana Puraskar - Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrutik Sangh, Pune[4]

References
  1. "Charting the course of a tradition called Kathak". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  2. "Kathak show floors airmen". The Hindu. 6 September 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  3. Pallabi, Chakrevorty (2008). Bells of Change - Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity In India. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-1905422487.
  4. "Profile". www.sushmitabanerjee.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. "The Telegraph - Calcutta : Metro". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  6. "artsnetworkasia". www.artsnetworkasia.org. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  7. "A voyage of excellence". The Hindu. 11 September 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  8. "Nathalie Masson Kathak". Nathalie Masson Kathak. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  9. "Kathak danseuse mesmerises children". The Hindu. 1 December 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  10. "Merging time, motion and emotions ..." The New Indian Express. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
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