Rahul Acharya

 

At the tender age of four years, Rahul Acharya started learning Odissi dance from illustrious guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir. This child prodigy was born on 7th December in the year 1982. Rahul Acharya believed to have a strong feeling for the Odissi dance in its highly religious structure that can only be seen in the Jaganatha's culture. He has also bagged the rare quality of studying the most difficult yoga namely, Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga at the Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Bihar School of Yoga. These two types of yogas are said to perform by the sages. Other than his dance, Rahul is an avid devotee of Lord Jagannatha and well versed in Sanskrit. He enjoys reading and researching on Shastras (Scriptures) and bringing them to the forefront through his dance.

Internationally renowned as a virtuosic artist, he has performed all over the globe – in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and throughout the United States. Rahul has danced extensively in India, participating in many of the most celebrated festivals. In 2010 he received the honor of being a soloist in the Khajuraho Dance Festival. Amongst his 2009 performances were Natya Tarangini’s Parampara Series, several Sangeet Natak Akademi sponsored engagements in Tamil Nadu, and the Kumbhalgarh Dance Festival. He has danced at the Mukteswar, Konark, Puri Beach, and Udayshankar Dance Festivals, as well as many more. Other appearances include ones at Kalakshetra and the National Centre for Performing Arts.

Rahul Acharya has also given several lecture demonstration on Jagannatha culture and on the traditional dance form, Odissi.

Some his noted lecture demonstrations are:

1. Lecture Demonstrations organized by SPIC MACAY at IIT, Kharagpur.

2.Lecture demonstrations at premier national institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore.

3. Lecture demonstrations at Shantiniketan, Vishwabharati University, West Bengal.

4. Lecture demonstrations at Universities in Reunion Islands.

5.Lecture demonstrations at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, Caracas, Venezuela. Lecture demonstrations at Colegio Timoteo Aguire, Merida, Venezuela.

 6. Lecture demonstrations at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.

7. Lecture demonstrations at Incolballet, Cali, Colombia.

Sujata Mohapatra

 Sujata Mohapatra has been regarded as the appropriated prototype of 'beauty and poise'. She was inducted to this art form in her childhood. Since her childhood she has shown an intrinsic love for dance. Sujata Mohapatra was born and raised into a wealthy family that was enriched with an artistic environment. This kind of environment nurtured her creativity and brought out her inborn artistic style.

Born into a rich cultural background, she grew up in an artistic environment that delicately nourished her creativity and brought out her innate interest in dance. An artistic environment at home and encouraging parents gave Sujata the impetus to learn Odissi.She has completed more than eighteen years of training under the guidance of her Guru and simultaneously been trained by her husband Guru Ratikant Mohapatra at Srjan. She has also done a valuable stint at the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre.

Sujata Mohapatra apart from performing dance also in an active manner involved in teaching Odissi. She holds the position of principle of the premier institution of dance, Srijan (Odissi Nrityabhasa), founded by his father -in-law. 'Lithesome movements, awesome stamina and large radiant eyes' are the attributes of this outstanding performer. Experiencing her spellbound execution of Odissi dance, her audiences got awestruck. Her dance reflects the unagitated grace, vividness of expression and technical flawlessness that are considered to be the 'unbending adherence to Guruji's style' from her part. Sujata Mohapatra is actively involved in teaching Odissi. She is the Principal of 'Srjan' (Odissi Nrityabasa), a prime Odissi Dance Institution founded by MGuru Kelucharan Mohapatra She holds a master's degree in Oriya Literature from Utkal University, and has done research work at the Odissi Research Centre, Bhubaneshwar.In July 2011, she opened an Odissi Institute - Guru Keerti Srjan, in her hometown, Balasore.

Ms. Mohapatra has a compelling and arresting stage presence, with an exhilarating combination of intensity and spontaneity, and her dance is noteworthy for its grace, depth of expression and technical perfection. Widely travelled over the world as a soloist and a leading member of the Srjan Dance Troupe, she also runs this dance school along with her husband Ratikant Mohapatra, who is also a leading Odissi dancer, choreographer, and musician. Ms. Mohapatra often conducts workshops in the major centres of Odissi teaching across India and the world. Her significant performances have been at the Konark Dance Festival, Mukteshwar Dance Festival, Khajauraho Dance Festival, etc.