Supradipta Datta (dipta1@yahoo.com) has been a part of Kala Bhavan since its inception in 2007.
She is one of the senior most disciples of the renowned Odissi dancer Guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo. Her skills in Odissi have been further enhanced by the guidance of legendary maestros like Padmabibhushan Late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Smt. Aruna Mohanty, Guru Manoranjan Pradhan, Guru Smt. Sujata Mohapatra and Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra. She has the rare distinction of achieving the Sangeet Kriya Visharad in both the dance forms of Odissi and Bharatnatyam.
As a dancer Supradipta has performed in various prestigious festivals in India including the Khajuraho Festival, the Konarak Festival, the Puri Beach Festival. Her first introduction to the western world as a young dancer came through her Odissi performance which was featured by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in their documentary on Indian culture and Hinduism.
Supradipta moved to U.S.A. in 1997. Along with obtaining her Maters’ degree in Finance, she has continued to perform all around the U.S.A. in prestigious events like the 1st Odissi World Conference (at Washington D.C.), the North American Bengali Conference (NABC), and the North American Odissi Conference. She continues to perform, choreograph and collaborate with other renowned artists for various cultural shows, the latest ones being Chitram with Kanniks Kannikeswaran and Ananta with Sreyashi Dey and Arnab Bandyapadhyay.
In 2003, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra inaugurated her institution Kalaangan, a center of the performing arts, dedicated solely to Odissi. Since 2010, Kalaangan has been organizing a yearly dance festival called Alok Utsav (named after Supradipta’s Guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo) for young Odissi students. A second festival, Nrityanubhav is organized by Kalaangan to give platform to young Odissi dance professionals post their Ranga Praveshes.
By exposing this rich and elegant art of Odissi to its students while preserving its purity and traditional roots, Supradipta strives to instill a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment for every student. Performance recitals by her students are specially recognized for their grace, elegance and masterful technique.
