ARTISTIC DIRECTORS / CHOREOGRAPHERS

Leena Mohanty

Artistic Director / Director of Professional Repertory Program

has been awarded the coveted and prestigious Mahari award and was the recipient of the first Ustad Bismillah Khan Youth Award in 2006. Through her commitment to Odissi, Leena has proven to be a versatile dancer with a vision. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Bansi Bilas, an institution devoted to training young and upcoming dancers of Guru Deba Prasad Das’ School of Odissi and provides a creative outlet for dancers, musicians and art lovers in Bhubaneswar. Ms. Mohanty curated and was the artistic director for the successful Odissi Dance Festival Anjali in Kuala Lampur , Malaysia 2009 (photos above), which also featured original choreography by Ms. Mohanty and was well received by audiences and critics alike. Ms. Mohanty is a critically acclaimed and celebrated dancer with a strong and impeccable command of technique. Smt. Mohanty’s dance is marked with clarity, graceful intricacies, eloquent expressions, and precision evoking the Rasa with its full luster and essence.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Recipient of Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2006 from Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
Recipient of the prestigious Mahari Award,2006
Recipient of Sanjukta Panigrahi Award, Patitapawan Kala Niketan, New Delhi   
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RECENT  PERFORMANCES / FESTIVALS
August 2010, at One New York Plaza, New York, in the ‘Erasing Borders: Festival of Indian Dance,organized by Indo-American Arts Council Inc.
Artistic director of ‘Swaha – Rituals of Union’ which was showcased in the new York Fringe Festival in Aug 2010 and won the overall artistic excellence award. Swaha also received rave reviews in the New York Times and The Star Ledger, New Jersey
In 2010, toured USA performing in Zionsville (Indiana),Chicago, St. Louis, NYC ( New York),Memphis (TN)
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CHOREOGRAPHY
Choreographer and Artistic Director Of ‘ANJALI- A homage to Guru Deba Prasad Das’ which was staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 17th to 19th April 2009.
Choreographed Bhramara Geet,  from Srimad Bhagavatam.
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AS AN ORGANISER
Collaborated with Kalpana Dance Theatre in organizing ‘Anjali – A homage to Guru Deba Prasad Das’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 17th to 19th April 2009.
Organized 2nd International Odissi Festival, held at Kamani Audotorium New Delhi from 24th to 26th November, 2006
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Bani Ray

Dancer / Choreographer

an exponent of Odissi has been delving in dance since the age of six. She studied dance under some of the most revered gurus and has been learning Odissi since 1970, from Shri Hari Krishna Behera, Valmiki Banerjee, Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir, and the Late Guru Shri Nath Raut. Apart from Odissi, Bani has also studied Mohini Attam, Manipuri and various other folk dance forms. Bani has performed extensively throughout India and the United States and has received numerous scholarships, fellowships, and awards for her expertise in the field of dance. As a joint director of Nehru Institute of Odissi Research and Training in Delhi, India, she has organized international seminars, symposiums and training programs for aspiring young dancers. Bani is currently teaching, performing and doing in-depth research and training on the style and compositions of the Late Guru Deba Prasad Das. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, Bani teaches at Lotus Music and Dance Studios in midtown Manhattan. READ MORE

Taiis Pascal-Charles

Artistic Director / Dancer

began training in Odissi at the age of 11 under Deva Deva Jagatpate and has been under the guidance of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir for the past 11 years. She is currently mentored by Smt Bani Ray, Smt. Sujata Mohapatra, and Smt. Leena Mohanty. Described as “strong and beautiful” by Deborah Jowitt of the Village Voice, she’s danced with: Jaan Freeman Repertoire, Rajika Puri & Dancers and is a co-founder/ director of Trinayan Collective. Her re-staging of choreography for the collective was well received by Dance Magazine and the Village Voice. Taiis has conducted workshops in NYC for The Joyce Theater Education Department, Lotus Music & Dance Studios and co-curated the World Dance Showcase 2007 for the Publick Playhouse Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C. Taiis founded Trinayan Dance Theater in 2008.