Biography
PC: Debojyoti Dhar
One of the leading Odissi dancers of today, Swagata Banerjee has taken a stance of blending tradition, aesthetics and the art of movement together to make dance accessible and understandable to more people. Swagata’s passion for dance and teaching goes hand in hand. An educator by profession, Swagata’s higher studies focused on the fine motor and gross motor development in children with special needs where dance can be used as a tool for interventions. She immerses herself in exploring different genres of music through the lens of Odissi and embeds the grammar of Odissi to relate, reach and communicate with a greater audience.
Swagata is the founder and artistic director of Moksha Academy of Odissi Dance. Located in the foothills of Rockies, Moksha Academy is the cradle that trains and mentors a cohort of dancers, across different age groups, and cultural backgrounds, and brings them together into a singular community. Her dedication to the dance form, and strive for perfection is evident in each and every aspect of the school and its rigor. It is the deep emotional connection that she has with the dance form that emanates in her picture perfect postures and graceful performances.
Early years and Training:
Swagata have had the privilege of being born into a family of gifted artists. She grew up in an environment that encouraged creativity and fostered interest in dance. Swagata's mother, Srilekha Bandyopadhyay is a renowned vocalist based in the city of Kolkata, India. She specializes in Hindustani Classical Music and a traditional form of music called “Puratoni Bangla”, which is one of the oldest forms of Bengali music that follows a distinct pattern of vocal exploration and requires vigorous training. She has always been her greatest inspiration. During Swagata's early childhood years, her mother played an immense role in instilling the value of knowing and understanding the rich heritage of our culture and background. Since then, Swagata learned Odissi not only to perform but to actively spread the dance form and its cultural importance to the whole world. Over the years, in addition to support and encouragement, Swagata's mother has also composed music for several dance pieces and provided her vocal talents to the compositions.
In order to stay relevant in the field and keep growing, Swagata strongly believes that learning is a life-long process. Her initial years of training were from Guru Manimala Chakraborty and Dr. Aditi Bandyopadhyay. Then for more than a decade she was under the tutelage of Guru Rina Jana. Currently, Swagata is under the mentorship of Guru Bijayini Satpathy. Swagata believes that all her teachers have played a tremendous role in her life to transform her as a person and helped her unwind the story behind the Odissi dance movements, mudras and beyond.
Swagata is the founder and artistic director of Moksha Academy of Odissi Dance. Located in the foothills of Rockies, Moksha Academy is the cradle that trains and mentors a cohort of dancers, across different age groups, and cultural backgrounds, and brings them together into a singular community. Her dedication to the dance form, and strive for perfection is evident in each and every aspect of the school and its rigor. It is the deep emotional connection that she has with the dance form that emanates in her picture perfect postures and graceful performances.
Early years and Training:
Swagata have had the privilege of being born into a family of gifted artists. She grew up in an environment that encouraged creativity and fostered interest in dance. Swagata's mother, Srilekha Bandyopadhyay is a renowned vocalist based in the city of Kolkata, India. She specializes in Hindustani Classical Music and a traditional form of music called “Puratoni Bangla”, which is one of the oldest forms of Bengali music that follows a distinct pattern of vocal exploration and requires vigorous training. She has always been her greatest inspiration. During Swagata's early childhood years, her mother played an immense role in instilling the value of knowing and understanding the rich heritage of our culture and background. Since then, Swagata learned Odissi not only to perform but to actively spread the dance form and its cultural importance to the whole world. Over the years, in addition to support and encouragement, Swagata's mother has also composed music for several dance pieces and provided her vocal talents to the compositions.
In order to stay relevant in the field and keep growing, Swagata strongly believes that learning is a life-long process. Her initial years of training were from Guru Manimala Chakraborty and Dr. Aditi Bandyopadhyay. Then for more than a decade she was under the tutelage of Guru Rina Jana. Currently, Swagata is under the mentorship of Guru Bijayini Satpathy. Swagata believes that all her teachers have played a tremendous role in her life to transform her as a person and helped her unwind the story behind the Odissi dance movements, mudras and beyond.
