India Dance Festival
India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Odissi and Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Over the centuries, it has attained refinement and enriched itself by the establishment of distinct styles and gharanas. Odissi, a recognized form of Indian classical dance, is from the eastern state of Orissa. Odissi dates back to 2nd century B.C. and is well known for its grace, fluid movements and strong footwork. Odissi postures can be seen in the sculptures of ancient Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples and caves of Orissa.
Shibani Patnaik is flourishing as one of the leading dancers in her generation today. She is an energetic dancer with a strong technical background who strikes the perfect combination of power and grace. Shibani has been extensively trained in Odissi by the Late Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna Mohanty, Manoranjan Pradhan, and Yudhistir Nayak from Orissa Dance Academy in India. Shibani has performed extensively throughout North America and India. She has also performed and given lecture demonstrations at various dance festivals, fundraisers, universities, libraries and museums. Shibani and her sisters, known as the “Patnaik sisters” helped superstar Madonna choreograph a piece in Odissi style for the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards which was broadcasted to millions of viewers throughout the world. They also collaborated with Ricky Martin on an Odissi piece for his 2007 world tour. Shibani was awarded the 2006 Devadasi award in Orissa. Stanford University presented Shibani with the 2001 Asian-American Performing Arts Award, and the Chapell-Lougee Scholarship to conduct research in Orissa. In 2002, while Shibani was a student at Stanford University, she organized and introduced a four year Indian classical dance program to the official curriculum.
Sunaina Rao has been training in the field of Kathak since the age of six. Her mother and guru, Akhila Rao, is a disciple of Guru Sri. Ganesh Hiralal and Guru Smt. Asha Joglekar of Mumbai. Sunaina has performed extensively in the United States as well as the in India at prestigious shows and venues. Sunaina was awarded the title of “Singaar Mani” by the Sur Singaar Samsad for her performance at the prestigious Kal-Ke-Kalakar Sangeet Sammelan in 2010 and “Natya Pravina” by Yuva Bharati. She has also attended workshops conducted by various Kathak maestros – Pandit Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Smt. Archana Joglekar and Nirupama Rajendra to name a few. She has completed her Upantya Visharad in Kathak with honors from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, India. She is a partner and an assistant teacher at her mother’s dance school, Kathak Rhythms, based in Plano, TX. Besides pursuing her passion through Kathak, professionally, Sunaina is a 2013 Pharm.D. Candidate at The University of Houston College of Pharmacy.
Anjali Magi has done her Kathak Nrityalankar (Masters in Kathak) from the prestigious Gandharva Mahavidyalaya under able guidance of guru Smt Radhika Sathe. She runs her own dance school called “Nrityanjali” and the motto of her school is to promote Kathak in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. She has performed at various prestigious events in the DFW metroplex area like the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Discover India festival, Kalamaalika, World dance conference conducted by the ICHF, and several others. She was actively involved in a project ‘Young Audiences’ where she visited various schools in Dallas and surrounding area to introduce the American kids to Indian dance culture. She has performed at various festivals and event in the US such as classical dance annual festival at Omaha, Nebraska; the Hindu temple in Oklahoma City, etc.. Anjali and her students perform at various charity events that sponsor various under privileged children in India. She has judged various dance competitions at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas.