Sushmita Pati

Artistic Director

Sushmita is a classically trained Indian dancer and choreographer specialising in the form of Odissi, or Orissi, from the beautiful state of Orissa in East India. In addition to classical dance Sushmita is also conversant with a number of folk dances.

Now settled in Hampshire (England), Sushmita has been teaching the dance of Odissi through performances, work-shops and visits to schools, colleges throughout the the south east region. In addition, Sushmita has found time to complete a M.Mus in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths' College, where her thesis was on the masked Chhau dance also from East India, and has used Indian dance in a drugs education project in London.

In 1996, Sushmita returned to Orissa to learn from Guru Kelu Charan Mahapatra resulting in performances in both Orissa and the UK. She has contributed to the Thengapalli project, an educational pack for Primary schools about life in an Indian village. She has also acted as a consultant for a BBC radio series on Indian folk dance.

Currently, as artistic director of Kala The Arts, Sushmita is busy planning education projects for the coming 2004 academic year as well as finding the artists for a new Odissi projects and educational work.

If you have any questions concerning Odissi Indian Dance please E-mail Sushmita