Sabita Mishra of St. Louis, Missouri, USA first began learning Odissi Dance at the tender age of 7. Under the guidance of her Guru she has performed at several stage shows all over the India; Konark Festival, Puri Beach Festival, Khajuraho Festival, Chidambaram Festival, Madurai Festival, Khandagiri Festival and Naampalli Nrtya Mahotsav, to name a few. She has also performed several times as solo and in group dances at Doordarshan Kendra, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
Sabita's most recent performance was at Mahatma Gandhi Centre, Hindu Temple Premises, St.Louis along with the Rudrakshya Goup from Bhubaneswar, India organized by the Oriya Community of St.Louis.
As a soloist Ms. Mishtra prefers performing abhinaya but she has also learned six different kinds of Pallavia; Pallavi, Basant Pallavi, Kalyan Pallavi, Kalavati Pallavi and Kafi Pallavi. She performs abhinayas from the Geeta Govindam or from poems by poets Banamali Dash and Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja etc. In Mangalacharan Sabita has learned Kalika and Ganesh Tandava. Apart from two kinds of Batu Nritya she has also learned two varieties of Mokshya Nata. She laso performed items based on God or Goddess like Surya Ashtakam based on Sun God and Durga Stutee based on Goddess Durga.
Sabita looks forward to carry on performing one of the oldest surviving traditional style of dance which originated in the temples of the state of Orissa in Eastern India, to the best of her ability and enhance her skills learned from such renowned and inimitable Guru.
Guru’s Name Sri Bharat Charan Giri
School of Dance Bharati Nritya Mandir
Style of Dance Guru Deba Prasad Das School of Dance
Qualification in Dance Madhyama Purna with distinction from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Pracheen Kala Parishad, Pune. Nritya Visharad with distinction from Chandigarh University, Chandigarh.
Achievements Received the best dancer award for six consecutive years from Regional Instititute of Education, Orissa, India. First prize for three years from RAWA Acadmey of Music & Dance, Orissa, India. Accredited for acting in children’s programme by S.I.E.T, Bhubaneswar Received State level Scholarship from Government of Orissa. Performed in songs from Bhanja Sahitya on occasion of Bhanja Jayanti, organized by Mrs. Pratibha Sahoo, a noted dancer and actress in Oriya Movies.Received National Scholarship from Cultural Department,Govt. of India.
Felicitated by Indian Oil Corp. in their celebration of fifty years of independence day of India.Most accredited as Krishna doing all shorts of mischief and rasa leela with Radha (Dr.Deepti Mishra, Ex. Director, Doordarshan Kendra)
Performed several times in oriya weekly programme, Kalyani in Doordarshan, Bhubaneswar.
Educational Qualification : MBA.
Reviews : “We can now rely upon these budding dancers who have God’s grace and such unmatchable Guru to carry on our culture to the next generation.” --“Sambhabanara Sabita” , review by Chittaranjan Mohapatra in Oriya daily Sambada.
