Sonal Mansingh

Among the most distinguished personalities in contemporary Indian dance, sonal Mansingh is an outstanding exponent of Odissi dance. Born in 1944 in Bombay, she was trained in Odissi dance by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and in Bharatanatyam by Prof.U.S.Krishan Rao and Mylapore Gouri amma. She learnt the Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj from Shri Anant Charan Sai and received training in Hindustani and Carnatic music. A student of Sanskrit, she undertook studies in Natyasastra with Dr.T.N.Ramachandran in madras.

Since her debut in 1961, Sonal Mansingh has performed extensively at home and abroad participating in prestigious art events. She is known for her innovative interpretations of traditional themes as also for her choreographic works marked by contemporary sensitivity. Working under the guidance of scholars and poets like Mayadhar Manshingh and Jiwan Pani she studied the Oriya literary traditions and created a number of new compositions enriching the Odissi repertoire. Sunayana, Lavanya Vati, Shoonya Mahari are a few of the creations which made her Odissi performances distinctly different and original. Her recent choreographic work Draupadi was widely acclaimed as a significant experiment in contemporary dance theatre.

Also an accomplished Bharatantyam dancer, Sonal Mansingh is popular among young people for her lecture-demonstrations of Odissi and Bharatanatyam. She has founded a Centre for Classical Dances of India in Delhi, a teaching institution. She has been honoured with the Delhi Sahitya Kala Parishad Award (1985), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), the Vishwa Gurjari Award (1989), the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1991) and the Padma Bhushan (1992).