Introduction

Smt. Manasi Pandya Raghunandan is the President of Abhivyakti Dance Center, Bangalore. She is an exponent of Odissi & Bharatanatyam. She is a researcher, danseuse, teacher, art critic and a passionate writer. She is a UGC NET qualified, assistant professor in dance. She is a double Post-graduate and holds Master’s degree in Odissi from Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata and Master’s degree in English from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. She holds a post-graduate diploma in French. She holds a ‘Kovida’ in Odissi from Nalanda Dance research centre, Mumbai and an ‘Alankar’ in Bharatanatyam with gold medal from “Purva”.

She conceptualized and hosted Abhivyakti National dance festival and Seminar, New Delhi July 2017 in association with the ICCR.

As a writer, she has authored: J’aime Francais

And Odissi, A way of Life.

She has written pieces on youth, culture, dance and dance festivals and has contributed articles to newspapers and art-websites in the column of art and culture. She had recently been invited by the Open National University in Subotica for International conference and paper presentation on performing arts and her paper has been published in the international bilingual journal in English and Serbian language.

She is also the member of board of directors, elected for world culture MIFA, Italy. She is part of selection committee of various dance festivals. She is also invited as a guest critic to review dance programs and festivals. She is a polyglot and speaks Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, English, French, Odiya and Bengali

She has many critically acclaimed choreographic works to her credit such as; “Sri Ramaraksha strotam”, “Hanumaan Chalisa”, “Kala Sangam”, “Sandhya devi strotam”, “Abhayankar Shiva raksha strotam”, “Mangalacharana – Vishnu stutee, astadikpalakas, “Pallavi in kadanakoothuhala”, “Kannada vachanas” & mega dance ballet ‘Sri Jagganath Charitam’ and more.

She has been felicitated and awarded by several organizations of national and International repute. She has bagged Nrithya Vilasini- Chattisgarh, Purva Ratna, Gujarat, CCRT National scholarship, New Delhi, Bharatashree, Karnataka, Dancing queen, Gujarat, Govt. of Gujarat women’s day award as well as National award for excellence in Odissi (National award) from Krist Foundation and more.

She has regular students taking training under her tutelage from Bangalore, other parts of India and from Russia, Brazil, Austria, China, Canada, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, USA and Chile.

She aims to take Bharatanatyam and Odissi to the utmost perfection and provide quality training. She believes in quality training, performing and research work is essential for individual growth and for its global presence. She wants to continue being a performer of good caliber. She has been featured for her dance at the Discovery channel, Washington DC and in other leading print & electronic media.

She has also performed at several festivals such as SZCC National dance festival, Kerala, ICCR Efcep, Bengaluru, SNA Nrithya Pratibha Aurangabad, Nalanda Nrithyotsava, Mumbai, Indradhanush Delhi, Konark dance and music festival, Konark, Rukmini Devi Arundale festival, Kolkata, Purva International classical dance festival, Baroda, Jalgaon, National Odissi dance festival, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Kala vaibhavam, Singapore, Guru dakshina, Bhubaneswar, Nupura Nitya Nrithya festival, Bangalore, Bharata kalanjali, Vellore, Visesha kala Poshakam, Chennai, Keshava dance festival Bangalore to name a few.

She has performed, conducted workshops at Spain, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius as well as thrice at Pakistan & recently at Serbia, Yugoslavia, Russia Qatar, Ethiopia and Brazil.

She has been the disciple of Padmashree Late. Dr Guru Shri Gangadhar Pradhan, Odisha (Odissi). She is the daughter and disciple of Dr. Guru Sharad Pandya and Smt. Niru Pandya, “Purva” Vadodara, Gujarat. (Bharatanatyam). She is married to Bharatanatyam exponent Kalayogi Vid. Raghu Nandan S, Bangalore.